Mailbag: Lightning Fan Concepts

A few people have responded to yesterday's post about the St. Pete Times requesting fan designs for the new Tampa Bay Lightning logo. I've received a couple of designs I thought I'd share.

The first one comes from Doug and its simply the current primary logo sans the text.

It's very plain and it feels unbalanced. It's better than having the text, though, if you ask me. Then Michael emailed in with a completely new concept. And he likes yellow.

It sort of reminds me of a '50s high school jacket. What do you guys think? These two were also part of that set. Feel free to continue sending in your concept designs and I'll continue posting them.

By the way, if you've desgined a logo or uniform for another team and would like to have it posted, send it along and I'll put it up here. You can email me at nhllogos@gmail.com.

Design Your Own Lightning Logo

All right, one final post for today and then I think I'll rest for a while. As you may or may not know, it is believed that the new logo for the Tampa Bay Lightning was leaked a few weeks back.

By and large, fan response hasn't been great. So as a way of letting people vent or something, the St. Petersburg Times is asking readers and fans to design their own Lightning logo and submit it for future posting on their web site. You can find more information on Damian Cristodero's Lightning Strikes blog.

I thought this was really cool and I recommend that anyone, Lightning fan or not, who has a concept to submit it. And if it wouldn't be too much trouble, email it to me as well. (I can offer the instant gratification of posting it within hours.) You can email me at nhllogos@gmail.com if you're interested.

More Thoughts On The Wild

After I posted a Minnesota Wild uniform design yesterday, a reader pointed out another bit of fan artwork that made use of a really cool take on a secondary logo for the club.

If you ask me, that shoulder patch is seriously awesome! Like the Coyotes, I always thought the Wild would be a good team to use the outline of their home state in a secondary mark. This is just one example of how well that can work. This design is of major professional caliber if you ask me. I'd be surprised to discover it wasn't a pro behind it.

Anyway, I wanted to make sure this got posted today because I thought it was very interesting. Wild fans, I'm curious to know what you guys think of this concept. Could you see your team wearing these uniforms or are you happy with what they've got?

Oh, Canada!

I just posted Maple Leafs news with a tidbit about the Oilers' unveiling date. But wait! I have three more Canadian teams to work in today. Let's start out with the Montreal Canadiens because I haven't really had anything to post for them.

This is allegedly a photo of the Habs' new Rbk EDGE road jersey. But so much about it jumps out at me indicating that its not the real deal. First off, it's ugly as fuck (pardon that, please). Apologies to the person who designed it, but the stripage — yeesh! Anyway, the color at the cuff is off and the whole thing just feels very... fake, to me. Anybody else getting that feeling?

Next, we have another alleged photo of a Calgary Flames home jersey.

Don't we love how all these photos look so crystal clear? I get that many cell phone cameras are substandard, but are we to assume that everyone who has sneaky access to the new uniforms can't afford better than a $20 phone? And, exit soap box.

It's an interesting design and one that feels like something we've seen before. Anyway, if anyone can cull anything from that secondary logo, let us know. Can we find it on the shoulder of some minor league team someplace? Or are the Flames actually getting a new one as the horse with the flaming nostrils meets his maker?

Finally, I wanted to leave you with something to laugh at. It is in fact a Photoshop job, just as the upper right corner of the image informs us. The designer was just adapting a photo to the potentially leaked images we saw the other day if for no other reason than to supply us with a better visual.

So what are your thoughts everybody? The only other Canadian team I didn't cover today is the Ottawa Senators but we took care of them on Wednesday.

A Peek At The New Leafs Jersey?

While making my rounds on the various message boards, I recently bumped into the image below which is being touted as a sneaky photo of the new Rbk EDGE jersey for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

As we've come to expect, it's blurry and doesn't show very much but for a number on the front of the sweater a la the Buffalo Sabres' new unis. Obviously, it's not out of the realm of possibility that this is the artistic work of a fan.

For one thing, I've been hearing for a very long time that the Maple Leafs are planning to update or modernize the logo. The one we sort of see here appears to be no different from what they've been using. Ah, but fear not, faithful Leafs fans, it won't be a drastic change. They do update it every couple of decades or so, so it's probably due.

Anyway, while I'm on the topic of fan-created artwork, a reader sent me this image he made based off of the Boston Bruins' new road sweaters.

It's pretty solid. What do you guys think? Would you like to see Toronto in something like this or something completely new and different just to changes things up?

By the way, just as a side note, I added the Edmonton Oilers to the uniform countdown. A reader wrote in saying that the unveiling date is said to be September 17, the day of the team's first preseason game. Despite there being no official word from the team on this matter, I'm tempted to say that date is rather solid considering they wouldn't wear their old uniforms for a preseason game anyway. If it comes sooner, though, I'll surely let you know.

Thrashers Fan Artwork

Get excited, Thrashers fans! You asked for it yesterday and some among you responded. I reader linked me to the following designs for a new Atlanta Thrashers jersey. Keep in mind they are only concepts and as far as I know, no change in logo is being contemplated at this time by the team.

How about them apples? It's certainly a unique take on branding for the Thrash. The designer certainly took "Blueland" and ran with it. He dropped the maroon altogether. They're sharp designs but I don't think there's really anything wrong with the current uniforms.

