Reworking Some EDGE Jerseys

I've gotten some pretty decent artwork this week I feel like sharing today. We've got a handful of various Rbk EDGE jerseys that have been modified. I wouldn't necessarily categorize them as "fixes" but they're worth a look.

I actually like this one, but probably only because the elbow stripes go completely around the arm and don't stop inexplicably. But it could be anything.

It's a recolored Canucks jersey, obviously and the stripes aren't proportional to what the Oilers typically wear. Not that that's a bad thing entirely, but I'm not really a fan.

Otherwise, the Edmonton jersey's odd piping and lack of, well, anything visually appealing makes anything an improvement upon the present.

So it should be clear how I feel then.

Had to laugh at this one. Imagine the Devils reintroducing the green.

And then imagine them putting it on a Minnesota Wild jersey. It's definitely one of the more interesting concepts I've posted here. But it looks horrible if we're talking about the New Jersey Devils. That does not look like them at all.

I do like Christmas though. So maybe I can find a way to use this in my favor. It needs a Santa Claus logo on the front. I wonder what that would look like.

Then some minor league team could wear it as a specialty jersey for a holiday game.

This San Jose Sharks concept is only interesting because it does away entirely with the orange in the jersey. And I have to say, I don't really like it. I think the orange is all right. It really works.

I did like the old jerseys but I like that striping pattern better for those colors than this one. This one needs brighter colors.

This design also features dark cuffs that extend down from the elbow stripes vis-a-vis the Canucks' new duds.

Finally, it's the Dallas Stars we're going to take a look at. Their whole marketing thing was "black is the new green." But what if, as some of you believe, Reebok hadn't brainwashed team management into going all black with no logo?

Might it look like this?

It might. I actually like that a lot. But as one of you humorously stated — the NHL has banned jerseys that aren't white, black, red or blue this season. (And while you could argue the Sharks aren't blue, I'd argue that they're more on the blue side than the green side. Beside the point.)

I like the new Stars' uniforms the way they are and there's nothing wrong with that. But this isn't bad either. Perhaps something to consider for a future third jersey.

So now's your turn to tell me what you like and don't like. Leave me a comment.

New Sabres Logo Concept

Got some interesting artwork from a reader trying to redesign the Buffalo Sabres logo. Personally, I think John Slabyk has the perfect design which could never be improved upon — but then my opinion isn't the only one that matters. Shockingly.

Seriously, though, check this out and see what you think.

He even put it on a jersey for us.

Leave your comments as I'm sure he'd like to hear what you think.

UPDATE (5:14 PM): By the way, just so as not to confuse anyone, Slabyk did not design the logo posted here. This was sent in to me by a reader of the blog. Just wanted to clear that up.

Just To Freak You Out IX

It's time for another Freak Out Friday! Let's not waste time.

I've had this Buffalo Sabres concept for some time now. I think the idea is that this text would run down the front of the jersey, just like the Rangers.

Cracks me up though. But, hey, nothing says "Buffalo" and "Sabres" more than the city on a skewer. Anybody else getting hungry?

No? Just me?

Moving right along then to one of the scariest bits of artwork ever to grace my inbox.

Aptly titled Thrash Bling, this image frightens me to my very core. What you can't say, though, is that it isn't creative. The things people come up with.

I think the Anaheim Ducks missed an opportunity.

That is one pissed off duck. I think someone splashed him.

You might have to enlarge this next one to grasp its full scope.

I get the octopus thing, but where does it stop exactly? I'm voting for the purple one. Speaking of scary Detroit Red Wings art, look at this.

I mean it's not half bad as far as that goes, but yikes! I think the wings are swallowing the wheel. Poor wheel.

Apologies for the short post this week, guys, but it was a slow week in terms of "freak out" art. Hopefully you guys will send in more for next Friday's installment. Until then...

Freak.

Out.

Predators, Here's How You Fix It

I used to believe the Nashville Predators were among the clubs with the best jerseys. With the introduction of their Rbk EDGE sweaters, I'm now less than convinced of that. Anyway, it's not horrible, but some folks thinks it needs fixing. Hence this.

Here is one solution. Flyers fans should be able to pick out the design in a heartbeat.

This jersey is in fact based on Philadelphia's. Only the colors and logo have been changed. I do like that blue.

I don't know, though. I'm not sure it's that much of an improvement on what they're wearing now. But it certainly isn't a bad alternative.

Nor is this.

I think it looks an awful lot like the Buffalo Sabres — perhaps a little too much — but there you have it. Count me as a fan though. We'd have to lose the anniversary logo off the shoulders, however, before I'd fully approve. Otherwise, I really like the idea of contrasting the sleeves and torso like that.

What do you guys think? Do either of this fix it? Did it need fixing to begin with? You be the judge.

Coming next: Buffalo Sabres.

Rbk EDGE Review: Blues

Part 11 of 30. All 30 NHL clubs have unveiled new jerseys under the new Rbk EDGE Uniform System for the 2007-08 season. Here at the NHLToL, we're going to review every one of them. Read up and then rate the new sweaters. We'll do a full ranking after completing all of the reviews.

