NHL Concept Logos, Part 1

I've been scouring the web over the last couple of weeks in search of logos designed by fans for their favorite teams. Logos that are cool — or not cool as the case may be — but will never see the front of an NHL jersey.

As is the case with most of these logos, I can't remember where I found them so if you designed any of them, feel free to let me know via a comment. And for the record, great work! Anyway, let's dive right in.

This is a logo designed for the Tampa Bay Lightning. As you can plainly see, the designer makes use of a lightning bolt as the "B" in "TB" for — you guessed it — Tampa Bay. As I've said, I've never been a huge fan of clearly obvious letters in logos, but this one isn't horrible. Still not my favorite though. I feel like there's a way to do it well that's subtle. Look at the New Jersey Devils logo. It features a very subtle "NJ" — so subtle you kind of have to stare at it to see it. That's what I like in a logo. But that didn't stop someone from coming up with a few concept logos for the Devils. I'll have those tomorrow in Part 2.

Until then, I have an Edmonton Oilers logo to share. Basically, the artist has kept the oil drop from the original logo and set it inside a gear — a little like the team's third jersey logo. It's nice, but as far as the colors go, I'm more a fan of the silver and blue in said alternate logo. But who am I to complain? Any Oilers fans out there reading this? What do you think?

Now our feature presentation. It's been widely rumored as of late that the Toronto Maple Leafs have plans to alter and adjust their logo for the new season. Reports have suggested that only minor changes to the leaf silhouette will take place but that the logo will remain in large part much the way it is now.

So turn your attention to the right. The top logo is basically the maple leaf from the Canadian flag turned blue with "Toronto Maple Leafs" written inside. Next we have a maple leaf within a circle — a logo which seems oddly familiar yet for some reason I can't quite place it. NHL All-Star Game logo? Olympics logo? If you recognize it, let me know.

And finally, we're treated to this gem on the bottom. If you want radical, this one is for you. I have no idea what's going on there. It scares me a little. I mean it's way too intricate to ever seen on a uniform which is why I'm not truly worried — but, still, it's weird. In a way I like it and in a way I don't. That's all I have to say on the matter.

And finally, check out this blast from the past. Someone came up with this design for the Minnesota North Stars about 11 years too late. Personally, I never liked the old North Stars logo — I say that knowing that I could be stoned to death for such a remark. It was just too — lame.

Not that this one is much better. But it has a little more something to it, at least.

So there you have it. Six concept logos for your Wednesday. Mull those over and get back to me in the comments. What do you like? What do you dislike? What would you like to cram down my throat? — all right, easy does it. I'm just sharing what I've found. Which reminds me, if you find any cool concept logos around the web or have any on your hard drive, let me know about them in the comments.

Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow — or whenever I feel like posting it.

Blues vs Ducks

	vs
BLUES		DUCKS
0-0		0-0

The Aesthetics
Simplicity abounds in design here. Both teams use a simple but attractive color scheme. The problem is the team is named the Ducks. I don't see a duck. There's a duck footprint in the shape of a "D," but it's drowned out by all the other letters. The musical note, however, is the perfect way of symbolizing the Blues.
Blues

The Nickname
Playing his sax, a jazz man could certainly drown out any quacking Ducks while playing the Blues.
Blues

The Analysis
Cheers to the Ducks for dropping "Mighty" from their name this season, but the logo they turned out was unfortunate. When compared to the Blues, the Blues win it by a landslide in overall design and style. If the Ducks want a better shot, they should drop the words from the logo and at least make the duck footprint the primary.
Blues

WINNER

3-0

 

Penguins vs Capitals

	vs
PENGUINS		CAPITALS
0-0		0-0

The Aesthetics
Right off, both logos have a lot of complexities though we find a lot more in the Capitals, obviously. On the other hand, its colors are appealing and used well. The Penguins makes use of only a single color outside of black and white (albeit a good color). Despite the Capitals' use of a script spelling out the team name (and city) within in the logo, it still squeaks by with the point.
Capitals

The Nickname
If we assume the Capitals are lawmakers of some sort, then it's their job to write laws to protect Penguins and other animals. They therefore have the upper hand.
Capitals

The Analysis
Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States so the name seems like a rather obvious choice. But as far as the name goes, my question is: What is a Capital? A Penguin is a little ineffectual flightless bird. Regardless, I don't know what relevance Penguins have to the city of Pittsburgh as Penguins tend to live in rather chilly locales.
Capitals

WINNER

3-0

 

Avalanche vs Predators

	vs
AVALANCHE		PREDATORS
0-0		0-0

The Aesthetics
These are two of the coolest looking logos in the NHL, so it should be a close battle. Both logos make use of detail, the Predators more so than the Avalanche. Despite the nice color combination, however, the detail in the Predators is a little too much. The Avalanche logo has better proportions and is very streamlined while making clever use of its name.
Avalanche

The Nickname
Walking through the snow-covered, mountain woods, even the Predator in a saber-toothed tiger couldn't possibly live through the destruction of an Avalanche.
Avalanche

The Analysis
They play in the often snow-capped Rocky Mountains of Denver so it's not a big leap to determine where the name comes from. The Predators, on the other hand, have a cooler story. While the arena where they play was being built, construction workers came upon the ancient bones of what was once a saber-toothed tiger. That is how the logo was born.
Predators

WINNER

2-1

 

