DTConcepts

An alleged prototype of an unused Minnesota Wild alternate jersey found its way to Twitter yesterday. I hope the rumor mill is right and the Wild are dredging up the North Stars' brand, because this jersey is just not good. Except for the captain patch.

An alleged prototype of an unused Minnesota Wild alternate jersey found its way to Twitter yesterday.

The Athletic is reporting that some of the teams aren't wearing pride jerseys because of increasingly strict anti-LGBTQ laws in Russia.

Thank you for the warm reception. Let's move on to the next theoretical matchup back in the Western Conference. While these two teams have faced off outdoors before, the NHL hasn't been hesitant to rehash old marquee matchups. With that in mind, I designed some uniforms for a midwestern matchup between the Blackhawks and Blues. Each team's jersey is loosely inspired by its respective city flag. The Blackhawks' jersey embraces a chest stripe pattern with two thick bands meant to evoke the iconic Chicago flag, whereas the Blues' jersey employs a wavy striping pattern borrowed from the St. Louis city flag. The Blues' color palette is a throwback to the 1990s, but the jersey design is meant to be entirely new. What do you think?

Yeah, it's unlikely that the Ducks were learning about Adidas dropping the league at the same time we did. Plus, the Adizero template is much more rigid than Reebok Edge was. Even if they're developing their brand to work with whoever gets the contract next, the jerseys next year will still have to adhere to the curved waist stripes and toilet bowl collars. I wouldn't be shocked if Anaheim unveiled a rebrand next year regardless of who gets the contract in 2024.

Here's what that second jersey would look like with blue pants. I really dig it. I was also screwing around with the design and make this orange version, too. It might be my favorite of the bunch. Here's what it looks like against that white Penguins jersey. I think orange might be the way to go for the Isles.

Makes sense. Here's the updated version, along with larger, more Stadium Series sized numbers. Here are some alternate versions of the concepts I made too. There's a part of me that likes these renditions, but the first ones are better imo.

Idk, I think the Cincinnati Cyclones’ latest logo is really clean. It even looks like a Hurricanes concept somebody on these boards would’ve made.

Maybe one day I'll revisit the Wild's jersey and do a flat mockup for it. But for now, I'm marching on over to the Eastern Conference for the next theoretical matchup. These two teams have one of the fiercest rivalries in the modern NHL, two of the most spirited fanbases in hockey, and some of the biggest stars in the league. Giving them an outdoor game seems like a no-brainer. Like the Avs and Wild jerseys, I tried to employ the same design philosophy behind both of these uniforms. They're both two-color throwbacks to the '90s with modern flourishes — like if the Reverse Retro program extended to the Stadium Series. The Islanders' uniform draw heavily from their old 1990s "wave" jerseys, but bring the design into the modern-age with a more subtle striping pattern and color scheme. The Penguins' uniform does much of the same, taking cues from the team's first Robopen jersey and their Vegas gold uniform. It's also a color vs. color matchup, because frankly the NHL needs more of those. How are we feeling about these?

The little "EAGLES" wordmark on the home and road alt jerseys rocks. This series has been fun, and you're only just getting started! Excited to see what you do with the Rockies and Dinger.

Part of the benefit of using the template I do is not having to worry about stuff like this. I imagine it'd probably look something like the Capitals' 2023 Stadium Series jerseys, which also featured a massive logo on the chest, in that the design just kind of stops under the arms, leaving the back of the jersey open for the name and number. Understood. Here are a bunch of revised Avs jerseys, all of which use the team's original number font. I also mocked up red pants, just to see how it'd look. Not terrible, but not my favorite. I changed the colors on the white pants' number, but left the blue ones intact. Making the numbers red on both the blue pants and blue jersey upended the uniform's color balance, and having just red pant numbers didn't make much sense either. I get wanting to match the crest, but I think having the numbers be a different color helps keep the red from being too overpowering. What do you think of these? I'll have the next matchup ready to post within the next day or two.

