Hey, Canada! Part 2

My Canadian road trip today continues with some interesting artwork out of the province of Alberta. So as not to offend anyone, I'm flipping a coin. Heads, Oilers. Tails, Flames.

... flipping ...

Heads. Okay, first up is the Edmonton Oilers. I was emailed these concepts based off of the new Florida Panthers uniforms.

It's all dark blue and copper here. But if what you seek is a revival of days gone by, I have a treat for you. WHA/Gretzky-era Oiler fans, eat your heart out.

One reader emailed me this concept design based off of the all-star game template I posted in the sidebar. Not too shabby. Good ol' blue and orange.

And remember the extremely orange fan creation I posted last week? I was sent a logo based on that concept. You can see it below along with a recolored version of the oilman logo — which we've heard is not long for this earth. The Oilers will likely go without a shoulder patch this season, but they also might get a completely new one. We'll just have to wait and see.

But that's not all. I also promised some fan-created artwork for the Calgary Flames. See that below.

That jersey is on fire! But like the oilman logo of the Oilers, this horse logo will likely become part of the Flames' history this summer. Word is a new secondary logo is on the horizon. With that in mind, let's look at an Rbk EDGE template.

Very, very red. What is it with all the red anyway these days? That's the most popular color in the NHL. But I know, it's the Flames. Red is one of their obvious colors. All I'm saying, is that the black jersey might look good with a red flaming "C." In the alternative, a black flaming "C" would be the only way to go on a red jersey.

Any thoughts, Albertans? Please don't bicker. Lively back-and-forth, I can deal with. Resist the urge to pick on your fellow countrymen if you can.

Hey, Canada! Part 1

All right, my friends north of the border, today is going to be your day, by my own official decree. I've got Canadian team content up the you-know-what today. (Pardon.) I'm going to start out in your capital. (Sounds wrong now, doesn't it?)

We all know the Ottawa Senators just unveiled their new logo and uniforms last night to much fanfare. Response — at least here at NHLToL — has been widely mixed. Some love it. Some hate it. Some want it to go sit in the corner and think about what it did. Some are indifferent, too, or whatever.

Having said that, I have a rather eager reader interested in gauging your feelings on a concept design he came up with. Behold.

I'd have to say it's pretty nice, if I'm being asked to share an opinion. I always thought the black third jerseys were the best they ever came up with. And I like the side-view logo which we all thought was going to be unveiled last night. It wasn't so I'm led to believe it will be a possibility for an alternate uniform when the league reinstates that program. But that's just me saying that. I have no idea if it's true.

But wait, Sens fans, I have more. A lot's been made of the new shoulder patch that harkens back to the days of the Silver Seven, so what it if they took it a step further? This concept was sent to me and it's quite something.

I don't really have the words for that. Do you have any? Leave me a comment.

Sens Unveiling Tonight!

Just wanted to remind everyone that in less than three hours the Ottawa Senators will unveil their new uniforms and "updated" logos — the latter of which we've already been treated to, allegedly.

To serve as a primer for the big event, I came across these fan-created designs to share — the last of which that shall be speculative, obviously.

We'll find out tonight what's what. Which reminds me, as a person who generally wakes up for work at 2 AM, don't be surprised if I don't post pictures until then. I'm often up until 7 PM so if I get my hands on photos by then, you can be sure I'll post them. Otherwise, check back after 2 AM — eastern time, that is (11 PM for all of you on the Pacific coast).

Sharks Jersey Concepts

Quick note before I call it a night. I recently got a few emails with concept designs for the new San Jose Sharks uniforms. Have a peek.

That's a pretty cool design but I have a feeling the Sharks will go with teal home jerseys since the logo sort of fades away on a black background. Not sure about "SAN JOSE" written across the bottom. The very Kings-like and unoriginal.

Last week we saw a video game magazine with what appeared to be a blurry screen grab from NHL 08. It seems we may have gotten a sneak peek at the new Sharks jerseys. With that concept in mind, one fan came up with these.