Sabres vs Maple Leafs

	vs
SABRES		MAPLE LEAFS
0-0		0-0

The Aesthetics
The Maple Leafs' crest is rather one-dimensional and while the Sabres' isn't the worst-looking logo in Buffalo sports, it's pretty bad. Still, the edge goes to them only slightly for its style and use of color.
Sabres

The Nickname
If a swordsman was riding through the woods, his Sabre would easily slice through any Maple Leaf that might get in its way.
Sabres

The Analysis
I don't understand why every team from Buffalo, New York must have a buffalo in its logo. I get the importance of the animal to the area, but put it on the shoulder. Why has the saber been relegated to the secondary mark? My favorite Sabres logo ever was the one used on the front of the red third jerseys. This one is a no brainer. What symbol is on the Canadian flag? This is Toronto. Enough said.
Maple Leafs

WINNER

2-1

 

Red Wings vs Kings

	vs
RED WINGS		KINGS
0-0		0-0

The Aesthetics
I've said before that ultra-traditionalism shall have no part in this competition. So I don't care that the Red Wings logo has been around for ages. It could use an upgrade. This is, after all, 2007. Among other things, I like the Kings' color scheme. It's something different.
Kings

The Nickname
I can't say for sure what sort of bird a Red Wing would belong to, but I'm fairly sure the King of the land would have nothing to say about it.
Red Wings

The Analysis
When I think "king," I think crown, so the Kings hit it right on the money. But I like how the Red Wings logo incorporates a wheel. After all, before Detroit was dubbed Hockeytown, it was Motor City.
Red Wings

WINNER

2-1

 

Thrashers vs Rangers

	vs
THRASHERS		RANGERS
0-0		0-0

The Aesthetics
Even though I didn't like the team's name, I've liked the Thrashers' logo ever since it was first unveiled when the team started playing in 1999. The Rangers, on the other hand, not so much. I think they should upgrade to the shoulder logo on the third jersey. Much nicer.
Thrashers

The Nickname
If the Thrasher is living in a national park, the park Ranger is protecting it and therefore has the upper hand.
Rangers

The Analysis
I don't know why it is that almost all the pro sports teams in Atlanta have to be named for birds, but the hockey team got burned. Falcons and hawks are birds of prey and despite "thrashing" being a good verb for use in defeating opponents, the thrasher is what, a songbird? Come on. By default, the Rangers take this one.
Rangers

WINNER

2-1

 

Stars vs Blackhawks

	vs
STARS		BLACKHAWKS
0-0		0-0

The Aesthetics
Albeit slightly boring, the Stars have a much sleaker look than the Blackhawks. I've always found the Indian head a little clunky and intricate, not to mention its lack of a defined color scheme.
Stars

The Nickname
Chief Black Hawk may have been a tough son of a bitch, but a Star is a giant all-consuming ball of fire.
Stars

The Analysis
The Blackhawks get their name from Chief Black Hawk who was a Sauk warlord in the area of what is now Rock Island, Illinois which is less than 200 miles from Chicago. Not bad. On the other hand, the Stars take their name from predecessor Minnesota North Stars. I think it works great, what with Texas being the Lone Star state. The only drawback is that the team name is spelled out in the logo and, by and large, I'm not a fan of that. Still, they squeak by with the point.
Stars

WINNER

3-0

 

Tourney Starts Up Tomorrow!

Can you feel the excitement yet? No? Am I building this up too much? I'm totally being sarcastic every time I tell you how awesome this tournament is going to be. It's going to be a three-month-long load of dung. You read that right.

Seriously though, I'll have fun writing it, but whether you'll have fun reading it is a completely different question altogether. What's cool is that it's finally starting tomorrow. I anticipate posting the first matches of the NHL Tournament of Logos tomorrow morning around 10 AM or so. (Don't hold me to that.)

For the time being, if you don't have a clue what this so-called "tournament" is about, may I suggest the Introduction. It's great reading and it will get you up to speed on this competition. Follow that up with a little bit of Rules & Regs and a side of FAQs. In fact, while you're getting your dose of the FAQs, feel free to ask some questions of your own. I swear I'll answer them on the double!

That's all from me for tonight. After the tournament gets started, I have some cool concept logos and jerseys to share. Look for that sometime tomorrow afternoon once the first matches have been posted.

HF&P, Part 30: Tampa Bay Lightning II

You know, the fact that this is the 30th segment in a series about the NHL — which has 30 teams — might lead you to believe I've covered all my bases. Unfortunately this is not the case. More about that in a moment. First, we're going to take another look at a design for the Tampa Bay Lightning. We last looked at them in Part 1 of the "Hockey Fans & Photoshop" series — the original.

So there it is. We've come full circle. Overall, I like it. The stripes are surely different. The designer has taken the secondary logo and made it the crest with some minor adjustments. I don't hate it, but if it were me, I'd come up with an entirely new logo for the team. But that's me.

The "TB" logo for the shoulder is nice if not a little overdone and generic. I say that, but generally speaking, this design is far better than what the team currently wears — or should I say, wore until the end of the 2006-07 season.

So as I was saying, due to the nature of this series, a number of deserving teams got missed in this series — which isn't to say it's over necessarily. If you have any designs — your own or something you found on the web — that I've overlooked, please feel free to send them along.

The teams I haven't seen any fan-made artwork for are the Buffalo Sabres, Atlanta Thrashers, Florida Panthers, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Phoenix Coyotes, Minnesota Wild and Nashville Predators.

Anyway, if you know of or have a graphic I haven't posted here, drop me a line in the comments and tell me all about it. I might even post it as part of the series.