Howdy guys. I'm back with another series, this time creating a bunch of potential matchups for the 2024 NHL Stadium Series, with jerseys to match. Since the league has yet to announce which clubs will take it outside next season, I decided to make a bunch of speculative matchups between teams that have yet to square off in the great outdoors. Here are some links to take you to the various matchups and updates I've posted so far: COL vs. MIN — Update 2/28 NYI vs. PIT — Update 3/3, Update 3/6 STL vs. CHI ARI vs. LAK Anyways, let's move on to the first installment. I've got two uniforms for two Central Division clubs whose rivalry has grown deeper and deeper over the last 10-odd years: The Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild. Each jersey has a similar design principle, in that they have one base color and two flourishing colors. The Avalanche's jersey is largely inspired by the Colorado state flag, with the Colorado 'C' becoming the main crest. The arms feature a subtle nod to the Denver flag, and the pants feature individual player numbers and the same Colorado flag striping as the jersey. The Wild's uniform dips its toe into the North Stars' identity with its color scheme, but goes all-in on the Wild otherwise. The team's primary logo is blown up to cover the whole chest, and elements of the logo's design become striping elements across the entire uniform. Just for s---- and giggles, I made a version of the Avs jersey with white pants too. It feels much more Stadium Series-y, but I like the blue pants better personally. What do you think? I'll have the next matchup ready to post in the next couple days. In the meantime, let me know what you think of these first jersey designs!

The Denver Grizzlies were a team whose inaugural season was also their last, playing in the International Hockey League for only the 1994-95 season. Despite their short run, the team was a massive success both off and on the ice. They averaged roughly 12,000 fans a game in a city known for its long history of failed hockey teams and won both the IHL's Southwest Division and Turner Cup. The Grizzlies swept the Kansas City Blades four games to none in the championship series, and I own a t-shirt made in celebration of that championship. The Grizzlies are mostly remembered by jersey nerds and hockey historians. Their jerseys and overall identity were gorgeous products of their time that have developed a cult following amongst hockey jersey enthusiasts, and their popularity in Denver is credited by historians as a big part of why the Nordiques moved to Denver. Even though they're technically one of my hometown teams, my affinity for them comes from their affiliation with my favorite hockey team, the New York Islanders. The Grizzlies were coached by Islanders legend Butch Goring, and their roster featured the mullet-clad, JOFA-rocking icon of the fisherman era, Ziggy Palffy. If that's not sick, then I don't know what is. When the Colorado Avalanche arrived in 1995, the Grizzlies packed up and moved to Salt Lake City. They played as the Utah Grizzlies until the IHL folded in 2001, when the team's owners then bought an AHL team and kept the Utah Grizzlies name. That franchise was suspended in 2005 and moved to Cleveland to become the Lake Erie Monsters in 2007. The franchise is still active in the AHL as the Cleveland Monsters. The current Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL have no direct link to the original franchise, but employ the same logos and branding as the original AHL club. Funnily enough, both the AHL and ECHL franchises have been connected to the franchise that displaced them — the Lake Erie Monsters were the Avalanche's longtime AHL affiliate, and the current iteration of the Grizzlies are the Avs' ECHL affiliates. In their first year in Salt Lake, the original IHL club wore the same jerseys they did in Denver, and once again swept the championship series to win the Turner Cup. The ECHL Grizzlies have worn throwback uniforms in homage to that championship-winning team, keeping the Denver Grizzlies alive for a little while longer. I'm not sure if it's from their time Denver or Salt Lake, but I also own an IHL-era Grizzlies jersey with that beautiful clawmark striping pattern. I would post it here too, but I don't think it's as niche or obscure as my t-shirt.

Rumor has it that the Flyers will be redesigning their home and road jerseys within the next year or two. Just as any good designer would, I took a whack at what I'd like to see them wearing on the ice. The Home and Road jerseys are mainly inspired by the team's logo, with the stripes in the winged-P finding themselves on the uniform's waist, arms, and socks in a simplified and sublimated manner. The Alternate jersey takes inspiration from the jerseys worn by the Cup-winning Flyers of the mid '70s and the Legion of Doom in the mid '90s. The Legacy jersey places an emphasis on Philadelphia's hockey history, taking cues from professional clubs that have historically called Philly home — namely the Philadelphia Quakers of the NHL and the Philadelphia Blazers of the WHA. What do you think of these designs? Are there any changes I should make?

