Collection 14: Tex on a Tear

Thought this was a fun story. A lot of readers send in concept art and I love it when someone new comes along because it usually means a new perspective. Somewhat surprisingly, newcomer Tex Fischer was a huge hit with his Senators concept on Sunday. Not to offend, but I'm not sure why it was such a standout considering the entire group was made up of variations on a theme. Regardless, it was a hit. And Tex has been on a tear since. Today's post is dedicated to him.

That last one should serve as the segue into our next set of concepts. I put out the word for Winnipeg Jets concepts this week and have already gotten a lot of excellent entries. Looking forward to sharing them.

Concept Collection 6

No theme today, just another random assortment of concept art here.

Up first, Mike Ivall provides his take on a 2012 Winter Classic possibility. Rumors have suggested the game could be played in Philadelphia or New York next year.

Dallas Stars concept removed at artist's request

By the way, the Lightning concepts just keep streaming in, so I imagine that'll require another post or two in the near future. That's all for now.

There's Something About Retro

They say fashion is cyclical. Trends come and go and come around again. In the NHL, we seem to be re-entering a retro phase. Throwback jerseys have always been popular with fans, but it seems only in the last few years have teams started to take advantage of that. Classic designs that bring history back to life have started making their way back into the mainstream, in the form of alternate jerseys and special events such as the Winter Classic.

So "retro" is the theme of today's post. Let's see what our artists have come up with.

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Jared LeBlanc	I'm a big fan of Jared's Winter Classic concept uniforms, especially what he's done for the Penguins. It's been suggested that the Pens might join the Bruins in borrowing elements from multiple past jerseys for a unique new look that still feels vintage. Jared's also submitted some ideas for the Heritage Classic, details of which will be announced later today. Regarding the design, he writes, "The Canadians jersey is really the only vintage jersey left that they haven't worn already. ... For the Flames, I took a look at the Cowboys jerseys, which looked like a pretty solid design. I considered doing a carbon copy but I thought they might still want the Flames logo on it." Both sets get a big thumbs up from me!
Connor Hanley	Another set of retros based in real life, come by way of Connor. Over the summer, it was announced that the Canucks would don a throwback jersey to celebrate their 40th anniversary. While this won't be the one, the Kings' vintage threads seen here are probably not far from what they'll be wearing on a few occasions this season. The Kings did give their first round draft pick a gold jersey from the 1960s after all. We're still waiting on an official announcement from the team, however.
Connor Hanley	Connor also sent in this set which calls back to the 1920s and the NHL clubs that arrived long before the Penguins and Flyers — that's the Pirates and Quakers. Of course the design is a little dated now with Gagne's name on the back. (He plays for my team now!) I suppose it might be a treat for centenarian hockey fans in Pennsylvania to see those two sweaters hit the ice again. But they shouldn't hold their breaths.
Jack Martineau	Canadian fans always like to see their teams don the retro duds. Jack digs back deep into Maple Leafs history with these St. Pats sweaters. The team actually wore that green jersey for a game or two back in the mid-90s. They should do it again!
Ryan Haslett	And while we're on the subject, here's another throwback for the Leafs from Ryan. Just like the St. Pats jersey, this one also saw life in the afterlife when it was dusted off for at least one game in the early '90s. Now that the Leafs seem to be taking an interest once again in looking like the storied hockey team they are, maybe more of these throwbacks are in the cards.
Matt Marczel	And to finish things off, one of our most prolific artists, Matt Marczel, offers up this throwback to the previous iteration of the Ottawa Senators club. He points out that it could be used if the Sens ever play in a Winter/Heritage Classic. Unfortunately, the first problem is legibility. The second is the Canadiens just wore a very similar stripe-y sweater last year.

By the way, I have lots of new concept art ready and waiting. Someone needs to stay on me about keeping this page updated. I'm very forgetful.