HF&P, Part 5: Montreal Canadiens

The "Hockey Fans & Photoshop" series continues with Les Habitants. Le Tricolore. Le Bleu-Blanc-Rouge. The Habs.

When it was announced that the new uniform changes would be league-wide, ultra-traditionalists freaked. They went crazy talking about how the horizontal stripes would have to go and that was the worst thing that could ever happen. Personally I think global starvation is the worst thing that could happen, but whatever.

This design tries to show that horizontral stripes can work on the new uniforms. Well, this is a bad example. Don't cut the stripes off in midstream guys, seriously. Anyway, this design also assumes the front-shoulder numbers will be adopted league-wide though there is not yet evidence to prove that theory.

All in all, I would say it's not that bad. It's better than the graphic you see here to the right. This isn't that much different, but it shows how too much stripage can hurt rather than help. We don't like that.

Once again before I go I want to acknowledge the work of the designers behind these renderings. Again, it's not my work, I'm just re-posting what I've come across. If any of the designers would like to get in touch, drop a line via the comments. I'd love you hear from you regarding your work.

Coming tomorrow: the Ottawa Senators.

HF&P, Part 4: Los Angeles Kings

As part of my continuing coverage of "Hockey Fans & Photoshop," today we get a glimpse at one fan's renderings of possible Los Angeles Kings uniforms for the new season. Don't ask, it won't happen. These aren't official league-approved designs. They're just the result of artistically-inclined hockey fans in need of a creative outlet.

Check it.

So there it is. First of all, you're not seeing things. There is no color. And that I do not understand. This particular designer seems to really like throwback uniforms. That's cool but I think the addition of purple to the Kings' black and silver was as welcome change back in the late '90s. Seeing these uniforms without the purple bothers me.

On the other hand, I'm a fan of the alternate jersey design. Remember the '96 third jersey the Kings wore briefly? Well I liked them. A lot. Right down to the creepy looking king head. I wouldn't even mind seeing that as a primary logo. But it's not my call and I guess that's a good thing.

Coming tomorrow: the Montreal Canadiens.

HF&P, Part 3: St. Louis Blues

In case you missed Tuesday's post, I've started a new post series here on the blog in the weeks leading up to the opening of the tournament. HF&P stands for "Hockey Fans & Photoshop" and has to do with the fact that this series features potential uniform designs consistent with the new Rbk EDGE unis to be used next season. No NHL team has yet officially unveiled their uniforms, but hey, fans can dream right? None of it is my own work, merely re-posting of other people's handiwork that I found around the net.

Today we get a glimpse at a potential design for the St. Louis Blues. This designer is a lot like me in that we feel like change is good. Style and design are fluid things that are constantly changing with the times. I like the idea of toying with the old secondary logo. In my opinion, it better personifies the team nickname than the musical note with a wing attached. Still, its interesting. My only change would be adding that dark shade of blue that the team currently dons. We like the two-tone Blues.

For those of you wondering, these are obviously not official NHL designs. To say their fake would be a misnomer. They're real inasmuch as you can see them. But I'm afraid they haven't been commissioned by the league. The way you can tell is that Gary Bettman has said that the NHL will temporarily drop the third jersey program while the teams adjust to the completely new uniforms. Also the secondary logo in the graphic isn't very clean.

Anyway, kudos to the designer, as always. And feel free to make yourself known if you wish. I'd love to have you on the blog to talk about your work. Speaking of which, this graphic to the right comes from a separate designer who is incorporating the front shoulder number being used by the Buffalo Sabres this season. It uses the all-star uniform design with the current Blues color scheme.

By the way, I open the floor to anyone who has worked on jersey designs in their spare time. I'd love to hear from you and I'm sure the few readers here would too. It's great work. We're all looking forward to the unveiling of all the new designs this summer.

Coming tomorrow: the Los Angeles Kings.

HF&P, Part 2: Washington Capitals

In case you missed yesterday's post, HF&P stands for "Hockey Fans & Photoshop." It has a lot to do with the fact that this series of posts features potential uniform designs consistent with the new Rbk EDGE unis to be used next season. No NHL team has yet officially unveiled their uniforms, but hey, fans can dream right?