Rbk EDGE Uniform System

St. Louis Blues

New Uniforms

Old Uniforms

The Unveiling
Saturday, September 15. The Blues unveiled their new jerseys to fans at FANfest in St. Louis.

Home vs. Road
Home: Red. Road: White. The two sweaters are essentially mirror images of each other.

The blue home jerseys feature large dark blue shoulder yokes outlined in yellow piping that extends from the neck, down the front to the bottom of the sweater. Smaller white stripes extend under the piping from the neck to the shoulders. A curved white stripe wraps around the arm, beneath the elbow, bordered by a thinner yellow stripe. The cuff is dark blue from the yellow stripe down to the wrist. The collar is blue with yellow piping on the outside and the primary logo serves as the crest.

The white road jerseys feature large blue shoulder yokes outlined in yellow piping that extends from the neck, down the front to the bottom of the sweater. Smaller dark blue stripes extend under the piping from the neck to the shoulders. A curved blue stripe wraps around the arm, beneath the elbow, bordered by a thinner yellow stripe. The cuff is dark blue from the yellow stripe down to the wrist. The collar is blue with yellow piping on the outside and the primary logo serves as the crest.

In The Details
The same numbering and lettering style has been retained.

New & Old
The biggest difference between the new uniform and the old is that all of the straight and horizontal stripes are gone in favor of stripes and paneling with more curved lines. The yellow piping down the front and back of the sweater is also new. The shoulder yokes are very different between the two uniforms.

Standard FAQ
Numbers on the front? No.
Laces at the collar? No.

NHLToL Editorial by Chris
When I first saw photos of the Blues' new sweaters, my jaw hit the floor. I was almost immediately calling it the best new uniform this season. But if they aren't the best, they certainly are among the best. The striping works beautifully on this jersey and I'd even pose that the new ones are better than the old ones, as crazy as that might sound. With the days of the red trim behind them, the Blues have consistently been one of the best-looking teams in the league, if you ask me. They don't falter here. The shoulder paneling is my favorite part. Definitely a would-buy if I didn't feel it sacrilege to do so. 5/5

View the photo gallery

Buy your new Blues jersey!

Rbk EDGE Review: Canadiens

Part 10 of 30. All 30 NHL clubs have unveiled new jerseys under the new Rbk EDGE Uniform System for the 2007-08 season. Here at the NHLToL, we're going to review every one of them. Read up and then rate the new sweaters. We'll do a full ranking after completing all of the reviews.

Rbk EDGE Uniform System

Montreal Canadiens

New Uniforms

Old Uniforms

The Unveiling
Tuesday, September 4. The Canadiens unveiled their new jerseys to fans via their official web site. Players in attendance a golf tournament that day in Montreal also wore them.

Home vs. Road
Home: Red. Road: White. The two sweaters feature rather different striping patterns.

The red home jerseys have a thick blue stripe that wraps around the chest, bordered by two thinner white stripes. The primary logo, serving as the crest, is placed over these stripes. Similar blue stripes outlined by thinner white stripes wrap around the elbows. Thin white-blue stripes wrap around the waist a few inches above the bottom of the sweater. The collar is white with blue trim on the inside.

The white road jerseys have a red shoulder yoke, rounded at the ends. The cuffs are red extending several inches from the wrist. Thin red-white-blue stripes wrap around the waist a few inches above the bottom of the sweater. The primary logo serves as the crest and the collar is white with blue trim on the inside.

In The Details
The crest sits slightly higher on the white jersey than the red one. This is so that the logo can be properly centered on the blue stripe across the chest of the red jersey. The same numbering and lettering style has been retained.

New & Old
There is hardly a difference at all between the two uniforms. The old design was simply adapted to the new EDGE cut. The one noticeable difference is in the collar, which now, like all new jerseys, features the NHL shield.

Standard FAQ
Numbers on the front? No.
Laces at the collar? No.

NHLToL Editorial by Chris
I'm reviewing the Canadiens because of their big championship victory in the logo tournament today. There are some things you just don't mess with. And as liberal as I am when it comes to changing a team's jersey design, I still think you cannot mess with the Habs. I'm rather glad they left everything alone. My one nitpick is that I feel this would be one of the best jerseys for the lace-up collar. The Rangers and Bruins are the only Original Six teams that have it. And I am a little bothered by difference in positioning of the logo but that's something most people will never notice since only in rare cases will you see both jerseys side-by-side this way. Anyway, we're a third of the way through the reviews now, and for the most part, I'm liking what I'm seeing. 5/5

View the photo gallery

Buy your new Canadiens jersey!

Maple Leafs, Here's How You Fix It

The Fix It series has worked its way into the double digits today. In this episode, we explore ways of improving the Toronto Maple Leafs' brand new Rbk EDGE uniforms.

No question, the biggest complaint has been its simplicity and the fact that while wearing the home uniform, a player is nothing more than a giant blue blob. One minor change some feel might rectify this is adding the same double-stripe found around to the elbows to the waist.