I don't hate them. They're very nice yet without a hint of their previous jerseys — which I felt were among the best in the league. Regardless, doesn't the new logo seem to stand out better on the teal sweater?

We'll have to wait until we hear official word from the team on when we'll get to see the new Rbk EDGE jerseys. Until then, speculation is all we have.

Flames To Wear Alberta On Sleeve?

Just wanted to keep everyone up to date on a rumor that's been floating around regarding the Calgary Flames new duds. It's been widely reported that the horse head logo with the flaming nostrils will bite the dust in favor of a new secondary logo. Some believe that secondary logo will prominently feature the flag of Alberta in a shield sort of style.

For an example, check out this fan concept that was emailed to me recently.

The designer used the Albertan coat of arms as a jumping-off point in coming up with this idea. Some people wonder whether this would stir up unhappy feelings in the Edmonton Oilers, also based out of Alberta.

As an interesting corollary, the Oilers are also reportedly dropping the secondary logo they've used for the last decade. Word is, the oil man on the shoulder will be gone. Are plans in the works for a new Alberta-related secondary for them too? Should be interesting.

Any Albertans out there? What do you guys think of all this?

UPDATE (5:58 PM): Unfortunately I made the mistake of pitting Flames and Oilers fans against each other. I don't know what I was thinking. Just to avoid things getting out of hand, I'm shutting down comments on this post. Thank you to those of you who posted comments with civility in mind (apologies for closing them down). To the rest, I can live with a few jabs back and forth in good fun, but I won't tolerate attacks of any kind. We're all just trying to enjoy ourselves here.

Mailbag: In Need Of Flyers Rumors

I got an email today from a Philadelphia Flyers fan, eager to obtain information on the new Rbk EDGE uniforms.

Chris,

Can you please help us Philadelphia Flyers fans out there. We're voted the best fans in the NHL country, yet we have to wait forever to see and learn anything about our jerseys. We all want Orange, but the rumors are black. Can you give us some much needed information to tide us over till September? Thank you!

Adam

I don't know what makes you the "best fans" necessarily, but I'll leave that alone. I just wish I had some hard facts for you, Adam. Unfortunately, there's nothing new available. Based on the alleged Simon Gagne leak, the home jerseys will likely be black. Sorry.

But since I can't offer any real information, I can at least offer some fan-made concept designs for you to peruse at your leisure to tide you over. So let's get to that.

There's some orange for you. Loads of orange. But wait, there's more.

I think that's sort of a neat concept. I haven't really seen any earth-shattering concept art for the Flyers, though, which surprises me. I guess you guys like things the way they are. Not that you shouldn't. It's a nice uniform.

I had some other fan work submitted to me. This one has a unique design. Interesting striping pattern.

Anyway, like I said, I wish I had more to offer you guys. As soon as new information becomes available, I'll have it right here. Any thoughts on these designs?

The New Canucks Logo! (Just Kidding)

A reader posted something that I feel is gold in its truest sense. Vancouver Canucks fans who frequent the team's official message board may have perhaps already seen this. For those of you, who haven't, prepare yourselves.

One fan took all four of the Canucks' past logos and... mated them. It turned out one hell of an offspring. You have to see it to believe it. It's incredible.

I haven't decided whether that's in a good way or a bad way. Just have a look for yourself.

How about that? Thoughts?

The Canucks will unveil their new logo and uniforms on August 29.

All About The Isles

The New York Islanders unveiled their new Rbk EDGE jerseys to little fanfare last week. Some fans liked them. Some were indifferent. And some were none too happy with the striping and patchwork essence of the sweaters.

This design is very simple and screams Islander hockey to me, no question. I'm not sure what those semi-stripes are protruding from the collar, but I kind of like them. The best thing about it for me is the lighthouse logo on the left shoulder. I really think the Isles should've kept that or something like it after their late-'90s uniform disaster. Fact is, it wasn't all bad.