By the way, I didn't do any of these designs so don't let me take any credit. I'm just re-posting someone else's handiwork that I found kind of cool.

Today's graphic is for the Washington Capitals. The Caps previously announced plans to return to a red, white and blue color scheme so this fan took it a step further and came up with a new logo — a modernized version of the old '70s logo. The graphic features an "alternate" design and as one reader pointed out yesterday, the league has said it will be shelving "third jerseys" for a while as the teams adjust to the sweeping uniform changes.

If it makes any difference, I really like the "DC" star logo. Put a graphic design firm on that to touch it up and we may have something there.

Coming tomorrow: the St. Louis Blues.

Hockey Fans & Photoshop, Part 1: TBL

I'm sure that by now, everyone who's interested has seen the fan-made artwork, predicting the potential new looks for teams all over the NHL next season. The introduction of the Rbk EDGE uniforms has propeled that, and just in case you haven't seen it, I'm going to re-post all of the images here over the next few weeks in a series I like to call — "Hockey Fans & Photoshop" — so I hope you enjoy it. And if you've already seen them, well good for you.

Without further ado, I present to you — the Tampa Bay Lightning, of course. I have to get things started with my team, you know.

I'm a big fan. I thoroughly hate the current Lightning uniform and this rendition is miles away from that. I would like a new logo, however. The whole lightning bolt in a circle just isn't doing it for me.

Hey, while I'm thinking of it, I've got something for you. See that goofball pencil sketch to the right? That pathetic chicken scratch was my feeble attempt at showing what could be done with the logo. Ignore the hockey stick in the background though, I don't think it really works. But notice how I worked in the "T" and the "B" all subtle-like? Yeah, clever, I know.

Anyway, maybe something a little different is what my Bolts need for better aesthetics. I won't buy a jersey until we get a good one. New logo, new uniforms, and I'd even add another color. I like the blue, black and silver — but what about tossing in a dark green or a yellow or something. Liven that sucker up! That's what I say!

But who cares what I say right? More tomorrow.

FanFic Canucks Jerseys

Okay, people, we're down to less than a month before the tournament begins but that doesn't mean this site is useless until then. Everyday (hopefully), over the next several weeks I'll be posting information regarding new logos and uniforms. So keep checking back. You know you want to.

First, I have to start out by scolding myself for forgetting the name of the blog where I found this image. With regard to the coming announcement about new uniforms and logo adjustments, a Vancouver Canucks fan had a little fun with Photoshop.

Quite honestly, I don't hate the design they came up with. On the other hand, I'm fairly sure the final product won't be anything close to this. Plus, I've always been a fan of teams using different logos on their home and away jerseys. I want to say Atlanta was the first to do that when they entered the league, but Washington would've been pretty close. Currently, Ottawa does that as well. In the case of the Sens and Caps, though, the dark jerseys are former third jerseys that have been promoted.

Anyway, just wanted to share that tidbit with you tonight. Like I said, keep checking back for more every day.

FanFic Caps Unis Making Rounds

a Cathode Rays & Power Plays cross-post from May 3, 2007

First off, of course they're fake. Everybody keeps posing the ridiculous question: Are these real? Are you for real?

As is evidenced by the web address where the images are located, the handiwork comes by way of a graphic artist — from Baltimore, Maryland. (Clearly either a Caps fan, or friends with one.) If he's just hosting it on his site, I'll be very surprised.

Anyway, the design mixes the old with the new in that it keeps the dull (instead of bright) colors and elements of both the old logo and the current one. Note the "Capitals" script with the dome element above it. The grey star beneath it is interesting but it doesn't work on the white jersey. As I've said, I've never been a fan of NHL logos wherein the team name is blatantly spelled out. That's not what a primary logo should be.

That's all for now. Remember, the Washington Capitals unveil their actual new logo and uniforms on June 22.

Retro Returning, Now For Canucks

a Cathode Rays & Power Plays cross-post from April 26, 2007

I know this news is a couple months old, but since I just posted about the Caps, I figured it was relevant.

The Vancouver Canucks will apparently be donning new threads come the fall as well. And just like Washington, the Canucks are planning a return to their original '70s colors of blue, green and white. No word on whether they'll be keeping the orca logo, going back to the original logo, or designing a completely new one all together.