Interesting jersey matchup today. Hawks wearing white at home, Leafs in their Bieber alternates on the road.

[MOD EDIT: Profanity.] i just want the islanders to decide whether they want to be good or not

More slight updates here. - I didn't like having the cream color touching white, so instead of chopping off the end of the Road jersey's yoke, I made it red. I think it looks really solid. - Added a red stroke to the Road jersey's numbers. I personally don't really like having a stroke on either the Home or Road jerseys, but ask and you shall receive.

Thanks for the feedback, y'all. I really do appreciate it. Here are some tweaks I've made based on your suggestions: Most of the tweaks are pretty minor. Here's what I did: - Added a red stroke to the home jersey's numbers. I tried doing the same for the away jersey, but the red and green clashed too much and threw off the color balance. - Changed the away jersey's helmet to be green instead of white, in a nod to the often mismatched helmets worn by high school hockey teams across the state. (Plus I think the Hurricanes look pretty good with their mismatching road helmets) - Removed the green cuffs from the away jersey. - Tweaked the alternate's gloves to better compliment the jersey's color palette and feel more retro. - Got rid of the Heritage jerseys' faux-retro gloves and just gave 'em the alternate's. What do you think of these updates? Any more changes I should make?

Inspired by the current discussion in the NHL uniforms thread about the Minnesota Wild, I decided to try my hand at putting my own spin on the team's identity. This design is meant to sorta cater to the "Bring back the North Stars" crowd while retaining much of the Wild's current identity. There are subtle nods to the North Stars all over the place, but the Wild don't become the North Stars 2.0. The jerseys get a more traditional striping pattern that feels like a natural evolution of their current uniforms. The alternate jersey is meant to be a fauxback, partially inspired by the team's first red jersey. The "Heritage" jersey is a near-direct throwback to the North Stars' jerseys from the mid '70s, with some touches inspired from the team's Reverse Retro and Winter Classic jerseys. These aren't the most eye-catching Wild uniforms ever designed, and that's intentional. The team has been leaning more and more into that classy, fauxback vibe with each new update their identity — These jerseys just help that process along. What do you think?

i thought these looks were pretty classy idk the wild's road jersey, just like both of the ones above, is in a fauxback style. it could totally work in a vintage way, if that makes sense.

Thanks for the feedback and warm response, everybody. Here are a couple of alternates I designed to go along with that set. The first jersey is meant to be a mesh between the Ducks' current primary jerseys and their inaugural sweaters. The minimalist, un-italicized webbed-D logo appears as the main crest, and the orange pants from the team's second Reverse Retro make another appearance. The jersey looked fine with normal black pants, but the orange made the whole uniform pop. The second alternate jersey is pretty much a recoloring of the team's inaugural jerseys, albeit with a few slight tweaks to the uniform and logos. Any thoughts on these?

Big move for both the Isles and Canucks today. While Bo is a great pickup for the Isles, giving up a prospect as good as Raty stings. Rumor has it the Isles already have an extension in place, something in the ballpark of $8.5x7.

This is my solution to the Anaheim Ducks' identity crisis. The team can't seem to figure out if they want to embrace their Mighty Ducks identity or their Cup-winning look, and this concept combines the two. The striping is a combination of the team's current orange alternate jerseys and their inaugural jerseys, while the beloved Mighty Ducks logo returns as the crest. The webbed-D logo sticks around, albeit in a simplified manner, both on the shoulders and the pants. I know I'm far from the first person to take the Ducks down this route, but I hope they do something like this when they inevitably redesign their home and road jerseys. The Ducks have the building blocks in place to make a great brand, but their delivery just falls flat. Even small tweaks like these would go a long way in making the Ducks' visual identity much more distinct.

For what it's worth, I really like the wordmark used inside the collar. The longer I look at this jersey, the more I like it. It's kind of like the Avs' Stadium Series jerseys, which I also disliked at first and grew to love. It fits the theme of an uber-modern one-off game really well. The way the Weagle is both embroidered and sublimated is also really clever.

Jersey nerds: “We want the Weagle!” Adidas: