Just To Freak You Out XXXIV

Time again for me to try to freak you out with some of the crazy stuff people send to me. We've got a theme for this one, though.

As you know, we're currently in the midst of the Tournament of Goalie Masks. It's pretty cool and it's made a lot of people look at goalie masks in a different way. I'm not really sure how to describe these next couple of graphics. They're not so much concept art as... freaky.

Yeah, that's an astronaut's mask on Cam Ward.

Right, a welder's mask on Marty Turco.

Ah, and a diver's mask on Jean-Sebastien Giguere. That's just trippy. Wait it gets worse.

Stare at this a little while.

I'm pretty sure a bunch of Leafs and Sens fans just swore off this blog. It's just so... freaky.

Speaking of which, ever wondered if Luongo can pull off purple?

Yeah, he can't. I've got an "If They Mated" concept for the Canucks, though.

I like the Rangers' jerseys with the red in them. But now let's get really nuts. If you want First Nations art, why don't you just go all or nothing?

And the answer comes back plainly enough.

We'll stay in Canada as we finish things off this week.

It's an actual maple leaf. Inventive.

That's all. As I mentioned before, I'm probably going to be making the Freak Out Fridays into an every-other-week feature simply because I'm not getting enough stuff sent to me to do it every Friday. But I enjoy these posts when I can write them and I know you guys do too.

Enjoy your weekend and stick around for more news about the changes going down here at NHLToL. Our birthday is just a week away!

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.

Third Jersey Ideas

I haven't written a concept art post since the weekend so I think we're due. But it's going to be a short one. One reader came up with 13 different jersey designs he'd like to see implemented for various teams at some point in the future.

I told you it'd be short, but we've got 13 different teams covered. Hope you enjoy it.

We've got a Freak Out Friday post coming tomorrow and hopefully some more concepts for the weekend. I've been keeping pretty busy with the Goalie Mask Tournament. Voter turnout is great so far. Keep 'em coming!

Rumors On Alternates

I've gotten several emails about a message board post propagating rumors about the new crop of third jerseys to be introduced for the 2008-09 season. With few reports being confirmed by the actual teams, I thought these might at least be interesting enough to discuss here. They may even produce some new ideas for concept art.

Atlanta Thrashers
Word is the new sweaters will incorporate more maroon like the original dark jerseys. I don't know if this means the sweater itself will be maroon or rather navy more along the lines of that original jersey.

Boston Bruins
We've actually seen the black jerseys already which will feature the BRUINS version of the secondary logo found on the shoulders of the current jerseys. The jersey features the primary logo on the shoulders. Of the two "finalists" we saw, one includes a gold stripe around the bottom while the other does not.

Buffalo Sabres
This isn't really news, but the Sabres will supposedly return to the blue vintage sweaters like the ones they wore last year. We've heard that there's the possibility of some slight alterations, but I wouldn't expect much.

Carolina Hurricanes
Rumor has it the new 'Canes third will be black with the secondary logo on the front. You know the one with the tropical storm flag blowing in the wind. Sounds pretty good. I'd like to see a mock up. One would also expect to see the primary logo on the shoulders.

Chicago Blackhawks
Supposedly, the 'Hawks will resurrect the black sweater they've been wearing as a third jersey for years. No surprises here but I can't say I wouldn't be disappointed if they didn't attempt to make a few tweaks to it.

Dallas Stars
Interestingly, rumor suggests that the new Stars alternate will be a white version of the current black one. You know, with DALLAS written across the front. I'm a fan of one jersey like that. But let's not start in with turning the NHL into the NBA.

Edmonton Oilers
We're being told it's a vintage design with laces at the collar. That sounds absolutely amazing, especially when compared with the travesty visited upon the Oil this season. But this could just be wishful thinking.

Los Angeles Kings
We're speculating that the Kings will return to the purple sweater from last season with the coat of arms logo. Of course the author of the rumors being discussed here suggested the jersey may be black. We'll have to see, but my money's on purple.

