My NHL

[kiwi_canadian]

So I got this inspiration for this series from the first game of the NHL season for the Canucks. I watch the game with LA and Vancouver and my god it looked so good. I thought it would be really great if the NHL brought back some colour into the league. So I started this little series. First off I will have to set up the situation:

We jump ahead to the 2015 NHL season. Bettman is gone and the league's Board of Governors decides to go back old school and elect a president from the members. The majority of the governors are also sick and tired of having their hard earned money go to the teams who are constantly losing money (revenue sharing)and come up with solutions for a few teams. After losing money every year since moving, the Coyotes bite the bullet and move back to Winnipeg and the Jets are reborn. Atlanta can't give away tickets (did anyone see the new scheme they have going to sell tickets right now?) and are forced to move to Quebec City. The league decides that Colorado from the 1995-96 season was an expansion season and Quebec had their franchise dormant. Hartford finally got he money to build a new arena and lure the Hurricanes back to Hartford and the Whalers and the Brass Bonanza live again. The league also contracts by 2 teams with Florida and Nashville forced to suspend operations.

So we are left with 28 teams. The league president tells Reebok that the teams will have complete control in their uniform designs and a few teams get new duds. The 3rd jerseys are also gone and white is brought back as the home jersey. The league also decides that the geographical names for divisions are gone and will be going back to 4 divisions with 7 teams split into 2 conferences.

The league now has the Campbell Conference with the Norris and Smythe divisions and the Wales Conference with the Adams and Patrick divisions. Many teams from the final season with this alignment go back to the same divisions and some shift around. Geography still plays a roll in where the teams are assigned.

So now that all this bloody reading is done (and I am sorry but I felt that it needed to be explained)I will start with the Smythe Division. Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Los Angeles, Winnipeg, San Jose and Anaheim are in this division. I felt that Anaheim and San Jose already had a strong uniform design so no change was made.

Vancouver Canucks:

Hated the whale so I got rid of it and replaced it with the modern Stick-In_Rink logo.

Calgary:

Got rid of the black and went back to the original design as you can see.

Edmonton Oilers:

Matched up the old home with a new white home jersey. (And being at the last Oilers game against Vancouver in Edmonton, the Oilers look fantastic on the ice...appearance wise)

Winnipeg jets:

This is an old concept of mine and it was well received on the boards here so I brought it back.

Los Angeles:

Went back old school with the Kings design. I love the look of the Kings purple jersey this year.

So that's the Smythe done. Again, sorry about all the reading. I'll get more up as I go along here.

[nash61]

Bettman is gone...

BEST SERIES EVER, even if just for that reason.

[wildwing64]

So in your version of the NHL, the Ducks still don't replace the wordmark with just the webbed D on its own?

I am disappoint.

[yauger72]

Nice concepts, I like the Kings' and Vancouvers'. And please, on Colorado ditch the black.

[Magnus]

Any series where Butthead is gone is made of win. And the reel-line-mint with 28 teams must make scheduling somewhat easier.

[neo_prankster]

I would prefer the Ducks and Sharks' both return to their original logos and colors in this league.

Also, I personally would like to see Lady Liberty on the Rangers.

[JackFr]

My only concern is the division's 4 blue teams. And the fact that you need Ducks and Sharks here.

[kiwi_canadian]

So in your version of the NHL, the Ducks still don't replace the wordmark with just the webbed D on its own?

I am disappoint.

So you now got me thinking and I have tried it out now with the webbed foot and it looks a lot better. What I like about it is that the logo finally makes the jersey flow if you get what I mean. The curves on the logo match (somewhat) to the curve of the lines of the jersey. So here it is:

...And no I will not put in the Might Ducks logo as I feel they finally got something right with dropping the Disney theme and they should keep it that way.

