Just To Freak You Out XXVI

After a week off, Freak Out Friday is back in action tonight! And there's some pretty crazy stuff here. We're beginning in Alberta with a rivalry between the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames.

Now, we've seen "If They Mated" concepts created simply by recoloring one team's logo with the other's colors. This goes a step beyond that. Actual time and effort was put into this. And that in itself is frightening.

Yeah, I'll understand if you need a minute after seeing that. But hold on, now. Wait until you seem these logos on jerseys.

I really don't know what to say about that. But while we're on the topic of odd jerseys, I have these.

The Boston Bruins should never use this logo ever again. I understand it as something coming out of the 1970s. But we're all a little older now and just look at it. It's ridiculous. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Scouts on a Wild jersey? Just weird.

Now I've got some offbeat logos. The first is a Kings/Ducks mixture.

The Los Angeles Mighty King Ducks of Anaheim is pretty spectacular. But how about the Pennsylvania Flying Penguins? (No, I didn't make that up.)

Also we've got a morphed Minnesota Wild logo, making obvious use of the letters MW much to my disapproval.

It's not like I don't appreciate the work put into this, but the Wild have a pretty awesome logo as it is. To do this to it has got to be considered heresy in some manner. Which reminds me...

Yeah, it takes "Flaming C" to a whole new level. (No pun — or offense — intended.)

All right, yes the pun was very much intended.

Poll: Lightning vs Whalers

	vs
Tampa Bay LIGHTNING		Hartford WHALERS

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 Thu Feb 7

Poll closing date Mon Feb 11

Something New For NYR

I've always been a proponent of updating the look of the New York Rangers. Classic schmassic. And while I can't deny theirs is among the most recognizable of hockey uniforms, I can't help but think how much better they'd look if they made the Statue of Liberty logo a permanent fixture.

You see what I mean? Despite the crest and shoulders, they still look like the New York Rangers to me.

But if you really want to go nuts — and I love getting stuff like this emailed to me — you could rethink their look completely.

Though I'm well aware of the taboo nature of something like this, I can't help it. I still like the Lady Liberty design better. But this design certainly has its redeeming qualities — maybe not so much the secondary logo.

However, here's the mistake some might be tempted to make when discussing and update for the Broadway Blueshirts.

Resist that temptation.

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

Random Selections

More new concept art! I'm on a roll this week! So Monday we did California and Tuesday was Vancouver. Today I decided to be completely random. And the teams that came out of the hat were the Boston Bruins, Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues. So we'll have fan-designed logos and uniforms for those three teams for now.

I really like the new retro-looking secondary Bruins logo. But you shouldn't do this to it.

If you think it doesn't get worse, you're wrong.

Moving away from scary things now, we have some fans' suggestions for the retooling of the Wild jerseys.

I have to say as much as I like what they have now, that one on the left is really sharp too. The green shoulders are great. I'm not sure how I feel about the circle logo on the white jersey. Feels to me like it's getting lost. And then for a complete change of pace, consider a green sweater with the circle logo.

For one thing, that's a terrible green. But I think last year's green jersey is far superior. There's not enough green in this league.

These next two sketches were designed for the St. Louis Blues on the idea of what the NHL really meant for the jerseys to look like on the players. Of course this is only feasible in cartoon land.

In any other land, it's disproportionate and anatomically impossible. Sharp work, though.

I think we'll do some more randomly chosen teams tomorrow. I've still got over a hundred items in my inbox that need to be posted. By the way, you guys are awesome for continuing to send stuff in. You don't know how much I appreciate it.

Concepts Gallery Updated

Just made wholesale updates to the Concepts Gallery. Activity had been pretty dormant for a while so I figured I'd get some new images up there. All told, I added about 150 images this afternoon, most of which have been featured here on the blog. Others are exclusive to the gallery.

By the way, if you've sent me artwork in the last several weeks and it hasn't been added to the gallery yet, fret not. It simply means I'm considering it for future posting on the blog. After I've posted it on the blog, I'll add it to the Concepts Gallery.

Peruse that for a while if you're bored and feel free to leave comments on the images you see there.

