Wallpaper Wednesday III

It's Wednesday and that means I have wallpapers for you. You guys have been sending in some great stuff, so pick something new to grace your desktop this week.

First, Roberto Luongo's mask won the NHL Tournament of Goalie Masks so one reader designed a wallpaper with that in mind along with the blog's new name.

Plus, for all you Canucks fans, a couple of logo wallpaper options here.

And our friend SnyperP who's been fulfilling some requests has these to share.

That Islanders background is nice, but so are the Leafs and Sharks.

And finally, for Ducks fans, I've got a couple of excellent wallpapers to share.

Giguere looks great (from LightItUp4126 at allducksgraphics.com), but I like the color scheme here for Schneider (from Dark Knight at allducksgraphics.com).

So if I were a Ducks fan, it'd be a toss-up as to which one I went with. Hope you guys enjoyed those. I'll have more next week. And if you've designed any you'd like to share, email them to me at nhllogos@gmail.com.

Just To Freak You Out XXXVII

Two weeks have elapsed since the last Freak Out Friday, so right on time it's here again. And oddly enough, we're starting where we started last time — with the clubs from New York.

I think that needs no explanation. And sticking with NY for a moment, check out this Buffalo Sabres logo concept.

Yeah it takes a minute to really realize what you're seeing. At first you're thinking, "yeah, that classic '70s logo... but wait, something is a little off about it — aside from the buffalo being yellow, that is." Oh that's it! It has a slug head.

And just when you thought the Sabres hadn't been through enough for one Freak Out post, just wait for this.

Perhaps if the Bills played hockey... No, just no. And while we're on the topic of odd jerseys, we have another.

I believe we've seen something of this nature before, but it's still funny to me.

Now we're heading out west for the rest of the post — starting with a very strange Vancouver Canucks concept logo.

The whale is diving into the "C" ... get it? (Say it out loud if you haven't gotten it yet.)

And with the QMJHL logo tournament in full swing over at ToHL, a reader sent me this logo crossing the Rimouski Oceanic with the Phoenix Coyotes.

Finally, on a completely different tack, someone has not only created a brand for a team, they've created a brand new team. I'm told the Florida Panthers should move to Seattle to become the Totems.

Now I'm no fan of the stinkin' Panthers but if this is the only option, I can't say I'd wholeheartedly support it. The design comes complete with jerseys and everything.

So keep your freaky artwork coming so I can keep this series going. Check back in two weeks for the next Freak Out Friday.

Oh, and to anyone out there who doesn't believe in the evil powers of Friday the 13th, consider this: Tim Russert dropped dead in the NBC newsroom today, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake rattled Japan, Iowa is under water and a tornado just tore off a bunch of roofs and wiped out a Wal-Mart down here in my part of Florida.

Yeah, but that Wal-Mart had it coming.

Wallpaper Wednesday I

As I've mentioned, today I'm launching a new series called Wallpaper Wednesday. In the middle of each week, I'll be showcasing some of the best desktop background artwork that's made its way to my inbox. I've already posted a few wallpapers over the last few days and one of the first was a great Bruins design.

It was created by a reader named Patrick, who is continuing a series based on the original. I've already posted the Oilers and today we have a couple of new ones. First, the Sabres.

I'm sure you Sabres fans love that he used your classic emblem. Also, the Flyers.

Now based on the recent poll, we know that the team with the largest percentage fan base visiting NHLToL is the Vancouver Canucks. So naturally, they've got to be included here. And I really like this wallpaper.

It's designed for a widescreen display yet at the same time compatible with standard screens. To those of you submitting wallpapers, I (and many others) would be forever grateful if you could work with this in mind.

This Thrashers wallpaper is also designed for widescreen, except in this case it's not completely compatible with standard monitors because of where the NHL logo is placed in the corner.

Finally, this one is absolutely stellar and while the focus isn't a logo, I can't pass up the chance to post it.

That's all for this week. If you sent something and I haven't posted it yet, don't worry, I'll get to it eventually. Thanks to everyone who has submitted!

Just To Freak You Out XXXVI

Time this evening for a Freak Out post. I know you've been waiting eagerly for two long weeks. We'll kick things off in New York. What do you say we mix all three NY clubs? And then do it all over again?

The things people come up with. Now if we head west you might find the odd Mighty Ducks jersey with interesting striping.

But staying out west things only get stranger.

I don't think I even need to say anything about that. It's just weird.

Got a couple of crazy logos to share as well. It's Phoenix — in its mythical sense, I suppose.

To finish off tonight's Freak Out Friday, we'll dive into the Stanley Cup series and look at the only two clubs still playing hockey this season.

Folks often try to "update" the Red Wings logo yet it never seems to take.

I can't imagine why. And I'm all about the powder blue Penguins jerseys allegedly making a return in the fall...

...but make up your mind at least. It's gold or it's blue. It obviously can't be both.

Join me again in two weeks for another edition and keep sending in your freaky artwork and I'll keep posting.

Back To The Canucks

It occurs to me I haven't posted any Vancouver Canucks concept art lately. Figured I ought to rectify that.

This design or a version of it has been floating around for a while as a dream third jersey for the Canucks. Unfortunately, the rumors have the stick-in-rink logo on the chest of the new alternate. On that same tack, how about another green one?

It's hard to deny they would look good in green. Or somebody would. Between the Stars and Wild, it's almost like someone in the NHL is deathly afraid of the color.

But if neither that nor the stick-in-rink is your cup of tea, how about stick-in-pond? A perfectly circular pond, that is.

There are even some folks partial to the good ol' whale — with the new colors.

Or you could just go way back and mess with everything.

I think we can safely count that one out as a potential third sweater contender.