Minnesota Wild
You'd think they can't go wrong with a green sweater, but then word is it will have MINNESOTA plastered across the front a la the New York Rangers or Colorado Avalanche. That may not sound impressive, but the Wild have a history of creating vintage-looking thirds that are really killer. I'll hold my judgment until I see it.

New York Islanders
Evidently we should expect a vintage design. Something I'm surprised they didn't go with when unveiling their new Rbk EDGE sweaters over the summer. I'm not really disappointed the orange won't be making a comeback.

Ottawa Senators
I hope this rumor isn't true. Apparently they're going with a gold sweater — you read that right — with SENS written across the front. I don't know if this is more in the vein of the Stars or Rangers. Time will tell. But just let it not be gold. I wouldn't even wish that on the Stars.

Philadelphia Flyers
The team has already told us to expect an orange sweater. What they didn't mention is whether it will be an altered version of the current design or a vintage throwback. Rumor suggests the latter.

Phoenix Coyotes
Opting for a new alternate logo, it sounds like they may be going with a full-body coyote on the front of a black sweater. I think a black jersey will go well with the brick/sand color combination. This one I'm looking forward to seeing.

Pittsburgh Penguins
The team has all but confirmed already that they'll go with the same design they wore for the Winter Classic two months ago. You can't really go wrong with that one. Vintage quality at its finest.

San Jose Sharks
We're likely looking at a black version of the current uniforms. I know a lot of folks dislike the orange. I personally don't mind it. However, how cool would it be if they went with a black/grey/white jersey with some teal piping/lining? And I'll go ahead and put my vote in for the full-body shark like you see on the shoulders of the current sweaters.

St. Louis Blues
We know all about St. Louis already from the team higher-ups. They're talking about a navy sweater with a brand new logo featuring the Gateway Arch. In fact, I have some great concepts to share later with this logo alteration in mind.

Tampa Bay Lightning
The rumors I'm reading scare me because, as a Lightning fan, I'd hate to see this happen. Supposedly the new third will be navy (so far so good) with BOLTS written across the front (there's where you lose me). Sounds an awful like what's going on with the Senators. Read above.

Toronto Maple Leafs
Likely a white vintage design will make its way onto the backs of Leaf players. Probably with the old leaf logo as well. This wouldn't surprise me and sure wouldn't disappoint. Looking forward to it, as a matter of fact.

Vancouver Canucks
It's rumored that a vintage design — I'm guessing blue — is in the works. I like the stick-in-the-rink jerseys as much as anybody, but I would not be surprised to see a completely new design with the newly introduced Johnny Canuck logo. It's a chance that's too good to pass up for a team in the midst of a serious identity crisis.

By the way, that leaves 11 teams without third jersey rumors here. In case you're wondering, those teams not accounted for are the Devils, Rangers, Canadiens, Panthers, Capitals, Blue Jackets, Red Wings, Predators, Flames, Avalanche, and Ducks (who frankly, could really use one).

That's all I've got for you tonight. I've got concept art based on the rumors for the Wild, Blues, Flyers and others, but I'll save that for later on. I'll try to get it posted this week while I'm on my trip.

In the meantime, allow your imaginations to run wild and, you know, feel free to play around in Photoshop and send me whatever you come up with. I can post it here and who knows, maybe you'll even guess correct.

A Mass Of Stars Art

I was looking through my inbox and you guys have been sending in a ton of Dallas Stars concept art that I've failed to get posted. So tonight is all about the Big D. There are just so many options as you'll see.

For one thing, a big complaint about the Stars' new Rbk EDGE uniforms has been the word "DALLAS" written across the front of the home jersey, of all things. A simple solution would be to put the crest back.

Now, with all the talk about third jerseys lately, perhaps that design would be better suited as an alternate in, say, green.

