Conceptualizing The Flames, Blues

It's another one of those slow news days. So to help fill the void, I have chocola— er, I mean jersey concepts. Let's start out with some Calgary Flames action.

It's pretty basic, though a lot like other stuff we've seen. My only complaint is the clashing of vertical and horizontal stripes at the base of the jerseys. You know my old line. Go all horizontal or go all vertical, but don't go both. Yeah, I've never used that line before but it's probably a good one.

Also, word is those shoulder logos with the horse dealing with some serious sinus issues are toast. (Ha.) In fact, word on the street is there may be an entirely new shoulder patch introduced this fall. We'll wait and see, of course. The official word comes down from the team on September 4 if all goes as planned.

I've also got some fan-designed St. Louis blues jersey concepts to share with you. They're pretty simple, harkening back to the old days. Nothing drastic, but I expect to see something a little different with the real Blues uniforms.

Again, we'll have to wait around for official news from the club. We don't have a hard date as of yet for the unveiling, though their first pre-season game is on September 16 if you wanted to pencil that in on your calendars.

Then I thought I'd leave you with this.

What if they changed their name to the St. Louis Whites? No, but seriously... If you feel inclined to comment, you may do so in the marked area below. Thanks again for your patronage!

By the way, I should point out that a lot, and I mean a lot of people have sent in jersey concepts over the last few days. Unfortunately, I can't post them all right away. But with any luck, if you've sent one in, chances are you'll see it on this blog one of these days. Don't lose hope.

Blackhawks Fan Art For Your Viewing Pleasure

I've got some Chicago Blackhawks concept designs to share. Let's dive right in.

Here's a set of 'Hawks jerseys in the new Rbk EDGE style. They're pretty sharp — and safe, as they're in keeping with the current design.

I like the black alternate jersey with the old logo. It's a rather nice set that I think most Blackhawks fans would have a hard time complaining about.

Personally, I've never been one to believe that Chicago has one of the best uniforms in sports (as is widely believed) and I don't think it would hurt if they went with a complete overhaul. And yes, I'm prepared to take the beating I've got coming to me for uttering such filth in an open forum.

Anyway, if someone can point out what features of this uniform make it so good, I'd be all ears. If not, then I don't know. Just enjoy these fan designs.

And these too.

I think these designs are pretty cool, mixing the old with the new. The stripes are different, but not all bad. Would Blackhawks fans object to something along these lines?

What do you guys think? Am I full of shit about the Blackhawks logo? Is it really as good as everyone says? Would you like me to stop talking about it?

Concept Art For Sens, Kings

Thanks to everyone who's placed their vote here on the first day of the Championship Tournament. Exciting stuff.

Anyway, I've still got fan artwork to share. We'll start out with the Ottawa Senators amidst all the news of their logo leaking. This concept ignores that logo (or was perhaps created prior to its leak).

It makes the current secondary logo the crest and sends the current primary to the shoulders, but beneath the shoulder elements. I'd be curious to see how something like that actually looks on a player. I think those are pretty sharp, even with the vertical stripes under the arms. Only, if it were me, I'd avoid doing vertical and horizontal stripes together. What do you guys think?

I was also emailed this concept for the Los Angeles Kings. I know they've already unveiled their new jerseys, but these aren't actual possibilites anyway, are they? It's just something fun to stare at while we wait for the hockey season to start again.

I think what the designer's done with the shoulders and sleeves is very interesting. It also seems he isn't a fan of the "LOS ANGELES" text across the bottom of the sweater. Seems a lot of Kings fans don't care much for that. I think it's unique. Is it a cool element or should they dump it?

Sabres, Pens Concept Art

The campaign against the slug trudges on as I can't hit a single Buffalo Sabres fan site or forum without reading the words "death to the slug" somewhere within. That in mind, I stumbled across a few concepts traditional fans should be all right with, barring an all-out return to the 1970s.

If you think the logo looks familiar, look no further than the old red third jersey. Personally, as a non-Sabres fan, I was always of the opinion that the crossed swords would make an excellent primary logo for that team. It could permanently relegate the buffalo to the shoulder where it belongs. Of course that's coming from a Lightning fan

Our designer also came up with an alternate uniform to go with these two. I'm afraid it goes a little overboard with the stripes though. I think we've past the point where it might've looked aesthetically pleasing. As far as the colors, I don't think the blue looks that bad. I think the current blue is a little darker than it needs to be.

Any thoughts, Sabres fans? I know you hate the slug. Is this the way to go? How do you feel now about the red-black-silver days of the late '90s?

Also, I just thought I'd throw in this nugget. One fan came up with this concept for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Check out that penguin! That one, I'm afraid of. I'm pretty sure it's culled from a minor league logo and it's a little cartoony.

Penguins fans, would this be a travesty? Would it be that bad to make a return to the old '90s penguin? Should I stop bothering you and deal with the one you've got?

Feel free to leave your opinions below, all. And remember, if you've come across any designs I haven't posted or have any of your own you'd like to share, you can submit them to nhllogos@gmail.com.

Additional Ducks Designs

The Anaheim Ducks logo and uniform designs I posted on Wednesday were mostly well-received though a handful of you were wary. So I came across a couple more I thought might be worth considering.

These concepts are in keeping with the current color scheme with some minor alterations. What about using the duck logo from that original design in the new colors and making it a secondary or converting the current logo to secondary.

That's one possibility. Another is more nostalgic, keeping the old Disney logo. It mixes the new colors with the old logo.

Would you buy any of those jerseys or should we just leave well enough alone and stop messing with it?