If that's not entirely to your liking, however, I've got more. No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. These are the new Phoenix Coyotes jerseys recolored to blue and featuring the Leafs logo. If you look closely at the shoulders you'll see the remnants of the "PHX" patch.

But isn't that a sight to behold? Something about them just makes those jerseys look quite nice in my eyes.

And then if that still isn't your cup of tea, perhaps you enjoyed the new Vancouver Canucks sweaters. Perhaps Toronto could go that route.

Or perhaps not. That scares me a little bit. So let's pretend you never saw that one.

That's all I got. Up next: Nashville Predators.

Fan Art For Ducks, Stars, Coyotes

I've been getting some really awesome concept art sent to me lately so let's dive right into some of it, starting in alphabetical order with the Anaheim Ducks.

If this had been sent to me sooner, it would've been part of the Ducks, Here's How You Fix It post from a week ago. That team would look so good in this jersey and I'd eat all my words.

Then I was sent another set that I'm having some difficulty with.

That was making my head spin a little. So as to save me from having to explain it, a description straight from the horse's mouth:

I really wanted to pull together the Ducks' history in the jerseys. I tossed around a lot of ideas but landed on this set of home/away and two alternates. The home and away follow the current script years in Anaheim and I took a page from baseball for having different scripts for home and away. The home jersey features the 04-06 Anaheim script with Ducks in place of Mighty Ducks. The road is basically the current road jersey with an updated name font, captain's "c" and the script/oval logo. Both home and away jerseys feature and interlocking "AD" shoulder patch in the team script as well as front laces.

For the alternate I just changed the current sweaters up a bit but the new shoulder patch, front laces, a recolored Disney logo, and Anaheim, and Ducks wordmarks on the bottom of the home and road jerseys respectively. Just something a little different.

I like the jerseys independently of each other, but together they don't make a good set. I've heard of teams using different logos for their home and away sweaters, but never completely different color schemes. I think your team starts losing its identity when that happens.

I've also got a Dallas Stars concept that puts the state of Texas right on the crest. Not a bad idea, but it should be the white logo. It needs more contrast.

And finally, someone went a little nutty with the look of the Phoenix Coyotes. It's a harsh mix of the old and new.

I'm not really sure I have the words to describe it. Perhaps you do so feel free to leave a comment.

Some Unusually Familiar Concepts

I got a funny email yesterday. Check out these. See if you notice a pattern.

I don't feel a need to explain or comment on them really. They sort of speak for themselves. Pretty clever, if you ask me. What do you think of them?

Rbk EDGE Review: Panthers

Part 9 of 30. All 30 NHL clubs have unveiled new jerseys under the new Rbk EDGE Uniform System for the 2007-08 season. Here at the NHLToL, we're going to review every one of them. Read up and then rate the new sweaters. We'll do a full ranking after completing all of the reviews.

Rbk EDGE Uniform System

Florida Panthers

New Uniforms

Old Uniforms

The Unveiling
Saturday, July 28. The Panthers unveiled their new jerseys to fans at the Year of the Rat Alumni game in Sunrise. Nathan Horton and Stephen Weiss modeled the jerseys on the ice in full gear.

Home vs. Road
Home: Blue. Road: White. The two sweaters are essentially mirror images of each other and both feature secondary logo patches on the shoulders with the primary logo serving as the crest.

The blue home jerseys feature thick red stripes extending from the shoulder the length of the sleeve, bordered in yellow piping. Yellow piping also runs down the front of the sweater from the neck line to the bottom. Spaced yellow-red-yellow stripes go around the underside of the elbows, stopping at the yellow piping along the sleeves. The collar is blue outlined in thin yellow piping.

The white road jerseys feature thick red stripes extending from the shoulder the length of the sleeve, bordered in blue piping. Blue piping also runs down the front of the sweater from the neck line to the bottom. Blue-red-blues stripes with yellow spacing go around the underside of the elbows, stopping at the blue piping along the sleeves. The collar is blue.

In The Details
The logo on the chest is now much larger than before. The same numbering and lettering style has been retained.

New & Old
The Panthers new jerseys differ in several minor ways from the old ones. Gone are the slanted stripes around the sleeves and the pointed shoulder yokes. The horizontal stripes around the waist have also been removed. The Panthers did keep the primary and secondary logos in the same location as well as sticking with blue for the home jersey. Little else has really changed. Mainly, piping has been introduced along with stripes extending past the shoulders and down the sleeve.

Standard FAQ
Numbers on the front? No.
Laces at the collar? No.

NHLToL Editorial by Chris
My initial reaction to the new Panthers jerseys was good. On first glance, I thought they were really sharp. But if you really look at them, you notice how busy they are. We see a lot of piping and the clash of horizontal and vertical stripes at the elbow. While it doesn't look great on the rack, this is one jersey that is very nice looking on the ice. Still, one annoying trend among the new EDGE sweaters with piping is the captains' letter crossing that line. I could live without that. But aside from some tiny nitpicks, I think this is a very nice looking jersey. 4/5

View the photo gallery

Buy your new Panthers jersey!