Certainly brings a lot more to the sweater. Hell, there's even gold.

All right, yeah that's probably a bad idea. However, I'm liking the star crests on the green and white jerseys. In fact, the complete lack of black is actually pretty cool. Even something like this — which I like less — might well be worth considering.

But in this reality, I don't see the black disappearing anytime soon. So how about this. Save the black for the alternate.

I know they've got the Florida Panthers' elbow stripes going but try to see past that. The Stars really need to return to the green sweaters. Though I know the odds of that are slim.

But let's depart reality altogether and start considering some "different" alternatives. Like a new logo.

I get the shooting star theme, but there are a lot of reasons why those logos wouldn't work. I'm sure you can figure them out. Still, sometimes it's fun to wonder. Here they are on a jersey.

Then there's the whole constellation fiasco. I get it but it just wasn't well executed. Once you start seeing "that" shape, you can't really see anything else.

I don't think dropping the stars from the logo works, nor does turning up the horns. That's just strange. I've gotta say I do like the red, though. Red as part of that black/green/gold combo is quite unique. What about a reworked logo based on those colors?

It could use some work, like for instance I'd lose the puck, but it's something. A step in the right direction, perhaps.

The last two items I have for you tonight are just flights of fancy for the folks missing their beloved North Stars. The old Minnesota logo on the new Rbk EDGE sweater.

Not great. And this last one is more worthy of a Freak Out Friday post.

I think that about covers it. Stars, Stars and more Stars. By the way, just a little over a week now until my Vancouver trip. Can't wait! I'm hoping to be able to write from the road. I probably won't have much in the way of concept art for you. Maybe just stories from my experiences north of the border if anyone's interested. In the meantime, I've got to start packing.

1000 Posts!

That's right, this post I'm writing here is my 1,000th! I began this blog on May 9 and as of today, it now has a thousand posts. I'm very proud and as always, I'm more than appreciative of you guys for continuing to drop in. Obviously, you all are the reason I keep doing this. So as a thank you, I have some third jersey news.

Well, it's not so much news as concept art. It's all the ideas we've had for next season's new third jerseys... visualized! I'll begin with our friend Gary who's emailed in every other week or so since way back in October. He came up with designs for most of the teams we're expecting to see thirds from in the fall.

Vancouver's all right. Needs more of a forest green. Chicago, San Jose and Ottawa are pretty much what I'd expect. I like the 2D logo on the Sens jersey. Nice touch. We already know the Blues will have a new logo for their third. The desert scene didn't work out to well for the Coyotes last time so I doubt they'll try it again. And I like the idea of using the Hurricanes' secondary logo as the crest.

The Islanders and Lightning designs meet expectations, but the rest are a little out there if you ask me. I can't see the Kings bringing back the gold anytime soon. They'll probably stick with silver and black. The Stars sweater is interesting but could use some work. I like the green. Speaking of green, I can't imagine the Wild using that wordmark as a crest. I'd expect to see the bear head and a much cleaner design more along the lines of the current road jersey.

Among that list but not included in Gary's designs were Thrashers and Maple Leafs. Other readers came up with some good designs for them. First, a white version of Atlanta's home sweater.

It's nice but I can't see the Thrashers adding another white jersey — especially as an alternate. As for the Leafs, we've got a lot to consider.

When you think Toronto third, you automatically think vintage/retro/throwback. These fit that bill quite well.

Anyway, I also had a lot of submissions dealing in black. For instance, take the Senators jersey above, painted on Cory Stillman.

Also a black version of a jersey with the new Johnny Canuck logo.

And a black Stars sweater with the Texas state logo.

Personally, I'm more a fan of this green version.

And finally, we'll look at a team who hasn't said a word about a third jersey in the future, but one for which it could work unbelievably well — the Washington Capitals. Imagine a uniform set that looked like this.

Now those are some nicely designed jerseys.