Time To Get Your Blackhawks On

All right, if you've been reading my nonsense in the tournament matches, I have good news and bad news. The good news is, today was the last day of that. Reader voting starts Sunday. The bad news is somebody else, it turns out, thinks the Chicago Blackhawks could use a logo upgrade. (See, I'm not the only person who doesn't think it's the best in all of sports.)

Now I'm not saying this design is totally the way to go. I think it's a good start, but also that it could use a little work. Sneak a peek.

Don't freak out! It's just fan-created concept art. It's not a real 'Hawks logo by any stretch.

But that, I'm a little more impressed by. I still think a team's logo should be dominated by its primary colors (here: red, black and white), but this wouldn't be all bad. Well, at least as far as I'm concerned, it wouldn't. What do you guys think? Should I take the advice of John Tortorella and shut my yap on this subject or could we have something here? While you consider, check out these jersey designs.

Oh, and just to freak you out a bit, somebody emailed me this concept.

Now lay it on me. I can take it.

Wild, Lightning Fan Art

Like I said, it's a light day. Sorry about that. Things are going to get interesting this weekend though. I hope everybody drops in to start voting on Sunday. I need you all to decide which team has the best logo. Not me.

Here's a different sort of design for the Minnesota Wild.

It sort of steals the whole text across the chest thing from the Avalanche — who stole it from the Rangers. I'm not sure how Wild fans will feel. Probably won't be "wild" about it. Get it? Okay, stop. That's enough. Kind of like the "State of Hockey" logo on the shoulder. Thoughts?

This design is a reimagining of this one I posted the other day. It's kind of funny. Not to worry though. Don't expect anything like this to ever seen the light of day.

But wait, I have more. I was sent a few designs for the Tampa Bay Lightning. See the following image.

That blue might not be quite the right shade, but I've often wondered what the Bolts would look like in blue. The infamous third jerseys from the late '90s were mostly blue and I sort of liked those. As for the laced collar, I'm not sure that would work well for the Lightning.

There were also these two designs. A lot of people have commented that a gray third might be the way to go for the Bolts. I'm not so sure, but I guess it would depend on the overall design so I don't really know how I'd feel about it.

How do you all feel about these designs? You think something along these lines would be the way to go for these teams or should we let it be handled another way?

Mailbag: Some Radical Jersey Concepts

Um... it's a slow day so I apologize in advance, but this is pretty much all I have to offer. Forgive the image and design quality, but I was emailed this fan art. I'll try to find some good stuff before I call it a night.

For those who haven't deduced it, this is a radical concept for the Toroto Maple Leafs. It's interesting. Can't think of much to say beyond that. It looks like it makes use of the leaf on the Canadian flag in place of the team's logo. I like the extra silver, but on the whole, what do you guys think?

The next one is another radical concept for the New York Islanders.

Many of the Isles concepts we've seen have incorporated a lighthouse in some way and I'm a big fan of that. I don't think we need to lose the classic crest from the jersey, but could it hurt to add a secondary on the shoulder?

This next design is pretty far out as well.

If you hadn't guessed, that would be a concept for the Dallas Stars. You've got a starry night scene set in the forest inside the outline of the state of Texas. It's a very interesting concept but Texas doesn't seem to me like a forest state. Those trees make this feel more like the Minnesota Wild logo.

Why don't we take a look at less-radical idea. I kind of like the notion of the Stars going with "DALLAS" written across the crest on the road jersey. These are backwards if that's the case, but it's interesting to look at nonetheless. What do you think of the green jersey in the middle? Too North Stars or should Dallas adopt something in that vein veering from the black?

Anyway, hopefully I'll have more to offer later. I know this isn't spectacular artwork, but still worthy of looking at I thought.

Revisiting Some New Uniforms

The designs in this post are for teams that have already unveiled new uniforms so, like the rest of the concepts I post, it's just for fun. Hey, I can't post artwork the caliber of that Anaheim stuff everyday.

Here is what one fan thought the new Columbus Blue Jackets jerseys should look like.

I really like the curved stripes. Very interesting. I'm a big fan of the real Blue Jackets uniforms, but these aren't bad either. Maybe the team could consider something in this vein for an alternate once that program is reinstated in a year or two.

Then I also had a few ideas for the Florida Panthers emailed to me.

We've never seen that kind of gold on a Panther jersey. I wonder how it would look on the ice. I feel like the Panthers have always been more associated with red than blue, which is why I thought it was strange their home Rbk EDGE jerseys are blue. Then there's these two.

The white jersey seems really familiar and the red is almost how it should be. Speaking of red, one fan based a red jersey off of the new ones just released last month.

They also tried wrapping the elbow stripes completely around the sleeve as opposed to just halfway. I think it makes a world of difference. But I don't really mind the elbow stripes the way they are. I just know there are a number of people who are annoyed by it.

Any thoughts on these designs? Remember, if you would like to send in a design or you own or one you've seen elsewhere on the web, you can submit it at nhllogos@gmail.com.

Mailbag: Sens Fan Concepts

With the news today that the Ottawa Senators will be unveiling their new jerseys in a couple of weeks, one fan has mused on some concept designs. These were emailed to me and I thought I'd share them.

This black jersey makes use of one of the club's secondary marks. It's a nice logo but I can't imagine it being the primary. What do you guys think? Could it work or should we stick with what we know?

We've seen a few concepts with the old-time Sens design but this one is slightly different. Instead of stripes going the length of the sweater, this one goes more along the lines of the Canadiens. Definitely an interesting look.

Comments can be left below if the spirit compels you.