More to come this week. And by the way, the images above, as with all images posted here, are the work of readers like you. To have your work posted on the blog for all to see, email it to me at nhllogos@gmail.com.

Just To Freak You Out XXXIV

Time again for me to try to freak you out with some of the crazy stuff people send to me. We've got a theme for this one, though.

As you know, we're currently in the midst of the Tournament of Goalie Masks. It's pretty cool and it's made a lot of people look at goalie masks in a different way. I'm not really sure how to describe these next couple of graphics. They're not so much concept art as... freaky.

Yeah, that's an astronaut's mask on Cam Ward.

Right, a welder's mask on Marty Turco.

Ah, and a diver's mask on Jean-Sebastien Giguere. That's just trippy. Wait it gets worse.

Stare at this a little while.

I'm pretty sure a bunch of Leafs and Sens fans just swore off this blog. It's just so... freaky.

Speaking of which, ever wondered if Luongo can pull off purple?

Yeah, he can't. I've got an "If They Mated" concept for the Canucks, though.

I like the Rangers' jerseys with the red in them. But now let's get really nuts. If you want First Nations art, why don't you just go all or nothing?

And the answer comes back plainly enough.

We'll stay in Canada as we finish things off this week.

It's an actual maple leaf. Inventive.

That's all. As I mentioned before, I'm probably going to be making the Freak Out Fridays into an every-other-week feature simply because I'm not getting enough stuff sent to me to do it every Friday. But I enjoy these posts when I can write them and I know you guys do too.

Enjoy your weekend and stick around for more news about the changes going down here at NHLToL. Our birthday is just a week away!

Pre-Playoff Concept Art

The Stanley Cup playoffs kick off on Wednesday night. Tomorrow I figure I'll post my predictions and so forth for anyone who might be interested. In the meantime, I've got concept art for you tonight. Not a lot but just a few things I thought were especially interesting.

First, a big set of third jerseys. Pretty much every team with rumors floating about. And then a special treat.

I told you it was a lot.

Then, with the recent surfacing of the 2009 All-Star Game logo, one reader came up with a concept for a Habs-based jersey design.

In French, no less.

And finally, a Canucks concept I thought was interesting given the current logo tournament going on at ToHL.

Obviously a take on the WHL's Giants.

Enjoy your night and let's get set for some playoff hockey! My favorite time of year!

Just To Freak You Out XXXII

Can you believe this is already the 32nd installment of the Freak Out series? Who knew it would go this long? What's interesting about this week's post is what comes at the end and the fact that it's real and not concocted in the freakish mind of one of the many readers of NHLToL. No, it's quite real and that's what freaks me out the most.

But first, let's talk third jerseys. We know they're making their big comeback next season after having taken a year off. We'll begin in Vancouver.

But wait, there's more!

And I'm sure this was just a case of colors lost in translation.

Doesn't make me feel any better. I'm all right with the purple on the Kings' uniforms because it's partnered with black and silver.

Here's a Lightning jersey even I wouldn't consider buying.

And a Sens sweater absolutely no one would.

But hold on, why one team at a time? Let's go for all 30 all at once.

A good try to be sure, but I'm afraid a few too many of these missed the mark in terms of what one might consider, you know, aesthetically pleasing. (What the hell kind of sentence was that?)

It's worse when you make it look real by painting it onto a player.

And now for the little thing I was teasing at the beginning of this post. I know it's not NHL, but I'm making an exception. The AHL's Lake Erie Monsters, this season, actually wore jerseys that... I'm sorry, there's no other way of putting this. They were tie-dyed. Behold the horror.

Because one photo wasn't enough...

Peace. Love. And hockey.

And now I'm just going to go put forks in my eyes. Until tomorrow, friends.

Third Jersey Ideas

I haven't written a concept art post since the weekend so I think we're due. But it's going to be a short one. One reader came up with 13 different jersey designs he'd like to see implemented for various teams at some point in the future.

I told you it'd be short, but we've got 13 different teams covered. Hope you enjoy it.

We've got a Freak Out Friday post coming tomorrow and hopefully some more concepts for the weekend. I've been keeping pretty busy with the Goalie Mask Tournament. Voter turnout is great so far. Keep 'em coming!

LFV Day 2: Amazing Hockey

LIVE FROM VANCOUVER!

Just got back to my hotel from the Canucks game a little while ago. It was unbelievable. Having experienced a long playoff run and a Stanley Cup championship in Tampa, I thought I knew what exciting hockey was. Wow. I didn't know anything.

It's not even the playoffs. It was a big game for the Canucks tonight, but not that big, you know? The atmosphere in that building was incredible. Absolutely unforgettable. I realized that I'd never really been to a hockey game until I went to one in Canada.

I'm sure I sound a little crazy, but for as big a hockey fan as I am, it's just a great feeling to be surrounded by people who feel the same way about the game. Yeah, we don't have that in Tampa. Not to mention, five goals in the first six minutes, that was pretty intense.

Earlier in the day, I walked around Stanley Park and visited the aquarium. Just in general, this city is pretty awesome. Vancouverites, I love your town! Mind if I stay?

Anyway, one more thing before I sign off for the night. Concepts! Got a couple for the Canucks and a bonus for the Nashville Predators, their opponent tonight. First one's my favorite.

Love the logo. Love the green jerseys. Love it all. (I love it so much maybe I'll marry it.)

Another design I've got here incorporates the same cool logo but it just doesn't work well for me, overall.

And we continue this downward tumble with a yellow Preds jersey. No, this wasn't meant to be an in-your-face for the Canucks' big win tonight, it was just all I had.

I really don't like yellow jerseys. Only seems to look good on the Swedes.

And finally, I leave you with a glimpse of the game — specifically the singing of the national anthems — from my particular vantage point in section 329.