Cole Tweaks the NHL: One Team at a Time.

[wildwing64]

That's a fantastic look for the Avalanche. I always felt that black was an unnecessary part of their colour scheme, and getting rid of it was a good way to go.

[MJ12]

Love the alternate for Colorado

[Bayne]

I dont think much of the script logo for the alternate. Everything else is great, but not a fan of that part.

[untvar]

Great series. Can't believe I've never seen this before.

I love what you've done with the Avs. But in general, I don't think it's a good idea to design a 3rd uni when unveiling the primary uni. I can't think of any NHL team that has ever done that.

[ColeJ]

Here comes the Columbus Blue Jackets...

This is a team that I've had mostly finished for a few weeks now, but didn't post it because I was still tweaking it. Once the Winnipeg Jets unveiled their new logos, however, I decided it was time to stop sitting on this concept and get it uploaded. My gut tells me that Winnipeg is going to be 2-tone blue with a bit of red thrown in, and that's exactly my vision for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Don't worry... my Winnipeg Jets concept isn't 2-tone blue with a bit of red added in, so in this alternate universe, there is no conflict.

Inspiration for this concept came from the uniforms that were worn by actual Union soldiers in the Civil War. The Jackets are a USA-Themed team, but that doesn't mean they have to be the same colors as Team USA.

I toyed with concepts that involved different primary logos that were more Civil War themed, but at the end of the day, the C-Flag-Star just looked the best on the chest.

[worcat]

i've always been a fan of your work cole. I dig your road columbus jersey alot, just not feeling the powder blue - needs more red but i like the stripes alot!

the phoenix 3rd is retarded good. the sleeves and collar kick ass.. not sure how i feel about the stripes but damn son, you still got skill lol

[ColeJ]

One of the more simple updates (or downdates?) is for the St. Louis Blues.

I've used the term "modern classic" a few times so far, and I really feel like the pre-edge Blues fit that description perfectly. Before the switch to the Edge system, I ranked the Blues as the second best dressed team in hockey, behind the Blackhawks. There's just something about the sleek and sharp shoulder stripes that works for the Blues, giving them a modern edge that pays plenty homage to their original sweaters. My original plan was to drop the navy blue and go with 1 shade of blue and yellow, but that just didn't work for the template I was going for. Then I tried to re-incorporate red into the color scheme, since I loved the Early-Hull-era look. (They went overboard in the Gretzky/Pronger era.) The more I worked, the more I realized that the Blues already designed the perfect Blues sweaters. They just weren't using them anymore.

I simplified the outlines on the logo and added a bit more royal blue to the white jersey than the original had... but overall, all I really did was convert the pre-edge sweaters into the new cut. As far the third jersey goes, I think the Blues current third is one of the best in the league. It just reeks of classic simplicity. That said, I felt like I could improve on it, while keeping the same general aesthetic. I feel like I did that.

[raysox]

I LOVE the Jackets set. The only thing would be switching light blue with red. The Blues are also good.

[worcat]

the blues are tricky because they use two different primary logos. although i love your designs, it's still nothing different. i HATE the blues alternate jersey. It's disproportionate and doesn't make any sense. the logo needs to be trashed... you took a detroit style to our team which could be nice but i dont think it works at all. again, its not you, just the logo is just garbage.

i'd like to see something different, still havent seen a blues concept i've loved in all my years.

[Bmac]

Holy hail, I must have missed these last 2. The Blue Jackets set is amazing. Well thought out and well done. The sublimated stripes are a great touch. The alternate is awesome, I love that shade of blue. The Blues are incredible. The home and road design is perfect for them. The alternate has a tad too much white for my liking, but it's still really nice.

[hockey week]

wow, these are the first concept of these two teams that i actually like! they're realistic, fit the teams, different, and actually look good! I'm very impressed. Nice work. Love both teams' thirds

[AnthPollock]

Phoenix is the best in this series, especially the alternate.

[ColeJ]

i can't stress enough how much i appreciate all the kind words and feedback from everyone. <3

[B-mer]

I always love your stuff Cole. I still have your old NHL redesigns saved.

I'll admit at first I was on the fence over the Avs, usually only looking at it only phone and not getting a good close look. But now, I love it! It works so well. While I like the lighter blue they use as a nod to the Nords, I feel the same way about the black in there.

Also, their pre-edge uniforms were unique and their own, but I don't think it lends itself to the edge stylings well and most concepts that try fall flat.

You have solved both of those problems! Excellent work. Can't wait for the rest of the league!

[Discrim]

Meant to comment on the Avs...well, about a month ago Anyways, the way I figure, that's what they should've done...frankly, anything that wasn't simultaneously bland yet tacky would've done (which, somehow, the current Avs jerseys manage to accomplish...very bland yet incredibly tacky). One thing I know, I used to buy old season preview mags at the Village, and I recall a picture of Marc Denis in a Val d'Or Foreurs uniform. That particular Foreurs uni was in the Avs template. If you show me a picture of some random junior player right now and his jersey was in the current Avs template, there's no way in hell I could tell unless his team was cheap and just got it in stock maroon and blue. Your concept would bring back that aspect to the Avs' uniforms, that you'd know who it is on sight.

The Blues, much like the Avs, is basically what they should've done in the first place. It's not like a true conversion of that set to Edge was impossible. Granted, the Blues didn't their set up nearly as badly as the Avs or Stars did.

