Just To Freak You Out XXII

I can't believe how long this series has lasted. At 22 and still going strong, what follows is another edition of Freak Out Friday. Where do I begin?

I think I'll start with a play on the Winter Classic which took place this week. It's an "If They Mated" featuring the two teams involved in the big outdoor game.

Curiously though, while the designer went with the original Sabres logo, they opted against the original Penguins colors.

Now is where I really get into the scary stuff, so be warned.

Though well executed, that can't be a good idea. Speaking of which...

Let the eye-gouging begin. It makes great use of the Panthers' colors but what is with all the suns? We get it they're the Florida Panthers!

Here's what we need.

Because nothing says we're getting rolled over like a jersey with tire tracks. A sentiment less suited for the Red Wings (first place) and more so for the Lightning (last place) who can't seem to remember how to win games. But I'm not bitter.

Speaking of the lackluster Lightning, the one color I hope is never incorporated into the Bolts' identity is yellow.

Did I mention how I hate the yellow?

And finally, it appears that not a lot of effort was put into this, but I thought the logo was funny enough to revisit.

Keep the crazy artwork coming so I can continue to frighten and freak out the readers here at NHLToL. Enjoy your weekend!

Winter Classic, Part I

In honor of the Winter Classic which takes place tomorrow, I've got concept art for the two clubs taking part. (Penguins today, Sabres tomorrow.)

First is a rather dramatic logo redesign. You can't help but like the throwback jerseys though.

On the right is a set that also makes use of a new logo while throwing back even further to the days of blue sweaters.

Here we have a recolored set of New York Islanders jerseys. Still not a fan of that design but the lack of piping is allowing me to warm to it only slightly.

The numbering here scares me but it shows what you can do to improve the visual look of the Pens' sweaters.

And this one's for the few of you that preferred the '90s penguin.

This last concept is a little far out but it's not bad thinking. Needs work but it feels like it's on the right track.

That's all I got. Should have some Sabres artwork tomorrow. Hope you enjoy the game if you were lucky enough to score tickets. Happy new year!

Just To Freak You Out XXI

The Freak Out series hits 21 this week — old enough to get hammered. And boy, I think some of the designers this week had to have been hammered. I mean, just look at this.

It might take a moment or two to notice that this is an "If They Mated" example. It's the new Sharks secondary logo merged with the Mighty Ducks third jersey of the mid-90s. But I love it!

This Flames jersey is on fire! Someone on eBay is really selling it. For real.

Sidney Crosby recently dropped the gloves in a rare on-ice event. This picture isn't real but it cracks me up nonetheless. There's just so much about it that's so wrong. I'm curious to see if the guys over at Pensblog have anything to say about this.

And finally, we have a plethora of "matings" here to share.

To sum things up, what you see above is the Flyers and Bruins, Rangers and Islanders, Devils and Sabres, Blue Jackets and Blackhawks, Avalanche and Wild, Blues and Red Wings, Canucks and Hurricanes (weird!), Bruins and Flyers (opposite of the first one) and Stars and Coyotes.

But wait, there's more.

This one is interesting because it's all opposites of the previous image. They are the Coyotes and Stars, Blackhawks and Blue Jackets, Hurricanes and Canucks, Islanders and Rangers, Sabres and Devils, Red Wings and Blues (what the—?), and Wild and Avalanche.

Hope you enjoyed being freaked out. Have a fantastic weekend!

Just To Freak You Out XIX

Finally, Freak Out Friday is back on Friday! And boy is this one a doozy. You won't believe some of the whacked out craziness your fellow readers have come up with this week. Let's start with an eyesore I probably never should've posted at all.

Yeah, there's no excuse for that. Speaking of inexcusable, here's a rather scary concept of a Tampa Bay Lightning logo.

Oh wait, it gets better. You know how Las Vegas has been involved in all the buzz about a possible future expansion of the NHL? Here's what they shouldn't do when it comes to naming the team and designing a uniform.

And then as always, we have our "If They Mated" blends. First, we have Pennsylvania's teams...

...and then all three New York clubs.

Plus as a special bonus, someone redesigned the Sabres' pants. But you know what I say? If the Lightning can have lightning bolts down their legs, than why can't the Sabres have swords?

Oh, and I mentioned the Penguins a second ago. I need to post this just so it's out there. I'm all for the retro blue jersey for the Winter Classic, but let's not go too far. Here's something to avoid at any cost.

And finally, I can't determine whether the designer of these hates the new Canucks jerseys, or loves them. You be the judge.

Hope you enjoyed your week — or at least your Friday. Christmas comes in just 11 days and you know what that means!

See you right here for another Freak Out post next Friday! And remember you can send in your concepts for consideration to nhllogos@gmail.com. I look forward to seeing them!

Just To Freak You Out XVI

It's another Freak Out Friday here at NHLToL and boy have I got some weird crap today. I have to start out first with something that might cause you to fall out of your chair laughing.

The funny part is I think that's what Homer Simpson would look like if here were an Indian. Anyone agree with that?

The next image is sure to stir the pot a little bit. It's like one of Conan's "If They Mated." Albertans might not be able to take this. Imagine if the Oilers and Flames got together.

We should make a habit out of that. Pretty funny stuff.

This cracks me up. Twice in the same week, two separate people emailed me concept logos for the Montreal Canadiens — replacing the "H" with an "M."

The graphic on the right incorporates the old Montreal Maroons logo so that's kind of cool. But regardless, it's still just weird seeing that. Let's keep it in southern Canada for a moment. A few different readers felt like giving new colors to the Toronto Maple Leafs' uniform. Everything but blue.

We'll finish off this week's Freak Out Friday on a fairly obvious route.

