Archive: Tournament Results

Time for a little house cleaning. I'm trying to cut down on all the stuff in the sidebar so I'm archiving a few things that don't really need to be there anymore.

ROUND ONE

	NEW JERSEY DEVILS 51% TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 49%
	MINNESOTA WILD 82% ANAHEIM DUCKS 18%
	PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 70% FLORIDA PANTHERS 30%
	CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 57% CALGARY FLAMES 43%
	MONTREAL CANADIENS 78% NEW YORK ISLANDERS 22%
	EDMONTON OILERS 62% COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS 38%
	OTTAWA SENATORS 55% NEW YORK RANGERS 45%
	ST. LOUIS BLUES 56% NASHVILLE PREDATORS 44%
	BOSTON BRUINS 61% WASHINGTON CAPITALS 39%
	PHOENIX COYOTES 58% DALLAS STARS 42%
	ATLANTA THRASHERS 54% BUFFALO SABRES 46%
	DETROIT RED WINGS 67% LOS ANGELES KINGS 33%
	PHILADELPHIA FLYERS 62% TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING 38%
	VANCOUVER CANUCKS 53% SAN JOSE SHARKS 47%

ROUND TWO

	NEW JERSEY DEVILS 71% CAROLINA HURRICANES 29%
	COLORADO AVALANCHE 52% MINNESOTA WILD 48%
	MONTREAL CANADIENS 56% PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 44%
	EDMONTON OILERS 51% CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 49%
	OTTAWA SENATORS 51% BOSTON BRUINS 49%
	ST. LOUIS BLUES 62% PHOENIX COYOTES 38%
	PHILADELPHIA FLYERS 66% ATLANTA THRASHERS 34%
	VANCOUVER CANUCKS 55% DETROIT RED WINGS 45%

ROUND THREE

	MONTREAL CANADIENS 64% NEW JERSEY DEVILS 36%
	EDMONTON OILERS 59% COLORADO AVALANCHE 41%
	PHILADELPHIA FLYERS 50.4% OTTAWA SENATORS 49.6%
	ST. LOUIS BLUES 51% VANCOUVER CANUCKS 49%

ROUND FOUR

	MONTREAL CANADIENS 61% PHILADELPHIA FLYERS 39%
	ST. LOUIS BLUES 52% EDMONTON OILERS 48%

CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND

	MONTREAL CANADIENS 55% ST. LOUIS BLUES 45%

BONUS: LOGO HISTORY

	VANCOUVER CANUCKS 1970 VOTED BEST ALL-TIME!
	BUFFALO SABRES 1970 VOTED BEST ALL-TIME!
	NEW YORK ISLANDERS 1997 VOTED BEST ALL-TIME!
	TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING 2007 VOTED BEST ALL-TIME!
	BOSTON BRUINS 2007 VOTED BEST ALL-TIME!
	WASHINGTON CAPITALS 2007 VOTED BEST ALL-TIME!
	ST. LOUIS BLUES 1998 VOTED BEST ALL-TIME!
	TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 1938 VOTED BEST ALL-TIME!
	PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 1971 VOTED BEST ALL-TIME!
	CALGARY FLAMES 2003 VOTED BEST ALL-TIME!
	SAN JOSE SHARKS 2007 VOTED BEST ALL-TIME!
	COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS 2007 VOTED BEST ALL-TIME!
	CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 1964 VOTED BEST ALL-TIME!
	EDMONTON OILERS 1996 VOTED BEST ALL-TIME!
	MONTREAL CANADIENS 1952 VOTED BEST ALL-TIME!
	OTTAWA SENATORS 2007 VOTED BEST ALL-TIME!
	PHOENIX COYOTES 2003 VOTED BEST ALL-TIME!
	ANAHEIM DUCKS 1993 VOTED BEST ALL-TIME!
	LOS ANGELES KINGS 1988 VOTED BEST ALL-TIME!
	HARTFORD WHALERS 1992 VOTED BEST ALL-TIME!
	WINNIPEG JETS 1990 VOTED BEST ALL-TIME!

Sorry for the huge post. Better it's here and archived than still in the sidebar, right?

Slowing Down

So now that hockey season is back in full swing, my site no longer seems to be necessary to give folks their offseason hockey fix. So after averaging around 70,000 to 80,000 hits a day, we're down to around 9,000 or 10,000. Nothing to sneeze at, but definitely not the traffic I had this summer. And that's to be expected.

So while I don't have the content I did during the peaks this summer, just know that I'm still working on this site as much as ever. In fact, right now, I'm taking a break from designing Center Ice graphics.

In fact, maybe some of you can help me. I'm working on the New York Islanders right now. I've got the logo and center line in place, but I can't seem to get the right font for the text around the circle. If any of you guys still reading might be able to offer me a little assistance in that regard, I'd be more than appreciative. But I envision this problem cropping up on more than one occasion.

If you think you can help, drop me a line in the comments or by email.