That's probably the best I've got to offer, but there's still more. One fan adapted this Los Angeles Kings concept with Islanders colors.

I think it needs a little work around the shoulders, but overall, it would be an improvement on the official jersey modeled by Rick DiPietro and Brendan Witt last week.

The last conept I have to offer comes from the same artist who created the designs I posted earlier today. And yes, it makes use of the lighthouse logo — as a primary crest. It might be going a little too far, but I figured it was worth a look.

Isles fans, any thoughts on these? Are the new Rbk EDGE jerseys that bad or am I making too much of that? Leave your comments below.

A Handful Of Uniform Concepts

My web travels today led me to Erik Kuhre's Portfolio of Art & Design site. Found a handful of jersey concepts I thought I'd share this afternoon. So let's dive right in.

Buffalo Sabres fans, you want blue and gold? Here's blue and gold. And a lot of it.

That's quite something, I thought. A little too much to actually be an NHL jersey, but there it is. I'm a big fan of that crossed-sabres logo but I like it better in black and red.

Here he had some fun with the Edmonton Oilers' third jersey logo — a logo I'm rather fond of. I don't like the orange in it, though. The blue looks better. That being said, I don't hate it on the blue jersey. I think the silver along the sleeves is pretty cool too. The Gretzky 99 sells me completely.

We know the Vancouver Canucks are getting new colors for this season, but take a look at this design anyway. I like the use of the "V" around the collar of this jersey, but the recolored '80s logo is too far down the sleeve at the cuff. The gloves would hide it. I also like the "V" on the sleeves and pants of this uniform concept.

I've got one more design to share from this artist, but I'm going to save it for a later post. I've got a bunch of New York Islanders concepts to add in the near future.

But anyway, what do you guys think of all these? Good work or not so much?

Revisiting The Caps, Cats

The Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers have already officially unveiled their new Rbk EDGE jerseys for this season, but that won't stop me from posting fan-designed concepts for those two teams.

Let's start with the Capitals and a couple of designs that have been floating around since about way back in January.

How about those lookers? Naturally, they're based off that infamous all-star jersey template. There are lots of colors. The quilt in my old bedroom is coming to mind. Sew a patch here. Sew a patch there. By George, you've got yourself a hockey jersey.

Moving right along now. Shortly after the Capitals announced they would be making a return to their traditional colors of red, white and blue, this concept popped up on the web.

The logo aside, that wouldn't be a half-bad uniform design, if you ask me. I could see the Caps wearing something like this and looking very good doing it. Know what I'm saying?

For a closer look at the logo used in that design, see the image to the left. What's interesting is that it makes use of "capitals" in the text of the logo. The irony is that the current logo and the one from the '70s are written in lowercase type. Weird, right? In addition to that, this logo also uses the stick and puck from the dome logo of recent years.

It's sharp work, but ultimately I don't feel it would be an improvement on what the Capitals ended up going with for their new unis. Now let's move on to the Panthers. Got some cool stuff there.

This is from the designer who treated us to the Ottawa Senators jerseys I posted yesterday. Check out the swooshes on those sleeves. That's quite something. Not sure about the choice to put blue numbers on the red jersey. Probably better off with white. I'm also intrigued by the use of the yellow. These jerseys look nothing like the Panthers despite the use of the same colors.

What I think is cool is the concept for a new secondary logo on the shoulders of these sweaters. For a closer look at that, check out this alternate jersey idea.

That's different. Though between that and the sun with the palm tree crossing the hockey stick, I prefer the current shoulder patch. Also, try to visually imagine a player wearing all of those items. That is quite a lot of blue, isn't it? Blue sweater, blue pants, blue socks — and the only thing that breaks it up is the red stripe on the sock.

Hope you enjoyed that. If you want to see what these two teams' uniforms actually look like, I've set up a photo gallery you can access from the sidebar.

But enough with my opinion, let's have yours. Comments go below.