Yes, that's the Linux penguin. Can't believe I didn't get that one sooner.

Hope those served up a good laugh, or at the very least made you smile on the inside. And don't forget to send in your Freak Out art for next Friday's post. Enjoy your weekend!

Just To Freak You Out XV

We were a little thin in terms of new Freak Out art this week, so forgive me if today's post is a little light. Still, nothing pleases me more than trying to freak you guys out with some crazy concept art.

As many of you know, the NHL unveiled the 2008 All-Star Game sweaters this week. Reader reaction here was not great. In fact, I got some very Freak Out-worthy concepts based off of those jerseys.

John sent those in along with a few others. You'll be able to find them in the Concepts Gallery this weekend.

We'll keep things moving with the Pittsburgh Penguins next. Each concept here imagines a drastic change. For instance, the first example suggests renaming the team the Pirates — a club that once existed in Pittsburgh during the early years of the NHL.

And the second suggests that the team keep the name but move to Russia.

That silly penguin even looks Russian.

And then, this goes out to all the folks from Quebec. It just doesn't look right. At all.

We'll keep things in the Western Conference now. With all the vanity in the world these days, you had to see this coming.

It seems even the Chicago Blackhawks' Indian head wanted a facelift. Either that or he got the Botox. And don't think I'm ignoring the Bears reference in there.

Next we'll head to Detroit where I'm quite concerned.

I think the grey jersey is an interesting choice, but I don't think an octopus will ever be anything but scary on a Red Wings concept. That tradition should stay off the sweater. Having said that, as a logo itself, it's not bad. But I'm still very, very concerned.

And finally, with Christmas just 39 days away, I thought I'd start my decorating now.

Ho ho ho!

If you've made or run across any concepts you think might be worth posting for Freak Out Friday, don't be shy. Send them along! You can email me at nhllogos@gmail.com.

More On The Sabres, Pens Topic

Since we're on the subject of the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins today, I thought I'd share a few concept designs I thought were especially cool.

I'd consider the Sabres to be one of the best-looking teams in the league if they wore something a little like this. For one thing, the logo actually has sabres in lieu of a buffalo. Always a welcome change of pace if you ask me — you know, the whole thing about having a logo that actually represents the name of your team.

That being said, it should have a buffalo logo on the shoulder. My vote is for the white one you see in the vintage logo. Wrap a red outline around that buffalo and stick it to the shoulders and you've nearly got your winner. The other big change I'd make is to change the circle behind the swords to red. Either that or make the dark sweater red instead of black. Too much blending in there.

With those changes, I'd almost buy one myself and I'm not just saying that.

As for the Pittsburgh Penguins, this would be an improvement. This logo needs a bit of work, but it's got a ferocity lacking in the skating penguin. It's even got a nice shoulder patch with that hint of vintage. Any thoughts on this?

Or perhaps we could inject a little more of a retro feel.

Not only does this design reintroduce the blue sweater, but the designer even went so far as to add the city crest to the shoulders — taking a page out of Calgary's book. But actually, I don't hate it. My only hope is that the gradient thing is just for this graphic and wouldn't have any part of an actual jerseys.

We can dream, can't we? Anyway, leave your thoughts below. I'd like to see what the consensus is on all of this. It's pretty drastic compared to a lot of the work I post on a regular basis. And as always, my thanks to the artists.

Another Look At The Retro Winter

I keep getting emails from you guys about the news that the Sabres and Penguins will be donning retro uniforms for the Winter Classic on New Year's Day. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate you guys sending in information, but I did address it last weekend.

Regardless, I thought I'd write up another post considering the league has now made that official — which wasn't the case on Sunday. Here are some images that the clubs posted on their web site this week.

The deal is that Reebok is apparently making them in the same "cutting edge" materials used for the EDGE jerseys.

As you might've noticed, the teams will be wearing their old 1970s logos and uniforms. Most notably, the Pens will be donning blue for the first time since 1980. Should be a fun game to watch, no doubt, if for no other reason than the throwback uniforms.

So anyhow, there it is. It's official. The Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins will wear retro sweaters for the Winter Classic.

By the way, in case you were wondering, the week of this game, be sure to stop by NHLToL as you'll be able to vote on the two logos being used on these jerseys. So stay tuned for that.

Winter Classic Goes Retro

The NHL's official online shop suggests that the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins will be donning vintage sweaters for the Winter Classic which takes place on January 1, 2008. The photos listed can be seen below.

Those are nice jerseys. See Sabres fans? This is still your real logo, regardless of what your team wears every night. It makes it more special when they save it for occasions like this. Or maybe that's just me.

For more on this story, check out Going Five Hole. My thanks go out to Sean for the tip!

Guess What! Concepts!

There's no new poll today and I couldn't very well go without a single new post, now could I? Naturally, I have reader-submitted concept art to share. Let's begin in Pennsylvania.

On the left is a great option for a third jersey — we've been told to expect one as early as next season for the Flyers. In fact, the team itself said so. On the right is an example of be careful what you wish for — because sometimes you get it.

I really like the added use of gold on that Penguins jersey, little flightless birds don't have horns so a redesign would be required here. Next up is the Edmonton Oilers.

Not a bad idea for third jerseys, but those elbow stripes have got to go!

We'll finish with a concept logo for a team that will never change its logo, of this I'm sure.

It would never pass a professional sports logo, but if the Wings had/have some sort of foundation or something, it might make a good logo for that. Of course it's entirely possible I don't have a clue what I'm talking about. Wouldn't be the first time.

So that's that for today. Likely more to come tomorrow so keep checking in. I'm really trying to get done more than a post or two per day, but as you know, I have a Wii. It's pretty addicting.