All the Kraken Colours

 Welcome back!  It's been a while since my last post, but I've returned with another Seattle Kraken concept.

Seattle Kraken:

I wanted to use all of the Kraken's colours for this concept.  The "Deep Sea Blue" home jersey uses "Boundless Blue" and "Red Alert" for the stripes, while the road jersey utilizes "Ice Blue" and "Shadow Blue" instead.  I also added in green Metropolitans inspired third jersey.

Thanks for visiting, and have a happy (and safe) holidays!

The Kraken

Last week the NHL's 32nd franchise revealed their identity, and I'm a big fan of it.  I love the name Kraken (and I have since it was first rumoured), the logos are great, and the jerseys are nice as well.

So without further ado, here's a third jersey concept using their "Ice Blue" as the primary colour.

Seattle Kraken:

There's nothing too crazy here, I just wanted to see how this colour would work for a third jersey (because I'm sure Seattle will have a jersey this colour at some point in the future).

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, and thanks for visiting!

Double Golden Knights

Welcome back to another post for my NHL Double Series!  The Vegas Golden Knights are the only NHL team I've never made any concept for, but that ends today (at least with the second set, the first set hardly counts as a concept).

My Ideal Vegas Golden Knights:

As you can see, I barely made any changes for my "Ideal" Golden Knights concept.  I think their current jerseys are pretty much perfect, so all I really did was experiment with steel gray pants for the road jersey.

New Look Vegas Golden Knights:

Here I placed the hidden V from their logo on to the sleeve, and continued that line up to create an extended shoulder yoke.  Also I used gold numbers, and went with a steel gray pair of gloves for the white jersey.

See you later!

Past Concepts from Across Canada

Happy Canada Day!  I thought I'd celebrate this day by sharing some of my old concepts for various teams from across Canada, starting out west with Vancouver!

Vancouver Canucks:

This Canucks concept was inspired by soccer jerseys.  The angled stripes are meant to be subtle V's.

Vancouver Giants:

Next up we have a Vancouver Giants concept, which was my take on the Giants original jerseys.

Surrey Eagles:

For this Surrey Eagles concept, I based the striping off of the jersey the eagle in the logo is wearing.

Abbotsford Heat:

Looking back now, I could have been more creative with this Abbotsford Heat concept.

Chilliwack Chiefs:

I went with a double sleeve-stripe design for this Chilliwack Chiefs concept, and used an angular font to match the angles in the logo.

Calgary Flames:

The gradients on this Flames concept are meant to look like flames.

Edmonton Oilers:

Here's a grey Oilers concept which uses their old "steel-drop" logo in front of a diagonal chest stripe.

Winnipeg Jets:

Moving on to Winnipeg, we have an aviator blue jersey with chevrons on the sleeves.

Manitoba Moose:

I simplified the old colour scheme of the Manitoba Moose for this concept.

London Knights:

This London Knights concept uses stripes on the ends of the shoulder yoke.

Hamilton Tigers:

Tiger stripes were the theme of this Hamilton Tigers concept.

Toronto Maple Leafs:

Here's a fauxback Maple Leafs concept which combines some of their old Toronto Arenas and St. Pats jerseys.

Toronto Marlies:

I used the Maple Leafs' 1930-34 jersey as inspiration for this Toronto Marlies concept.

Ottawa Senators:

This Senators concept is based off of the logo and jerseys of the WHA's Ottawa Nationals.

Montreal Canadiens:

Next up is a Canadiens concept using a chest stripe on a white jersey.

Montreal Maroons:

Also in Montreal, this was my idea of an update for the old Montreal Maroons.

Quebec Nordiques:

Last but not least, we have a double blue Quebec Nordiques concept which was part of my what if the Nordiques never moved set of concepts.

Thanks for visiting, and I hope you enjoy the rest of your Canada Day!

Quick Colour Swap Concepts

I was in the mood to make some quick colour swapped concepts, so that's exactly what I did!

Boston Bruins:

This is just the Bruins third jersey in yellow instead of black.

Dark Mode Detroit Red Wings:

Here's a "dark mode" version of the Red Wings home jersey.

Montreal Canadiens:

I'm sure you've seen this many times before, it's the Canadiens home jersey with red and blue swapped.

New York Islanders:

Next up we have an orange Islanders jersey, which is their road jersey with the main white area coloured in.

Pittsburgh Penguins (Yellow):

This is the Penguins road jersey re-coloured to match their 1980-84 yellow jersey.

