BIG NEWS! Vote On The Minor Leagues!

Hi everybody! As you may know, I've had plans in the works to set up a site where we can hold tournaments for other hockey leagues such as the AHL and ECHL. Well the wheels are in motion. Introducting the Tournament of Hockey Logos!

I'm launching it officially tomorrow, but you can get your first look at it today and vote on which league will get the first tournament. Check out the link below.

Check out the Tournament of Hockey Logos!

The first logo tournament to be held at ToHL will be either the AHL or ECHL but it will be up to you guys to decide which. The other reason I'm announcing this site today is that I want you guys to help me to start generating interest in the site with fans of other hockey leagues. Post the link on blogs, message boards, or wherever you think would be suitable.

As far as differences between the two sites, you probably won't find as much content there as you will here. I'm more of an NHL fan personally, and I'll take all the help I can get with the minor leagues. You'll also notice that the layout and design is similar but for some changed colors and fonts.

Hopefully the Tournament of Hockey Logos will be as big a hit as this site has been. Thanks to all of you for your support and feel free to post any suggestions or comments here or over there at ToHL!

We Like Concept Art

Yes, we do. And concept art loves us. First off I just want to thank everyone who sends in their cool and crazy work. I love opening my email everyday to see what surprises await me.

One such surprise was this New Jersey Devils uniform concept. If I'm to understand right, the logo seen here is one of the original designs that never made the final cut.

The Christmas colors don't work. If you want to see how to make green and red work together, see the Minnesota Wild.

Here's an interesting Nashville Predators design that was actually a little too good to be considered for the Friday Freak Outs.

I say "good," but not necessarily on the level of the NHL. If not as a Preds third jersey, I could totally see something like this passing in the AHL or ECHL. I like the white swipes across the sleeves. Need to find a different font for the wordmark, though. That one doesn't work.

And then I have this San Jose Sharks concept which I think I'm only posting because the orange seems to annoy Sharks fans to no end. And I like a little ribbing now and then.

I was going to try to say this isn't that bad of a design, but it really is. The teal works too well for the Sharks. No need to go playing up the orange when you already have the best color in hockey. I would like to see more silver come back though.

They need to bring that back. Moving right along now.

This Anaheim Ducks design is a bit of a mix between concepts I've posted here in the past. While this jersey looked great with the flying duck logo, I can't honestly say it looks horrible with this one. I know it's a Disney cartoon, but they do some of the best animation work in the world, so let's not knock them there. And despite the fact that they're similar to the Dallas Stars, I think these colors would serve the Ducks well. Maybe use the logo on a third jersey, though.

That's enough out of me. What do you guys thinks of these? Are they total duds or do they have some redeeming qualities?

Mailbag: For The Habs' Shoulders

I got an interesting email the other day with a new concept logo for the Montreal Canadiens. It wouldn't replace the primary, but rather serve as a secondary.

I don't think it's a necessary addition to the Habs' look, but I still like it a lot on its own merits. The designer, Gary, had this to say about it in his email to me.

There's two motivations behind it. One is political, the fleur de lis within the maple leaf clearly shows Quebec as a part of Canada, and not a seperate entity. However, using it as the base of the maple leaf is symbolic of the fact that the true Canadian identity requires a strong Quebec. The other reason is to honour Quebecs former NHL team, the Nordique, who proudly displayed the fleur de lis on their jerseys. Despite the rivalry between the Nords and Habs, NHL in Quebec City was great for the province and country.

I've had the idea for a long time but never tried it out. Your blog/website gave me the motivation to give it a try today while I should have been working.

We appreciate his work and he even went the extra mile to show us how it might look on a couple of jerseys.

I have to say, I don't hate it and it goes rather well with the logo and uniform. My only problem is that when I look at it all I see is Nordiques. And I'm pretty sure they don't exist anymore.

So what do you guys think? Love it? Hate it? Have any suggestions for improving it? Comment away.

Possible Secondary Logo Tournament

You've still got 4 days left to vote, but I thought I'd show you what a Secondary Logo Tournament would look like. Apologies for the delay but for some reason I thought I'd already posted it.

Last weekend I posted the possible Third Jersey Logo Tournament which was in the lead at the time. Then I posted the possible Vintage Logo Tournament which has now slightly overtaken the former for the lead.

The secondary logos are behind in the voting, which doesn't mean we'll never do it — just that it probably won't be the next one. But regardless, here are the 18 that would be used if it were next.

That's a very colorful group. The bracket would be determined randomly but wouldn't be posted until the tournament begins.

I'm a little concerned, however, that the Chicago Blackhawks secondary mark I have is a little off. Comparing it to photos, the "C" and the black stroke aren't quite right.

If any of you have the logo that appears on the Hawks' shoulders or know where I could find it, please let me know. I want everything to be as accurate as possible with this. You can leave a comment or email me.

One last thing. A couple of people have mentioned doing a concept logo tournament, throwing a bunch of the concept logos we've seen into the pool. I'm trying to gauge interest on that. Would you guys want to vote on that at some point in the near future or do you think it would be a waste of time? Drop me a line, either way.