Remember, if you've got some quality work you'd like me to post, send it along to nhllogos@gmail.com.

Some Unconfirmed Third Jersey News

I got an email earlier in the week that I was unable to post until now. It was from a reader who wrote in that a Reebok representative has apparently confirmed which teams will be wearing third jerseys next season. I'll say right off that neither I nor this reader can completely vouch for the veracity of this information, but having said that, I see no reason not to put it out there anyway as mere speculation.

The list includes the Sabres, Oilers, Flyers and Blues, which we've already heard rumors about. However, it doesn't include the Penguins who are apparently looking to don the retro jerseys they wore at the Winter Classic.

The rest of the list shapes up like this, in alphabetical order:

• Atlanta Thrashers


• Boston Bruins


• Carolina Hurricanes


• Chicago Blackhawks


• Dallas Stars


• Los Angeles Kings


• Minnesota Wild


• New York Islanders


• Ottawa Senators


• Phoenix Coyotes


• San Jose Sharks


• Tampa Bay Lightning


• Toronto Maple Leafs


• Vancouver Canucks

From that list, all but four had third jerseys last season. One would assume most of them would stay the same.

Boston, Toronto and Vancouver wore retro threads. An obvious choice to keep. Vancouver switched back to their original colors this season. However, the introduction of a new Johnny Canuck logo leads me to wonder whether they might head in that direction for an eventual discontinuation of the whale altogether. But that may just be wishful thinking.

Chicago, San Jose and Ottawa simply wore black versions of their standard jerseys. Seems to me they'd probably do something similar with new thirds. Also, Carolina has never had a third but black seems like a smart option. And since introducing their new colors and logo, the Coyotes have yet to try out a third. But if they do, you might see it in black as well.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Kings and Islanders stick with last year's thirds. They utilized different colors, and a different logo in Los Angeles' case. Minnesota made their red third into their regular home sweater this year but the green may well make a comeback if they go with an alternate.

Dallas' most recent attempt at a third left a lot to be desired so we might see something completely different for them. Or we might just see a green jersey with "STARS" written across it in white. Also, Atlanta recently converted its original third to the current home jersey, so I'm not sure what to expect from them. Perhaps something in dark blue reminiscent of their early days?

And finally, there's my Lightning. Very few people liked Tampa Bay's blue third with rain drops, waves and lightning bolts on the arms from the late '90s. I was one of them. But I wouldn't expect to see anything like that if we do end up with an alternate next year. I would expect to see a nice blue sweater though.

Enjoy the speculation. As hard facts become available, you can count on me to have them posted right here at NHLToL.

So if you guys want to start coming up with concepts of what you think next year's crop of third jerseys might look like, go for it! Email them to me and they may well find their way onto the blog.

Poll: Mighty Ducks vs Stars

	vs
Anaheim MIGHTY DUCKS		Dallas STARS

REMEMBER: You're choosing the WORST logo!

This marks the beginning of the second to last round — the conference finals, in a way. Place your vote and then feel free to leave a comment as to how you came to your decision. Tell all your friends to drop in and vote! The more voices heard, the more accurate the results!

Poll opening date Thu Feb 21

Poll closing date Mon Feb 25

Poll: Golden Seals vs Stars

	vs
California GOLDEN SEALS		Dallas STARS

REMEMBER: You're choosing the WORST logo!

Place your vote and then feel free to leave a comment as to how you came to your decision. Tell all your friends to drop in and vote! The more voices heard, the more accurate the results!

Poll opening date Tue Feb 12

Poll closing date Sat Feb 16

Poll: Blue Jackets vs Stars

	vs
Columbus BLUE JACKETS		Dallas STARS

REMEMBER: You're choosing the WORST logo!

Place your vote and then feel free to leave a comment as to how you came to your decision. Tell all your friends to drop in and vote! The more voices heard, the more accurate the results!

Poll opening date Wed Feb 6

Poll closing date Sun Feb 10