Poll: Canucks '03 vs Canucks '78

	vs
Vancouver CANUCKS '03		Vancouver CANUCKS '78

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 5

Poll closing date Sat Feb 9

Fan Art For The North

Yesterday our theme was California. Today we're moving directly north. (I haven't had a Canucks post recently enough.) Actually, I'm getting excited since my trip to Vancouver is now just four weeks away. I really can't wait. I've got my hockey tickets and even a Canucks t-shirt. And that's hard for me, as a lifelong Lightning fan. But I'll cope. It's hockey, isn't it?

Speaking of which, let's dive in. Simply put, it's a Canucks concept based on the new dark Dallas Stars sweaters. Though I'm not wild about the idea of a logo on the front shoulder.

This one takes its cue from the Montreal Canadiens. Not feeling it either.

Here's one I do like: the green pants.

Also I kind of like the brighter blue for the Oilers while we're at it. Nice little time travel there.

But if you really want to mess with the whole time-space continuum thing, why not just mix a bunch of stuff together? Let's say we recolor the '80s logo and throw it on the new jerseys.

I gotta say, it could be a lot worse.

Not a fan of the forest green, however.

Even on a white Capitals jersey. But if you really want to go nuts with the colors, how about this?

Your choice is apparently Kings colors or Avs colors. Or we could just go back to those good ol' '80s colors.

And that should just about complete the spectrum of visible color, wouldn't you say? Talk about a team with an identity crisis.

By the way, for any Vancouverites out there (is that what you call yourselves?), give me some ideas on what I should do while I'm in town. I've got a week and there's really a lot to do according to all my travel books. See you in March!

Finally, Some Concept Art

I really feel bad for having gone so long without a concept art post. It's not as if I didn't have anything on deck, either. A friend of mine would say if I really felt bad, I'd stop doing it. I just wish I had more time to dedicate to the blog the way I did over the summer when most of you started visiting.

But it's a tough job, finding the time to add new content daily and I just want you guys to know I'm giving it my best. I'm lucky to get polls up every day so I just wanted to say I appreciate your understanding. And eventually I know I skipped the Freak Out Friday last week (we should have one this week) and I will update the bracket as soon as I have a chance. (By the way, keep the emails coming. It's the only way I know whether anyone is still interested in the site.)

Anyway, I have some fan made logo and jersey designs to share from my inbox. Allow me to take you on a trip to California in what will be one of the longest concept posts in a very long time.

I wanted to start with something really well-designed. As part of what I understand to be a school project, this designer painstakingly created an entire identity for the Anaheim Ducks — whose current logo was, to my surprise, eliminated from competition in the first round of the Quest for the Worst.

At least tell me you guys would vote this one down.

But while I mock the current logo, it does have its redeeming qualities. For instance, a simple improvement would simple call for a dropping of the "UCKS." As such.

My favorite logo still has to be this one, though.

One of a kind, I tell you. Obviously, they would've looked so much better raising the Cup in that sweater.

Now let's head to L.A. where we've got a couple of options. The first one keeps the colors while simplifying the uniforms.

The second suggests switching the silver to gold and toying with past logo designs.

I know you guys tend to mock it, but I love that king logo. I love everything about that logo! Especially it's subtle asymmetry. But for what it's worth I hated the jerseys it was worn on. Yes, they were different and interesting, but at some point you have to realize you've got a gray gradient wrapped around your jersey. And then it just get weird.

Speaking of weird, I could never understand why the San Jose Sharks unveiled a "full shark" logo and consigned it to the shoulders. My feeling is you put it front and center.

Then you take the new fin logo and put that on the shoulders, which this artists did not do. And staying on the weird tack, check out this blue jersey.

Yeah, it didn't work for the Bruins. It certainly doesn't work for the Sharks. Consider the effort applauded, but really, no.

However, this brings up a good point. In the digital age, the hue is often mistranslated and sometimes the Sharks look like they're we're a greenish teal and sometimes they don't. What about a complete switch to blue?

Now for a little something out of left field. A lot of folks bemoaned the introduction of orange but few have even considered letting go of the teal. Until now.

Notice too how the diamond-shaped fin logo appears on the shoulders of these sweaters. I like it but it's very lackluster in the color department. Maybe some teal accents or something to go along with that orange. I don't know.

Anyway, I thought we had a nice Californian crop of artwork tonight. As always, I welcome your thoughts below in the comments.

Poll: Golden Seals vs Oilers

	vs
California GOLDEN SEALS		Edmonton OILERS

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 Mon Feb 4

Poll closing date Fri Feb 8