Capitals, Here's How You Fix It

The sixth entry in the Here's How You Fix It series will take a look at the Washington Capitals' new duds.

One of seven teams to introduce new or updated logos, the Caps we the route of the old days by creating a wordmark logo that harkens back to the 1970s and the arrival of the team on the NHL scene. Now it may just be a personal complaint I'm voicing, but I don't really understand the striping patterns on the new sweaters. They just do something strange along the arms and sides if you ask me.

So in the interest of considering a more traditional — heaven forbid — striping pattern, I thought I'd post this concept which was emailed to me by a reader.

The striping is simple and I love the stars on the shoulders. I also like the Capitals in blue as opposed to red or black — like the had been wearing. Another neat aspect of this concept is that the colors of the logo are swapped for the home and road jerseys. Little things like that are what make me like a uniform.

How do you feel about it? Leave your comments below.

Coming up: San Jose Sharks.

Mailbag: New Canucks Logo Looks Familiar

This morning I woke up to find one of the funniest emails I've received since starting this blog.

To set things up for you, one of the sites I frequent is Chris Creamers SportsLogos.net. It's an excellent resource for a blog like mine. When the Vancouver Canucks unveiled their new uniforms last month, a bunch of alternate/secondary logos appeared on that site — none of which I saw in any official NHL/Canucks capacity, however.

Anyway, among them was a logo that I personally thought could serve amazing well as a primary mark for the club. This is it.

Now the email.

Hey Chris!

Is that really an official secondary logo? If so, I've attached this! You may find it funny!

In Canada, we have these things that are like Hostess Cakes in the States.... Vachon Cakes! They're very popular.... and tasty! And I've heard that ol' goalie Rogie Vachon is a close relative to the family that started the company!

I knew I had seen the Vancouver 'Johnny Canuck' logo somewhere before..... hmmmm! I mean, mmmmmm!

So what do you make of that? I just thought it was very funny and felt it was worth sharing.

Rangers Sue NHL

We finally have an answer to the reason for the delay in the New York Rangers adapting their web site to the new NHL.com format. According to CBC Sports, MSG has sued the NHL claiming violated antitrust laws by monopolizing control of team promotions.

The AP report can be found at CBC Sports' web site and below.

September 28, 2007

Rangers' owner claims NHL acting like 'illegal cartel'

The Associated Press

The NHL violated antitrust laws and is acting like "an illegal cartel" by monopolizing control of team promotions, Madison Square Garden claimed in a lawsuit Friday.

MSG, which owns the New York Rangers, said it filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan because the NHL would begin fining the organization $100,000 US per day starting Friday if the company did not give the league complete control over the Rangers' website and other promotions.

The league is seeking to control the licensing of teams for all commercial purposes and to stop teams from marketing apparel, merchandise and memorabilia, the suit said. MSG asked that a judge order the league to stop limiting team promotions, and it also wants the court to clarify the boundaries of the league's rights.

The company said the NHL had once worked with teams in a legitimate joint venture, but had more recently "veered into unlawful behaviour."

"By seeking to control the competitive activities of independent businesses in ways that are not necessary to the functioning of that legitimate joint venture, the NHL has become an illegal cartel," the suit said.

Scott Arthur Eggers, a lawyer for the NHL, said he had no comment.

The lawsuit said the NHL insisted last week that MSG transfer control over the Rangers independently produced website, including the "nyrangers.com" address so that the league could convert it into one of 30 "cookie-cutter" club websites at "nhl.com."

The lawsuit said MSG had spent years developing the site to market Rangers hockey in competition with other NHL teams. By seizing the site, the NHL would eliminate competition between teams and harm consumers.

"The NHL has no competitive justification for seizing the Rangers website, which MSG today uses as a competitive tool to generate and maintain fan interest in the Rangers in competition with other NHL teams," MSG said.

At the start of the playoffs last spring, MSG said it increased its competitive offerings by making Rangers-branded merchandise available through the Rangers website rather than a catalog, and by making Rangers games available to subscribers on its website.

The NHL forced MSG to withdraw the efforts when it imposed a penalty of $100,000 per day, MSG said. When the company refused to pay the fines, the league withheld $200,000 from third-party payments otherwise due MSG, the lawsuit said.

MSG gave in to the league's demands because it did not want to detract from the playoffs, and it hoped that it could negotiate a solution to NHL actions it thought were unwise and illegal, it said. "That hope was in vain," the lawsuit said.

For the record, the Rangers' web site is currently in the new format. I'll be keeping an eye on how this plays out.

Updates Made To Galleries

I've been making updates to the photo galleries that I thought I'd tell you guys about.

First, I've uploaded tons of concept art to the Concepts Gallery so be sure to check that out. As you all know, I'm notoriously bad at remembering to add credits to your images, so if I haven't yet, please drop me a line and remind me. That's probably the only way it will get done.

I've also been adding preseason game photos to the official Rbk EDGE gallery. You can now see action stills of almost all 60 jerseys. At the moment I'm waiting to find photos of the Blue Jackets' white, Sabres' dark, and Capitals' dark. I should have them soon.