But if that wasn't enough for you, he also came up with an alternate jersey design, as seen below.

I really just think the color combination and jersey design of the current home uniforms work so much better. These are cool, but more like something I'd expect to see on the backs of a minor league club — that's certainly no offense at all. Still, Thrashers fans, we finally have something new for you to look at. What do you think? Go? No go?

UPDATE (8/6 5:30 PM): Good news for those of you who liked these Thrasher designs. I found better quality images. You can click on the images to enlarge them. These are the same jerseys posted above.

I also found graphics with a better look at the logo designs. If anyone else is seeing the Baltimore Ravens resemblance, I'm with you. It's a great set of logos, though. And any team would be lucky to wear them.

The second graphic features logos the designer created but ultimately did not use for this concept. They're all very sharp though with a very nice and clean color scheme. Thrashers fans, do you like these? Or do you prefer what your team wears right now?

Jersey Ideas For The Big D

Further proof that this Dallas Stars jersey I posted a few days ago was a fake comes by way of another piece of work from the same designer. As a side note, he also created this Lightning concept jersey.

What gives it away here is the "Big D" logo with the star in the bottom corner of it. Have a gander.

So what do you guys think? It's a little reminiscent of the old North Stars with a touch of cool in the logo. Speaking of which, am I the only one who likes that concept for the logo? Anybody else out there? I thought it was a huge improvement over what they've been using.

I also came by another fan-designed concept to put out there.

I don't think I really like the lack of black here. Don't put too much stock in either of these designs. Based on what little we've heard, we should expect to see home and road uniforms with two different crests. It may even be that the road jersey says "DALLAS" across the chest like in some of the other fan artwork we've seen.

Anyway, that being the case, what do you guys think about what you're seeing here? I'd also like to hear from some Stars fans as well if any are reading.

Mailbag: Any Thrashers News?

Now that I have a new email address posted for the blog, I've been getting emails from people on jersey- and logo-related topics. It's stuff that used to end up in the comments. So to get it posted for all to see, I'm starting a new feature called Mailbag where I respond to an email for all to read. Here goes.

Hey Chris,

I really enjoy your blog, and I wanted to say thank you for the work you are doing to bring us new information regarding the new reebok jerseys. However, Atlanta fans, like myself, have been starving for some news about the changes we might expect to our home and road apparel next season. We know that we are sticking with the blue as our home color, but there are still a lot of questions. Will our road jerseys mirror the blue ones (with the "Atlanta" down the sleeve)? Will we have to deal with ridiculous excessive piping like Nashville? etc.

So, like I said, I really appreciate your work, and I'm hoping you can dig something up for those of us down here in Blueland. Thanks!

Jesse

Thanks for the email Jesse. This post is for all those readers from Blueland out there.

I'm sorry to say despite searching far and wide, high and low, I unfortunately have nothing really to show for it. All I can do is post the rumors that have been making the rounds. So here's what you should be able to reasonably expect for the Atlanta Thrashers this fall.

The light blue jerseys were so popular that the Thrashers just made them the regular home sweaters last season. They dropped the red/dark blue ones altogether. Expect to see light blue home jerseys again this season. But one element of that jersey that fans seem to like may be difficult to achieve with the new Rbk EDGE cut. And that is the "ATLANTA" written down the sleeve. I think that's such a cool element of those jerseys and while it's not impossible, it doesn't seem likely that we'll see that on the new unis. Keep your fingers crossed.

As for the road jerseys, I'd expect to see more light blue, possibly along the shoulders. That's been a very identifiable color for the Thrashers the past few years. But this may all just be wishful thinking. Which reminds me, if anybody out there has seen any concept art for new Atlanta Thrashers jerseys, please don't hesitate to send it my way so I can share it with the rest of the class.

Just for reference, here are the current Atlanta uniforms which can be found at NHL Uniforms.com.

So again, I'm sorry to disappoint, Thrashers fans. But as always, if I hear or see anything, I'll post it right here.

If you have a question or comment you'd like to submit by email, you can reach me at nhllogos@gmail.com.

A Wild Design!

Check this out, Minnesota Wild fans. Some among you seem to think your team can break from the pack and wear something other than white at home. Outrageous! Seriously, though. Check out this fan-created concept.

We have heard that the Wild will be converting their red third jersey to their permanent home jersey, dropping the greens altogether. But this design suggests using the wheat color on the road jerseys. A radical concept to be sure, I think it would be great! All that white... it blends into the ice, you know?

Actually, I like both of these designs a lot. I think they would be among the best in the entire league if the Wild go with something in this neighborhood. But I want to know what Wild fans think. Do you prefer the red or green at home? And would you like white or wheat for the road sweaters?

Jersey For New Jersey

How many times do you think I'll be able to make that joke as we get information about the New Jersey Devils new uniforms? Anyway, today I have a fan-made graphic to share. It comes from a Devils fan message board.

It's not the actual jersey, of course. I mean let's not fool ourselves here. It's merely a manipulation of the Boston Bruins' road jersey which was unveiled back in June. It just gives us an idea of what can be done if the team were to keep its current uniform design on the new Rbk EDGE jersey cut.

I'm not sure I like the collar laces, though. What do you guys say? Should the Devils keep what they've got or go with something completely new in the vein of, say, the Predators?