[kiwi_canadian]

Okay Next up is the Norris Division. Detroit, Chicago and Columbus already have strong uniforms and being that 2 or the 3 are Original 6, I'm not going to mess with those. I've put Dallas, St. Louis, Minnesota and Colorado into the Norris, with Dallas previously being there as the North Stars and the Wild being put there as the team from Minnesota. I moved Colorado there for geographical reasons as they were more central then being put into the Smythe.

Ok, so first up is the St. Louis Blues:

I went back to the design they had before the Edge system was introduced. I thought that was one of the clubs strongest uniforms and one that blue on blue really works.

Dallas Stars:

I might get some flack for this one but I may be one of the few that actually likes the current Stars uniforms. I brought back in more green for the away jersey and on the home jersey incorporated more black. This is kind of like what the London Knights did with their uniforms. I also used "Stars" on the home jersey as I think most people in Dallas who are attending a game already know they are in Dallas.

Colorado Avalanche:

I felt the Avs had one of the best looking jerseys before the Edge system was brought in. (Including the black. I think it accents the uniforms nicely.) So I brought back the sort of mountain range they had on the bottom of the jerseys and kept the current pattern on the sleeves. What I don't understand is why the Avs didn't go this route. The Everett Silvertips of the WHL have something like this right now for edge uniforms.

Minnesota Wild:

If London and Quebec City can go with a beige home jersey then so can the Wild...or at lead a "wheat" coloured jersey. Again, I like the somewhat classic feel of the jerseys and thought it should be universal through the entire set and actually match.

So there is the Norris Division. Next up will be the Patrick Division.

[flyersfan4888]

These concepts are solid. Great work, especially on the Colorado unis

[fumbler]

Nice work Kiwi_Canadian Jets Wild and Flames are my favourite so far.

[ctk]

the avs concept is so full of WIN.

but then again, almost any avs concept would be full of WIN compared to what we have now. it takes talent to go from the best unis to worse unis just for the sake of a redesign. not coincidentally this was the worst era since the team has moved to denver. i am glad that redesigns will be opening up again fairly soon because the mountain ranged trim and striping down the sleeves bordering the primary colors has to come back.

plus i agree with you about the avs and black. nothing wrong with black as an accent color, and it works well in that set.

[GMW79]

Regardless of my hatred for them and my preference for more traditional uniforms, I will (dodging flying bottles from my fellow Wings fans) admit that the Denver team did have some of the League's more impressive uniforms before the Edge debacle. They look so weak without the black and the way the burgundy/wine/maroon (whatever the fashionable name is) blends into the blue along the shoulders of their current sweaters is sadly, laughably amateurish. Bring back the black!

[JackFr]

I think that if you're going to go with black for the stars (which leaves no green teams in the NHL), then the Wild have to be green.

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

^I agree. I think the Dallas looks great. Primarily black with green trim. I also think that any team in Minnesota should be green.

In this series, are you getting rid of third jerseys?

[kiwi_canadian]

^I agree. I think the Dallas looks great. Primarily black with green trim. I also think that any team in Minnesota should be green.

In this series, are you getting rid of third jerseys?

If you read the first post, there are no third jerseys. As for the Green as a primary, there will be some, you just have to be patient lol.

[JackFr]

^I agree. I think the Dallas looks great. Primarily black with green trim. I also think that any team in Minnesota should be green.

In this series, are you getting rid of third jerseys?

If you read the first post, there are no third jerseys. As for the Green as a primary, there will be some, you just have to be patient lol.

I find that difficult to believe, considering that there are no other teams in the NHL with green in their set at all, let alone as primary.

[eRay]

^I agree. I think the Dallas looks great. Primarily black with green trim. I also think that any team in Minnesota should be green.

In this series, are you getting rid of third jerseys?

If you read the first post, there are no third jerseys. As for the Green as a primary, there will be some, you just have to be patient lol.

I find that difficult to believe, considering that there are no other teams in the NHL with green in their set at all, let alone as primary.

Safe to assume he's moving the 'Canes back to Hartford...you know, because he said that.

[lightning25]

^This post made me lol.^

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

This thread is already a nominee for thread of the year just because you have Bettman leaving.