dgnmrwrw's Fixin' the NHL

[dgnmrwrw]

So add me to the list of people who have done one of these NHL series. I've only got a small number of teams in mind right now. Basically, after the league-wide switch to the Reebok EDGE jerseys where every team changed their uniforms at least a little, I thought some teams missed the chance to fix some problems with their sets, and some other teams missed the boat entirely with new designs (I'm looking at YOU, San Jose Sharks).

So a lot of what I show will be tweaks of uniforms. I decided, naturally, to start with my hometown team. I've always generally liked the 'Canes unis, but a few things need addressing. First of all, the stripes throughout the uniforms just aren't consistent:

The sleeves are silver/white/black, the waist is silver/white/flags/white/black, and the socks are black/white/black. Add the stupid new thin white shoulder piping, and nothing matches.

So I've tried to make the stripes consistent. Gone is the shoulder piping. I've kept the flags because they are iconic (as iconic as something from 1997 can be) and tried to work them in. I've also adjusted the black alternates, with the same idea in mind: keep the patterns consistent.

So that's the start of this (brief) series. Next team soon.

[uniguy22]

Very nice fixes. One team that is desperate need of a fix is the Colorado Avalanche.

[josh_cat_eyes]

Very nice. I especially like the third jersey update although i think there should be a grey stripe above the warning flag stripe on the bottom. I'd love to see it in action! (Even thought I pretty much already have, just with a bunch more grey on it) You should add the warning flag strip to the socks too. That would be really cool. Anyway, great job, looking forward to the rest of the series.

[Korbyn]

I was thinking of doing a series like this, you beat me to it!

Oh well you are doing a great job here. Great changes, keep it up and good luck with the series!

[TalktoChuck]

Very nice fixes. One team that is desperate need of a fix is the Colorado Avalanche.

Agreed!

[dgnmrwrw]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll probably be posting either Colorado or Atlanta next.

[Korbyn]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll probably be posting either Colorado or Atlanta next.

Great news, both teams are in serious need of improvements.

[elliott]

The white jersey looks very nice. But you still have failed to fix the problem that you originally set out to fix on the homes. The striping on the arms and on the waist doesn't match. It looks alright, I'm just saying that it doesn't bring much more consistency in that respect.

[dgnmrwrw]

The white jersey looks very nice. But you still have failed to fix the problem that you originally set out to fix on the homes. The striping on the arms and on the waist doesn't match. It looks alright, I'm just saying that it doesn't bring much more consistency in that respect.

You're correct, but unfortunately I couldn't devise a better way to deal with the flags. The only real options were 1) to use the flag pattern on waist, sleeves, and socks; 2) to outline the flags with white stripes; or 3) to change the color of the flags to match the thick stripe on the sleeves.

None of these options really worked. The first option just made the uniforms look minor league, with patterns everywhere. It's been shown on these boards numerous times, and I've never thought it worked. It's overkill. The second option created striping overload on the waist, and it still didn't really address the problem. The third option was out of the question; one of the things I was determined to change was the gray flags on the alternate.

So I'm not sure how better to treat this. I guess, despite what I'd prefer personally, I can't give the 'Canes perfect consistency. I just tried to get as close as I could.

[crashcarson15]

Personally, I think you need to make the grey stripes white on the alternate.

[dgnmrwrw]

OK, here's the next team up: the Atlanta Thrashers. First of all, I eliminated the red from the color scheme altogether. I focused on the two blues as the primary colors, with the gold/yellow color as the secondary and the orange color as the tertiary. Also, I switched the T-logo to the primary and moved the bird-with-a-hockey-stick logo to the secondary. I think the T-logo is better because of its simplicity and it symmetry. Also, it just looks cooler.

So here they are. They are based on the current road template for the Thrashers, which I actually think works well for them, in general. I added some additional outlines and removed the chest piping. I also made the numerals double-outlined and gave them a new alternate, which also uses the same template.

I have a different version of the road jersey that I might like better. It's got no yellow stripes, only dark blue and light blue. I can't decide yet which is working better.

[TC]

Carolina looks delicious. And so does Altanta, except for the third.

[eRay]

I actually like Atlanta's alternate you made. It is the same template, but has a very different feel to it. The Yellow piping on Orange piping looks great on Navy. I was trying to make something like that for a GS Warriors concept I am flushing out. Nice work so far. Although I would like to see the shorts thought about more. Maybe it was just the first two teams, but they have been pretty simple so far and look like an afterthought.

[Korbyn]

When I first saw the Atlanta one, I was ughh about it.

But the more I look at it the more I really like it. I think it would look way better in real life, so it is a winner for sure.

2/2 IMO.

[dgnmrwrw]

Up next: Colorado Avalanche. I never liked their old zig-zag stripes, and the new jerseys are just paint-by-numbers templates. I do like their colors, especially when emphasis is put on the maroon, black, and silver. I tried to give them a simple striping pattern while still evoking the idea of mountain peaks.

I'm still tweaking the alternate.

[jake22]

i do not like the black, try blue

[randyc]

That Colorado alt I like but, it does need a touch of blue.

[BJBerthiaume]

That black jersey is hideous IMO. Use blue.

[dgnmrwrw]

Avalanche alternate updated. Still working on that one. Hopefully Ottawa will be up soon.

[dgnmrwrw]

Next: Ottawa Senators.

I went back to the all-black as the primary home and the red as the alternate. I think the Senators look more bad-ass in black. Tried to evoke the barber pole without going all the way there. I also think the 2-D logo is stronger, so it's now the primary.