Pittsburgh Penguins (Blue):

I also re-created the Penguins 1977-80 double blue set of jerseys.

Vancouver Canucks:

Last but not least we have the Canucks current home jerseys in green instead of blue.

Have a nice day!

Random Review: Edmonton Oilers 1997-2007 Light Jersey

I'm trying out a new segment on this blog where I review a randomly selected NHL jersey.  Today's jersey is the Edmonton Oilers light jersey worn from 1997-2007.

Timeline

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

In 1996 the Oilers ditched their royal blue and orange colours, for a darker colour scheme of midnight blue and copper with red accents.  However, the specific jersey I'm reviewing didn't come around until a year later (the 1996-97 white jersey had a blue shoulder yoke).

From 1997 to 2003 this jersey was the Oilers home jersey, but in 2003 the NHL switched to dark jerseys at home so this became the Oilers road jersey.  It lasted until 2007, when the NHL introduced the Reebok Edge system and the Oilers jerseys were redesigned.

Design

(Getty Images)

The design of this jersey is really just an evolution of the Oilers classic "Gretzky era" white jersey.  Ignoring the colour differences, they kept the same primary logo and barely changed the pattern of the sleeve and hem stripes.  There were two big changes though, the aforementioned colour scheme and the removal of the blue shoulder yoke, as well as some smaller differences (the introduction of a secondary logo, outlines on the player's names, etc).

My Thoughts

(Photo by Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images)

In my opinion, the Oilers 1997-2007 white jersey was a perfectly fine jersey for its era, an era which saw many NHL teams switch to a darker colour scheme.  I don't really have any complaints, I think the removal of the contrasting shoulder yoke was a smart decision here, and I also like the introduction of the secondary logo.  However, I prefer the Oilers brighter royal blue and orange colour scheme.

Successful or Not

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The Oilers were moderately successful during their nine seasons wearing this jersey.  They made the playoffs six times, and advanced all the way to game seven of the Stanley Cup Final in 2006.  That's obviously not as successful as they were back when they were winning Stanley Cups, but it's much more success than they've had since 2007 (unless you count winning draft lotteries as success).

Most Memorable Players

(Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)

Some of the more memorable players to wear this jersey include Bill Guerin, Ales Hemsky, Shawn Horcoff, Curtis Joseph, Georges Laraque, Chris Pronger, Dwayne Roloson, Jason Smith, Ryan Smyth, and Doug Weight.

Should it Return?

(Photo by mark6mauno)

I don't think this jersey should return.  As a full time jersey, this colour scheme is too dark and dull by today's standards.  I also think it's too soon to bring this back as a throwback jersey.  Not to mention, it would make more sense to bring back the midnight blue version of this jersey.

That wraps up my review of the Edmonton Oilers 1997-2007 light jersey.  Feel free to leave your own thoughts in the comments, and let me know if you think this format makes sense for future posts.

Hockey & Space

Welcome back folks!  Here's a quick space themed post!

Team SpaceX:

This SpaceX concept is based off of the launch suits worn by astronauts in the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Team NASA:

I made a NASA concept a few years ago, this is the same concept just on a different template.  The design is inspired by NASA's white spacesuits and blue flight-suits.

AstroRad Vest:

Image from nasa.gov

Moving on, you'll notice the Tampa Bay Lightning's logo on the AstroRad Vest in the above photo (taken inside the cupola of the International Space Station).  The context is that the Lightning's owner Jeff Vinik invested in the company that made the AstroRad Vest.

Nashville Predators Jersey in Space:

Last but not least, here's a video from 2014 in which NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore was wearing a Nashville Predators during his stay up at the International Space Station (ISS)!

Later this afternoon (at 4:33 pm EDT), NASA and SpaceX will be launching astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley up to the ISS (if the weather cooperates, if not there are back up dates on the 30th and 31st).  The coverage has already begun, so go check that out!

Double Jets

Hello folks!  I hope you're all doing okay.

My Ideal Winnipeg Jets:

I'm still not entirely sure what my ideal look for the Jets would be, but I like the idea of them embracing aviator blue, so I went in that direction here.  The striping pattern is based off of their current arm stripes, and the number font is a straightened version of their current font.

I actually made a very similar concept back in 2012.

New Look Winnipeg Jets:

Another old Jets concept of mine used a chevron pattern on the sleeve, and I burrowed that idea for this "New Look" concept.  The names and numbers are in a stencil font, the shade of red is brighter, and I removed the shading from the maple leaf in the logos.

