One More Day...

As you know, I've got quite a day planned for tomorrow.

More than a month ago I mentioned Matt (aka GhettoFarmBoy) was working on the next team in his NHL rebranding series. Many of you have surmised that the "big" thing coming on May 1 is that design. You might be on to something.

But that's not even half of what's to come tomorrow. It's going to be a big day and a lot is going to be changing here. I realize that most of you are happy with the way the blog is now, but these changes will only serve to improve things. And you guys will be involved in these changes in a big way!

So if you want to know how NHLToL will be different for our first birthday (which is May 9), then be sure to drop in throughout the day tomorrow. If you're a fan of the blog, you really won't want to miss this.

Until then!

Stars And Sharks Fan Creations

I've got a little bit of concept art for you today. We're doing the Sharks and Stars in honor of their current playoff series. (Though it may not last too much longer if the Stars have their way.)

This first Dallas jersey is a green third that would fit in seamlessly with their current set.

Then we have a full set with a green home sweater and a black alternate.

The alternate looks great with the green shoulder yoke.

And lastly, we've got a San Jose fan design attempting to emulate the pre-Rbk EDGE design scheme.

By the way, I know a number of you have been asking about the Freak Out Friday series. It's not over, I think it's just going to be less frequent. I'm not getting as much crazy artwork as I used to so we're probably just going to have it every other week. Not to worry though, you'll be able to get your fix this Friday. Lots of great stuff on the way!

Oh and be sure to drop in tomorrow to check out the big announcement.

Big Update To Gallery

Not sure how many of you still check out the Concepts Gallery. It's been getting ignored a little lately by me, but you'll be glad to know I just added nearly 300 graphics to the gallery. Almost every album has at least one new image.

Most of the images in the Concepts Gallery have been featured at some point on the blog. Others are exclusive to the gallery. Enjoy!

New Canada Sweaters Official

Just following up on yesterday's scoop regarding a new look for Team Canada here. Seems it's official now.

They're being called "retro-futuristic" if that's even possible and TSN has more on the story.

Go online and buy yours now.

Hope all you Canadians like them.

Primarily Pennsylvania

Did you see what I did there? I'm a day late on the joke, but still. To thank all you Pennsylvanians for going out in record numbers to perform your civic duty, I have concept art tailored especially to you.

We'll begin with a cool new logo redesign for the Penguins.

It's a really sharp logo that pays tribute to the past in a big way while also bringing something new to the table. There are also jerseys to go with it.

The black one doesn't do much for me, but oddly enough, the white one blows me away. I think it's the shoulder striping.

A likely third jersey candidate for the Pens going into next season is a version of the powder blue sweater they wore for the Winter Classic.

But stepping outside of that for a moment brings us some interesting designs. This dark blue strikes me as slightly strange, however.

And remember the days when gold was actually yellow (though no one wanted to admit it)? Well there's a little more where that came from.

We'll wrap up our Pennsylvania trip in Philly. Not much to speak of with this.

But one designer came up with a notion of what might well be a good candidate as an alternate for the Flyers next season.

They could do worse.

New Look For Team Canada

A reader emailed in to say that apparently Team Canada will be unveiling a new look next month. CBC has the story if you're interested. I'll post pictures here when it happens so keep checking back.

UPDATE (3:13 PM): Shortly after I posted this information I got an email with "leaked" in the subject line which always makes me wary. But if for no other reason than to cover all my bases, I figured I'd post these pictures and see what you guys make of them. This isn't something I'm following very closely, not being Canadian myself (though if wishing made it so), but perhaps some of you might have answers.

Post your comments and conspiracy theories below.

OHL Logo Tourney Starting!

Just wanted to let you guys know we've just kicked off the OHL Tournament of Logos over at ToHL. Go place your vote as we determine which team has the best logo in the Ontario Hockey League.

Just To Freak You Out XXXIII

Hell has frozen over!

Indeed, the Freak Out Friday has returned. After two weeks off, it's been resurrected. All the talk last month about the league returning to the third jersey program next season has died down, but folks are still trying to come up with the best solution to this alternate sweater issue. The ones that fail tend to end up here.