Either way, we find out on August 1.

I found the original post at Canucks Hockey Blog.

You can catch a glimpse of Johnny Canuck painted on the side of Roberto Luongo's mask on nights when the local team wears its vintage blue, green and white uniforms. And the question begs: "Is the artwork on Luongo's mask a hint of things to come?"

The modern day Canucks' marketing machine has instructed its large army of merchandising retailers to stand by for an announcement on Aug. 1.

"Right now we're ordering next year's inventory blindly," says the owner of a sporting goods outlet in North Vancouver. "All we've been told is that the colours of the uniforms will be blue, green and white, but we don't know what the crest is going to look like. The current killer whale [or orca] jersey, as we understand it, will be kept in reserve and occasionally be used as a 'classic' uniform."

So far, I've learned of six teams that have definite plans to change their logos. I have a source in retail that would probably rather not be named. (Look at me trying to be all cryptic.) Aside from Vancouver and Washington, the other four teams that I know of which will see major- or minor-scale uniform and logo changes are the Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, Ottawa Senators, and thankfully, the Tampa Bay Lightning.

We'll follow along this summer and see what happens.

Caps Unveiling New Logo June 22

Now that the tournament blog is officially open for business, let's get to the business. We have our first bit of news by way of the Washington Capitals. They are the first team to announce plans for a new logo and uniforms. The Caps made the official announcement of their intentions on their official site — WashingtonCaps.com.

The Caps' official site had this graphic as their splash page during the week following the announcement.

Like the Sabres and Canucks, the Caps are planning a return to the colors they wore originally when they entered the league in 1974. What's with everybody going back to '70s colors? I know style is cyclical, but come on already. You can read the team's press release below.

Washington Capitals to Unveil New Uniforms at June 22 Draft Day Party

April 23, 2007

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Washington Capitals will unveil their new uniforms at a special Draft Day Party on Friday, June 22, held at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Va. The event will be held in conjunction with the live broadcast on Versus of the first round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, which takes place that evening in Columbus, Ohio.

The new uniforms will mark a return to a red, white and blue color scheme — the colors the Capitals wore from their first season in 1974-75 through 1994-95. The Capitals are the first team in the NHL to announce their plans to unveil their new uniforms, which are produced by Reebok and feature the Rbk EDGE Uniform System technology that was introduced at the 2007 NHL All-Star Game in Dallas. The Capitals are the first team planning to have their new uniforms on hand at the NHL Entry Draft.

Further details about the event will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tournament Introduction

Welcome to the NHL Tournament of Logos!

The NHL season is coming to an end and that leaves scores of hockey fans everywhere with a very dull offseason ahead of them. Sure it's summertime and that means vacation and beaches and such. But that doesn't change the fact that there will be no hockey until September.

So to cure our pain, I've come up with a solution. The NHL Tournament of Logos is a fierce battle which pits team logos and nicknames against one another to determine who is the best. It's good, because with the Stanley Cup playoffs ending, we need an outlet for that competitive edge we've all got going.

Whether your team got eliminated too soon or went all the way, this tournament will be worth following. It's a whole new mini-season while we wait for 2007-08. Individual team schedules have been posted so you can follow along with your favorites. Just click on your team's name in the sidebar standings. Also posted are the rules and regulations of the tournament since every competition needs its edicts. And when the Stanley Cup Finals are over, that is when the fun begins. At the moment, Game 7 of the Finals is scheduled for June 11. But anything can happen. The schedule can change and the series may not even go to seven games. Regardless, the tournament will begin on June 12.

Basically, here's the way it works. The tournament will be played in a blog format. Each day, three or four matches will be "posted" here on the blog. A match features two teams in a one-on-one battle. Each team plays every team in its own conference. To find out more about how that works, check out the rules post. For now, just enjoy the rest of the playoffs and come back here when its all over.

Also, keep checking back here for updates as I plan to follow very carefully any logo or uniform related news and forward it on. As you know, next season will feature the introduction of the new Rbk EDGE uniforms and many teams will be redesigning logos and looks as well. And be sure to get in on the action and discuss your feelings by clicking on the comments of any post. We're looking forward to an awesome competition!