That reminds me, I still need photos for most teams, so if any of you have pictures or have seen pictures online, I'd love for you to send them my way if you can. This is going to be a very slow process if I'm doing it all on my own.

Anyway, I'll have today's uniform review posted shortly and then I'll be calling it a night. Enjoy yourselves and let me know if you guys think of anything else I can do to improve upon the site.

Caps, Sharks, Leafs Get Cool Concepts

Today I've got a post with some very cool artwork. Take a look.

Lots of folks have suggested using the Washington Capitals' secondary logo as a primary. Here's a sweater design with that in mind.

The only problem I have is the star beneath the wings. Other than that, it's the best design I've seen with the "Weagle" logo, as it's been dubbed. Even the stripes on the sleeves look awesome with that logo.

These San Jose Sharks sweaters are nice if not slightly reminiscent of the new Blues jerseys with the piping and the Islanders jerseys on the sleeves. I like the shield logo being used on the shoulders, but I think it needs to be bigger. For being a design I like, it sure sounds like I have a lot of complaints. But honestly, though, I am a fan.

Finally, I have a concept with the best Toronto Maple Leafs logo I've seen yet. It's the one on the right.

While I'm not loving the striping pattern, I really like that logo. It mixes the current leaf silhouette with the old Toronto Arenas logo. It kicks ass, to put it quite simply. Any Leafs fans out there that like that idea? Or is it just me?

And remember, if you have any concept art you'd like to see posted here or in the Concepts Gallery, feel free to send them along to nhllogos@gmail.com.

Odd Art, Part I

Do you know how much I love my multi-part series? As much as I write them, how could you not?

Anyway, I'm looking at stuff that borders on being worthy of a Freak Out Friday. Unfortunately, it's not quite there but nor is it to the point where I'd want it to be taken seriously as far as that goes. Don't try and figure out what I just said. It's not worth it.

Let's move along. We'll start with the Atlanta Thrashers.

If anyone can work out what's going on here, I congratulate you. And fill the rest of us in, if you wouldn't mind.

Interesting choice going with the old unused Atlanta All-Star Game logo. I kind of like the head logo on its own. That way it doesn't look like the bird is stirring itself in a bowl. Yummy thrasher!

I wanted to let you look at this one before I explained it. It took me a minute, but if you stare at it for a very long time, you'll slowly begin to see the shape of the state of New Jersey appear in there somewhere. Oh yeah, it has horns and a tail. That's probably what's tripping you up. This was spawned along the lines of using state/province outlines in team logos.

Not sure how I feel about the placement of that number on the front, but I would someday like to see a black third jersey for the Devils. That would look pretty killer.

And finally, the Nashville Predators.

This is a very interesting color scheme. However, I think the only way you can really get away with limiting the colors is by first simplifying the logo itself. It's a very detailed mark and all of its colors do work in its favor. But then I've always like the Preds' logo the way it was. Crazy? Perhaps.

I'll have more where that came from tomorrow, if you're good. Eat your peas and don't stay up past your bedtime.

NHLToL Fantasy Team Photo

I wrote up a short post earlier about NHLToL's fantasy hockey team and I just wanted to thank all of you who have been laying the advice on me. Definitely will be making use of it.

Anyway, before I call it a night, thought I'd post this. Got bored and started goofing around. Here's what my teams looks like in visual form.

Rarely do I post my own work here, but I thought this was pretty cool.

You might notice that Paul Mara and Steve Sullivan are not pictured. That's because they will soon no longer be part of my team. I need to upgrade my defense and Sullivan may be out for a very long time. Anyway, that's all. I'm going to bed now. Got a TV show to make in the morning!

Center Ice Tournament?

One of the ideas I mentioned in the Pipeline is a logo tournament dealing in how center ice is painted in each arena. I think that would be a really cool one, but building graphics will require a lot of research and all the help I can get.

What I'd like is some help finding photos of center ice in every NHL rink. If any of you guys would be willing to help me find pictures, I'd be more than grateful and I'd find some way of making sure you get the credit you deserve.

Yesterday, I put together four graphics based on photos I found. See what you guys think and if it's a competition you'd be interested in, let me know.

The above images show what the ice looks like from directly above. But we could also use graphics that show what the ice looks like from the seats. Just an idea.

If you like this idea and want to help find photos, just keep in mind that the bigger and more detailed they are, the better. That detail will come in handy when figuring out the right fonts and logos to use. Plus, I don't know if you know this, but every rink in the league has a different pattern on the red line and I really want to get it as accurate as possible.

All right, so leave a comment and let me know what you guys are thinking. If nobody is interested, then I'll toss the idea aside and stop building graphics. If you want to move forward, I'll keep at it.

Secondary Logo Idea For Canucks?

I've been depriving you guys of some great concept art the last couple days. For that, I apologize and I plan to make it up to you. A handful of teams make good use of maps in their branding.