See what I mean? What happened with the D there? And don't get me wrong, I like that blue for my Bolts, but I can't imagine having that written on the front of the jersey. There's more.

Same goes for the other team that joined the league the same year as Tampa Bay.

I know these are designs based on previously discussed rumors, but I always thought they were too horrible to actually see.

I've got some other stuff too — like a new alternate logo for the Blue Jackets.

And a sweater to boot.

But my favorite pair of sweaters for this week's Freak Out are based on the Minnesota Wild and the previous NHL club that occupied the state.

And finally, I know you guys hated the guitar thing, but someone else made this one and I thought it was kind of interesting.

So keep the crazy artwork coming in each week if you want me to be able to continue this series. I'm counting on you! Yes, you! And that's that for this week. Hopefully I'll return next Friday with a brand new batch of insanity.

Desert Art

The last time I posted any good Phoenix Coyotes artwork was... well, it was never. I've never posted any good Phoenix Coyotes artwork and for that I am ashamed. That streak ends this afternoon.

If there was ever a reason for the 'Yotes to don a black third jersey, this would be it.

I never would've thought that PHX logo would look good as a crest. Proved me wrong, right there. Here's what made me think that in the first place.

Yeah. Don't worry, though, I'm not wasting it. We've got some decent Freak Out stuff for Friday too.

Below is a simple redesign concept with the old moon logo I liked a lot.

This does make me miss the PHX logo, though. However, the Coyotes still wear that moon logo on their pants. But what if we combine it with the current primary?

And then slap it on a jersey?

Lastly, we get a look at the reason why text needs to stay off the front of jerseys.

That's all I've got for you today. Tune in next time for more fan made concept art. You know you love it. In the meantime, keep voting on the NHL's best goalie masks! Despite being just over halfway through the first round, we're actually making some headway. We'll have a winner before you know it.

Something BIG is coming... May 1, 2008!

My Playoff Predictions 2008!

Nobody asked me but I write a hockey blog and I'd be odd-man out if I didn't post my ill-informed predictions for the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs. So prepare yourselves. By no means am I any sort of authority on analysis of the league (I only know my Lightning) so take it for what it is. And what can I say? I love the playoffs!

Without any reasonable explanation or rationale whatsoever, my picks are as follows.

CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS

Montreal vs Boston
Canadiens in 4; Come on, you've seen their regular season record right?

Pittsburgh vs Ottawa
Penguins in 5; The Sens get one win, if that. Damn Pens are just too strong.

Washington vs Philadelphia
Capitals in 6; The Flyers were the worst team a year ago by a lot. Strides? Yes. But not leaps and bounds.

New Jersey vs NY Rangers
Rangers in 7; Tough one but I envision a long series with a tired Brodeur at the end.

Detroit vs Nashville
Red Wings in 5; You don't barely make the playoffs then knock out a club with 54 regular season wins.

San Jose vs Calgary
Sharks in 6; The Sharks will win the Cup.

Minnesota vs Colorado
Avalanche in 6; Just a gut call. No evidence to back it up.

Anaheim vs Dallas
Stars in 7; Champion schmampion.

CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

Montreal vs NY Rangers
Canadiens in 6; The Rangers will fall apart after the first round.

Pittsburgh vs Washington
Penguins in 5; The series of the year featuring Sid versus Ovie but I give it to Crosby and his cohorts.

Detroit vs Colorado
Red Wings in 6; I love it any time these two get together. Wings are powerful, though.

San Jose vs Dallas
Sharks in 4; The Sharks will run away with it.

CONFERENCE FINALS

Montreal vs Pittsburgh
Penguins in 7; Kind of cliché to go with Nos. 1 and 2 but I have no choice.

Detroit vs San Jose
Sharks in 5; Risky bet but there's a history of upset here.

STANLEY CUP FINALS

San Jose vs Pittsburgh
Sharks in 7; It'll be a hard-fought battle to the bitter end but my money's on them this postseason. But I admit the triangle theme is weird.

So there it is. Oh and don't bother emailing or commenting to say how wrong or stupid I am. I already know it.

Feel free to add your predictions below in the comments. I'm considering posting polls for each series to see what the majority are predicting. If this is something you guys are interested in, let me know. Playoffs start tomorrow. Get excited!