Thanks for visiting, and stay safe!

Goalie Gear Part 3 - January 2020

The 2019-2020 NHL Season has reached it's All-Star break, so I thought it would be a good time for another goalie gear post (previous posts here and here).  Below are some NHL goalies whose gear have caught my eye this season, either for using a non-white base colour or interesting graphics.

Note: Some goalies used the exact same design as last year at some this season (like Petr Mrazek or Jimmy Howard), so those pads aren't included in this post.

Darcy Kuemper (Third Jersey set)

Photo by Norm Hall/NHLI via Getty Images

Black, with brick red and hunter green accents, and the Coyotes "kachina" pattern along the edge.  Are these better than his set from last year?

Antti Raanta (Third Jersey set)

Photo by Norm Hall/NHLI via Getty Images

A throwback design for a throwback jersey.  It makes sense, and it works!

Linus Ullmark (50th Anniversary set)

Photo by Sara Schmidle/NHLI via Getty Images

White, with Buffalo's "golden anniversary" logo and a gold sabre.  Not a conventional look, but it is unique and I quite like it.

David Rittich (Heritage Classic set)

Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images

Faux-leather, with red accents.  Perfect for an outdoor game!

Cam Talbot (Heritage Classic set)

Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images

White, with a flame motif.  Possibly my favourite set of pads this season.

Petr Mrazek

Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images

Black, with white and red accents.  The addition of white is an improvement over his pads from last season (a design he's switched back to).

Corey Crawford

Photo by Bill Smith/NHLI via Getty Images

Black, with red accents.  One of two sets of pads he's worn this season.

Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Black, with red and white accents.  These pads only made a brief appearance, but the glove and blocker have stuck around.

Robin Lehner

Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images

A colourful design.  Works great with Chicago's colourful logo.

Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images

Black, with red and white accents (and yellow and also green).  Less colourful, but looks just as good.

Elvis Merzlikins

Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images

White, with a skyline, the Ohio flag, and some red (there's also a hidden cannon logo at the top of the pads).  A very well designed set!

Ben Bishop (Winter Classic set)

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Faux-leather, with victory green accents.  Good, but Rittich's Heritage Classic set executed this concept better.

Jimmy Howard

Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images

Red, with white accents.  Sharper looking than his set from last year (which he wore well into this season).

Mike Smith

Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images

Navy blue, with orange accents.  Looks great no matter which jersey the Oilers are wearing!

Juuse Saros

Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images

Yellow, my favourite colour for goalie pads.  Different than his yellow pads from 2018-19, but not by much.

Louis Domingue

Photo by Andy Marlin/NHLI via Getty Images

Red, with black accents.  Coloured goalie pads are always better than white goalie pads.

Henrik Lundqvist

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

White, with a blue and white lady-liberty, a blue skyline, and some diagonal streaks.  A good evolution of his design introduced last season.

Marcus Hogberg

Photo by Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images

Black, with red and white accents.  Looking good!

Anders Nilsson

Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images

"Beast" graphics, using white with black and red accents.  A colour swapped version of the pads he wore last year.

Carter Hart

Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images

Black, with orange accents.  Only worn for a few games near the start of the season (I think), which is a shame.

Jordan Binnington (Throwback Jersey set)

Photo by Scott Rovak/NHLI via Getty Images

Blue, with red and yellow accents.  The jersey is fun, this gear looks great, and the "CuJo" mask is awesome!

Aaron Dell (Third Jersey set)

Photo by Brandon Magnus/NHLI via Getty Images

Black, with an amazing shark design.  These top Talbot's Heritage Classic pads to become my favourite set of goalie gear this season!

Curtis McElhinney (Third Jersey set)

Photo by Scott Audette /NHLI via Getty Images

Black, with silver accents.  Completes the stealth look of Tampa Bay's third jersey.

Andrei Vasilevskiy (Third Jersey set)

Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images

Black, with silver accents.  More silver than his partner in crime, but both these sets look nice.

Thatcher Demko (Throwback Jersey set)

Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images

White, with diagonal black and yellow and red stripes.  The pads look nice, but the flying-V sweaters look amazing!  The Canucks need to wear these in a game sometime soon.

Garret Sparks

Photo by Zak Krill/NHLI via Getty Images

White, with jagged grey and gold and black and red accents. He's mostly been in the AHL which is too bad, I want to see these pads more often!

So those are the NHL goalies whose gear have impressed me so far this season.  Let me know in the comments if there are any other goalies I should include on this list.

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy All-Star weekend!