The Jackets' next two games (tonight and tomorrow) are on the road while the Sabres play at home tomorrow night. The Caps will play their next two at home so by tomorrow at the latest we should have complete galleries. That is, photos of all 60 sweaters in action.

Another cool feature I've just added tonight to the EDGE gallery is a Reader Photos album. Because I have the greatest blog readers ever, you guys have been sending in photos of your new Rbk EDGE sweaters. I figured this would be the best place for them.

If you've got photos you'd like me to add, please send them along.

Anyway, as you can see I'm always trying to improve the site. If you have any thoughts or suggestions, you can email me or post a comment below. Have a wonderful night!

Just To Freak You Out VIII

The Freak Out series continues this week with a brand new episode. Some of this stuff is just unbelievable.

We'll kick things off with some small but significant Atlanta Thrashers concept attempts.

I'm not sure I can find the words to describe this. The thrasher head, while being used as a major element of the crest, has also been employed as a rather horrid stripe. It points up the arm the shoulders along the sleeves and runs across the waist.

The secondary logo is used on the front of the jersey on the right side while the player number is on the left. Captains be damned. The full primary logo is also featured on the front, but not as the crest. No, you'll find that at the bottom on the left.

The crest being used features only the bird's head on an "A." But hey, at least there's three to choose from. Also notice that the panel under the arms is blue on all three.

This jersey set is an eye sore of the worst kind. But just look at the socks. I've never seen a logo on a sock. These socks have three — each! And that's just the side we can see. Imagine if they appeared on twice or even three times.

It hurts my brain to imagine what these would look like on the ice.

And then this. Anyone who thought the Maple Leafs introduced a rather plain jersey should see this.

And though I'm not sure who's conjuring the anger, I can only guess that it's fans who feel like they've been somehow cheated because the letters were spread vertically (not squeezed horizontally).

We're just now hearing of the NHL's plan to expand once again.

We don't yet know what city they'll play in, but the new club will be named the Referees. I don't know why this was made. But it made me laugh — and then it freaked me out some. Speaking of which, we've all seen the mish-mash logos created by Pfizer. Well this one was created by another artist, but it's almost equally as disturbing.

It seems some folks hate the slug so much, they feel a beheading is the only solution. Indeed.

Oh, this deserves an explanation. The fervor over the Calgary Flames claiming the Albertan flag on their shoulder has spurred the Toronto Maple Leafs to go all out and convert their entire uniform into a Canadian flag. With the vintage logo, of course. No other way to go.

And finally, if you thought the text on the front of the new Vancouver Canucks jersey was as bad as it gets, wow. Just wait until you look at this.

I never cease to be amazed — or freaked out — by the things people send me. If you have come up with anything wacky and would like to make it a part of the Freak Out series, send it along to nhllogos@gmail.com.

I hope you all enjoyed your Freak Out Friday and are looking forward to the ninth installment coming in one week's time.

Can anyone tell me where the Canucks play? I seem to have forgotten.

Your Daily Dose Is Here

You know what this is. I've got today's concept art right here and there's a lot of it! And it's gonna be good. Mostly.

We'll start out with this Florida Panthers logo that caught my eye whilst I perused my inbox.

It's a sort of fusion between the primary and secondary logos that the designer said stemmed from an idea based off of the old Buffalo Sabres logo. But while that logo seemed to red "Buffalo Sabres" from top to bottom, this one seems to say "Panther Palm Trees."

No but seriously, it's very sharp. A little to detailed to ever see printed anywhere but here, but still nice.

What I'm concerned about is this logo. I'm certainly more a fan of the official VC logo introduced by the Vancouver Canucks last month. They introduced so many cool new logos, though. It's hard to like the orca on the crest anymore.

I got an email a while back, the source of which I cannot vouch for, that suggested the Canucks have planned to change their logo again in 2010 following the Olympics. This time they would feature Johnny Canuck as their primary symbol. I won't take a position on whether or not that has any validity, despite this logo just being introduced.

Anyway, perhaps a jersey may look something like this.

Although that V across the front of the jersey really scares me.

In other news, one of my things is that I feel like the New York Islander should make use of a lighthouse in their logo — if even just as a secondary. This concept borrows a recolored lighthouse logo from the mid-90s logo introduced as part of the "fish sticks" get up. That design wasn't all bad.

What I could live without is any changes to the New Jersey Devils' uniforms. I rated them a 5/5 in my review yesterday. Still, someone toyed with it a little.

That is something I feel would work for improving the Edmonton Oilers' sweaters, but not so much the Devils. Interesting as it is, I'd never want to see the Devils hit the ice in it.

Along those same lines is this item. The Hurricanes are just one of those teams that I cannot possibly envision in any colors but black, red and silver. I just can't do it.

So this whole Hartford Whalers thing has me thrown. It's just so unacceptable, you know? Or maybe it's just me. I often tend to go against the grain. You know this already if you're aware of my feelings regarding the Blackhawks' logo and uniforms.

And that about wraps things up. If you have any comments you'd like to share with the rest of the class, please do so by leaving a comment below. If you have any of your own artwork or have stumbled across someone else's that I haven't posted, feel free to email me.