My Lightning are right there among them with the outline of the state of Florida on their shoulder patch. You can see an orange Long Island right in the middle of the Islanders' logo and a green state of Texas sits on the shoulders of the Stars.

I guess the question, what if the Vancouver Canucks followed suit? We recently saw a concept with Alberta on the Oilers' shoulders and Minnesota on the Wild's shoulders, so why not put British Columbia on the Canucks'?

My personal favorite is the one in the middle. The other two don't really do anything for me.

Another slight alteration I'd make is to rotate the province a few degrees to the left so as to make the north and south borders horizontal. It may not be geographically accurate, but we all passed middle school (I'm assuming!) so we can look past that.

Now there was one team I failed to mention above that has a shoulder patch outlining their home state. This next concept reminds me a lot of the Coyotes' Arizona logo.

I like how the stripes start in Vancouver and, as the designer put it, "radiate out to the rest of British Columbia" since the Canucks are "B.C.'s team." If it were me, though, I'd lose the text out of the logo. It would end up being illegible anyway.

So now's your turn to critique these designs. Leave a comment and let us all know what you think.

NHLToL's Fantasy Team

So here's something you guys probably won't be that interested in. I'm going to talk about it anyway, though.

I was invited to join an online fantasy league this season — something I've never really tried before but always wanted to. The idea was they wanted to get a bunch of hockey bloggers together for this one. Among those in the league are writers from PuckUpdate, Sean McCormick at Sportsnet and Abel To Yzerman, just to name a few.

Anyway, it's been pretty fun and just a few days into the season, NHLToL's team is #1 in a league of 11. I mean, that probably won't be the case for very long, but for right now I seem to be doing all right.

So here's a look at my team if you're interested. I have to say that I don't have four Lightning players by accident. It's perhaps a mistake on my part, but the Bolts are my team and I can't help it.

Though to be quite honest, they're the best-performing players I have right now between Vinny Lecavalier and Vinny Prospal. Right now I'm kicking myself for scratching Prospal last night in favor of Eric Staal. You never do that to your own! Staal was a -1 and did nothing last night while Prospal scored twice the Bolts' 5-2 win over Atlanta. See what I'm saying?

Anyway, lesson learned. No more benching Prospal in favor of Staal. I wish I could have a third center because I'd love to snatch Brad Richards away from somebody, but it wouldn't do me any good.

I guess what I'm getting at here is that if you guys are interested, I'll update you on the status of the NHLToL team. I'll probably do it even if you aren't interested though. And if it comes to it, I might even request your opinions if I have a difficult decision to make. After all, I'm not thinking of at as my team so much as the NHLToL team. My feeble way of trying to make it mean something to you guys as readers.

Anyway, as far as my players go, I'm considering dumping Steve Sullivan this week. Chances are he won't be back on the ice until at least December and even then it's a question mark. However, I saw Dan Boyle on the Lightning broadcast last night and I'd be interested in nabbing him in case he comes back sooner than expected. Regardless, I still have two IR spots to fill, so what's the harm?

My goalies have been all right. Chris Mason shut out the Avs in his first game of the season. I benched Marty Turco last night and good thing too since Mike Smith played for Dallas. Unfortunately, Cristobal Huet lost a 4-3 overtime decision to the Leafs but I'll live.

So let me know what you guys think. If you don't leave any comments, I'll take that as a hint. Just thought I'd at least mention it, though.

Seals Will Replace Blues

I got a few more emails today questioning the Vintage Tournament bracket. So I'm seeing the light. Since the Blues logo was a finalist in the last tournament and the vintage logo isn't all that different, I'm dropping them out of this pool. In their place...

...the Oakland Seals. The Seals will face the Atlanta Flames and that poll opens tomorrow morning.

Hope you guys approve. I'm looking forward to seeing how this one turns out!

Sabres, Here's How You Fix It

Apologies for the late posts tonight. I've been working on something I'll tell you more about later. But at the moment, I'm watching the Lightning game via NHL.tv since I no longer live in the Tampa market (sadly). I'm debating whether to go ahead and buy the Center Ice package.

Anyway, that's not what this post is about. We all know the Buffalo Sabres' new uniforms need fixing. I mean it kind of goes without saying. And I think we all know exactly how.

As any Sabres fan knows, John Slabyk's work epitomizes exactly what needs to be done for this team. There should be no question, yet for some reason these designs have yet to hit the ice. What are you guys waiting for anyway?

Anyway, here are a couple of other options borrowing from the designs of some of the other new Rbk EDGE sweaters.

Not sure how I feel about the chest piping, though. I think if you're going to go with a traditional-style logo, you should have the jersey match it. My exception to that rule is the San Jose Sharks.

I also just got sent this design which I really like, as well.

The artwork needs a little cleaning up, so try to see past that. But here we see how to use the buffalo and sword elements without just arbitrarily placing them inside a circle.

But I know there are a lot of Sabres fans reading here, so I'm really interested to see what you guys think your team needs to be wearing. The floor is yours.