The Blue Jackets home/away reminds me of the Fort Wayne Komets. Fortunately for you, I like the Komets' style. Something I could easily envision on the ice. I'm not a big fan of the cannon crest, but it's okay.

[HawkeyHouse]

I would be so happy to see Columbus every year if they did something close to that. Their sweaters are so ugly, and those are not. I personally would use Red in their somewhere though.

St. Louis looks fantastic. The home looks more "modern" while the road looks more "classic".. To me, but I am crazy..I am not sold on the alt, it is cool, but I would rather not see any more circle logos.

[djones2929]

tonight i tweaked the anaheim ducks uniforms... i was never a fan of the name "mighty ducks" as i thought it was a little too cutesy for grown men playing sports, so i used to pray one day they'd change their name to the anaheim ducks... they finally did, but i feel they went a little too far in rebranding, and made some bad choices along the way. i really like the way gold and orange look next to each other, especially with black and the little bit of silver they use. but something always seemed off about it, and they didn't look or feel like the ducks to me. also, they ditched one of the most iconic and visually interesting logos in the league. i understand why they did, but i wish they hadn't. since they recently brought it back in the form of a shoulder patch on their alternate jersey, i've decided to use it in my concept and try to tie both eras together into one cohesive identity.

my original plan was to make them purple, gold, orange, and black... but the more i played around with it, the more it annoyed me that i'd be making the ducks and kings wear very similar colors. (hint hint, my kings won't be black and silver... they'll be purple like they should be). without eggplant, if i wanted to incorporate what i consider "duck colors" into this concept, i had to go with jade. the original shade of jade looked a little too jarring to be the primary uniform color, so i decided to darken the jade slightly. i paired it with the current shade of ducks metallic gold (thanks to ssur.org) and a modified (warmer) version of the yellow anaheim used on their original uniforms.

let me know what you think.

I really like the teal with the ducks

[DaytonBlue]

The Blue Jackets ones are good. I like that you got red into the 3rd jersey.

Not a big fan of the Blues alt. As said above, too much white. I do like the changes you made to the main Blues jerseys. Getting rid of that yellow piping really improves those.

I like that you incorporated the original duck mask logo in all the Ducks concepts. I like that logo much better than the D, which IMHO should only be an alternate.

[ColeJ]

Up next is the Winnipeg Jets, who unveiled their REAL uniforms today...

What I didn't like about the real ones, I tried to fix with my version. I'm one of the few that thinks the new Jets logo is simple yet good. It's not amazing, but I like it, so I kept it. What I don't like about the Jets jerseys, however, is the lack of red. The Winnipeg Jets of my childhood wore blue, red, and white. The Jets and the Capitals will always be linked in my mind as the 2 red, white, and blue teams at the end of the alphabet when choosing my team on Sega Genesis. Just like the Capitals, who wore a very nice color scheme of blue, copper, and black for a few years, but look best in red white and blue, the Jets chose a very nice 2-tone blue... but they'd look better in blue, red, and white. Just my take on it...

I also kept the red pants, since I think the Jets in anything else just wouldn't look right (plus, my making the Blue Jackets into the 2-tone blue team freed up red pants for another non-rangers RWB team ).

As far the secondary logo goes, I cut most of it out and just went with the wings and a maple leaf, which I think is simple and dignified enough to stand on it's own.

The alternate is a design of my own that was inspired by the original WHA Jets uniforms, with a few liberties taken. I love the new Jets wordmark for some reason, so I wanted to feature it on the alternate. Rather than going with the standard 3-stripes from the originals, I decided two bolder stripes would give it more unique and striking pattern they could call their own.

Without further ado, here goes nothing. I hope you're not all burnt out from the abundance of Jets concepts lately...

[neo_prankster]

Up next is the Winnipeg Jets, who unveiled their REAL uniforms today...

What I didn't like about the real ones, I tried to fix with my version. I'm one of the few that thinks the new Jets logo is simple yet good. It's not amazing, but I like it, so I kept it. What I don't like about the Jets jerseys, however, is the lack of red. The Winnipeg Jets of my childhood wore blue, red, and white. The Jets and the Capitals will always be linked in my mind as the 2 red, white, and blue teams at the end of the alphabet when choosing my team on Sega Genesis. Just like the Capitals, who wore a very nice color scheme of blue, copper, and black for a few years, but look best in red white and blue, the Jets chose a very nice 2-tone blue... but they'd look better in blue, red, and white. Just my take on it...

I also kept the red pants, since I think the Jets in anything else just wouldn't look right (plus, my making the Blue Jackets into the 2-tone blue team freed up red pants for another non-rangers RWB team ).

As far the secondary logo goes, I cut most of it out and just went with the wings and a maple leaf, which I think is simple and dignified enough to stand on it's own.

The alternate is a design of my own that was inspired by the original WHA Jets uniforms, with a few liberties taken. I love the new Jets wordmark for some reason, so I wanted to feature it on the alternate. Rather than going with the standard 3-stripes from the originals, I decided two bolder stripes would give it more unique and striking pattern they could call their own.

Without further ado, here goes nothing. I hope you're not all burnt out from the abundance of Jets concepts lately...

Nice Jets concept. Better than any I've seen on the boards.