Nike NHL

[kiwi_canadian]

Since the NHL's contract is up in 2016 (I believe) with Reebok, there have been rumblings of other manufacturers making a bid to kit out the NHL. I know that Bauer would like to and I would not be surprised if Nike tries to make a bid as well.

For my concepts I've gone with the Nike Swift template (bare in mind that IF Nike does in fact bid and win, they will most likely come up with either a new Swift design or complete new uniform system). A few things to keep in mind with this series:

- most of the teams did not change and just transferred over the existing templates to the swift design

- on that note, one of the reasons I did this series was to see if it were possible to make the Swift template work with the edge designs

- teams with the shoulder yoke will have the name plates within the yoke as it is with the existing Swift template (Think new Hurricanes away jersey)

- Keep in mind that on a real Swift jersey, the mesh that is on the side of the jersey is actually a fairly thin strip and would not be that visible unless your arms were lifted while celebrating a goal (this has to do with the Montreal home jersey and Ottawa heritage jersey)

So with that I will start with the Pacific Division and move east:

Anaheim Ducks:

I think it will be a foregone conclusion that the Ducks will go with their 3rd jersey as the full time home and make a matching away as they are using the webbed "D" more and more these days.

Arizona Coyotes:

The name change will have happened by 2016 so I changed it right away. You'll notice that I brought back the waist stripes as the jersey felt like it was missing something. I also brought back to crescent moon logo with "Coyotes" across the front of it as the shoulder logo. NOW DO NOT SHOOT ME!!!! I couldn't help myself. For some reason I kind of like the desert scene 3rd jersey from years past. Maybe it's the green, the floating head or the Picasso head. I don't know. But I just like it. The colours were very unique and I I think it worked well for the team.

Calgary Flames:

Fixed a wrong. I went back to the 2004 Cup run jerseys and brought back the horse head. It works well as for a shoulder logo. Only thing left over from the Edge is the black collar on the white jersey.

Edmonton Oilers:

Nothing much changed here, just added an orange alternate.

Los Angeles Kings:

Only slight changes here. I matched the waist striping for both jerseys and went with the "Forum Blue" classic Kings jersey as the alternate.

San Jose Sharks:

I went back to their original design but with modern logos. For the third I also went back to the original black 3rd jersey design for the alternate jersey. Edit: Full body shark now the 3rd jersey logo.

Vancouver Canucks:

Again, nothing changed from here except I went with the Millionaires jersey full time as the alternate. I like it and I like the idea of linking back to Vancouver's hockey history.

That wraps up the Pacific Division. I'll move onto the Central Division tomorrow. C&C are always appreciated.

[colinturner95]

These don't look right, but its the fact that none of the stripes are full stripes around the sleeve. But I do like all the designs. The Coyotes alt is gorgeous!!

[Orgo]

I like that the Yotes have hem stripes again. The shoulder patch is a bit difficult to make out in either jersey, though.

[kiwi_canadian]

These don't look right, but its the fact that none of the stripes are full stripes around the sleeve. But I do like all the designs. The Coyotes alt is gorgeous!!

That's the template though. I've got 3 Swift jerseys at home but the great thing about them is that you don't notice that the don't go all the way around as it's also a thin strip of mesh. When you lay them flat out you do will see it.

[LAWeaver]

Are these paint templates? If so, are they available? I like them. Never realized how boring Phoenix's uniforms are. I'm also liking that third. Great work

[kiwi_canadian]

Are these paint templates? If so, are they available? I like them. Never realized how boring Phoenix's uniforms are. I'm also liking that third. Great work

PM me your email address and I'll send it to you.

[9erShark]

As a Sharks fan, I have to say I love those jerseys. I would buy them all. I would like to see how the full body shark looks on those jerseys.

[kiwi_canadian]

Sharks edit with the full bodied shark is done and now onto the Central Division.

Chicago Blackhawks:

Nothing really changed here other than the addition of a throwback 3rd jersey. Went with the 1927-28 jersey that the 'Hawks wore for that season.

Colorado Avalanche:

Fixed another wrong from the Edge era. I kept the blue alternate jersey and went back to the mountain template that they had all of the previous success in.

Dallas Stars:

Nothing changed here as they just went through an identity overhaul. Only slight change that you will notice is that the numbers are now outlined in black. Now that I have seen this, I am fully convinced that this is what Dallas should do full time with their current jerseys.

Minnesota Wild:

Went back to the green full time and yes I did the creme coloured away jersey. The reason behind that is because I feel the the Wild, for some reason, can pull the creme (or wheat as they call it) off and not call it a "fauxback". I used their 3rd jersey as the template and added red to the jersey.

Nashville Predators:

For Nashville, I tried to bring in their current look to fit into the Swift template. Some parts it worked, some it didn't but overall I'm happy with the results. I added the guitar pick logo to both shoulders and brought back the checkered pattern from their previous 3rd jersey but as a sublimated design at the bottom of the jersey.

St. Louis Blues:

Again, another fix from the Reebok era. I went back to the pre-edge jersey as I think it was one of their stronger looking uniforms. I've carried over the 3rd jersey as it is one of the better 3rd jerseys from around the league.

Winnipeg Jets:

I personally do not mind the current Jets jersey and for a modernized Jets team, I think they did pretty well. I really do like the military tie in that the Jets do and I think they pulled off a pretty good look that should last for a few years. For the 3rd, I brought back the 1995-96 jersey. This is one of my favorite looks from the Jets and I still remember that final playoff series with the Red Wings back in 1996 wearing these and really giving Detroit a good run for their money.

That concludes the Central Division. Tomorrow will be the Atlan... I mean Metropolitan Division (Still think that is a dumb name and should be the Atlantic Division)

[kiwi_canadian]

Not many comments for the Central teams... I'll move on.Arguably the dumbest name for a division for the NHL, the Metropolitan Division.

Carolina Hurricanes:

For the Hurricanes I went back to the hurricane flag waist striping. I really like that look and it's very appropriate for the team. I also carried the stripping to the arms and kept their new number font. Black 3rds also remain with the font changing to match the home and away.

Columbus Blue Jackets:

Nothing changed here, just carried over the template.

New Jersey Devils:

As long as Lou Lamoriello is in charge of running the Devils, there will be no changes with this team... Hell I was even surprised when he let the green and red jerseys be used for St. Patrick's Day after he was once quoted as saying that his team will never have a 3rd jersey as it's just a money grabber. (Think they could have used a money grabber the last couple of years)

New York Islanders:

Nothing changed on the home and away. For the 3rd, I got rid of the "Islanders" arched script and replaced it with the Brooklyn diagonal script. This is the Brooklyn Americans script as well, just changed to match the blue and orange of the Islanders. NOW I can see the use of have a black alternate as they are now in Brooklyn and can now associate with the Nets while they play at the Barclay's Center.

New York Rangers:

Nothing changed here.

Philadelphia Flyers:

This team I was worried about how it would transfer over to the swift, but I found that it transferred very well. Only slight change on the away jersey is that the "C" is now orange with black trim and the name plate does not contrast.

Pittsburgh Penguins:

For the Penguins, I went back to the pre-edge jersey. I really liked that one and it was a very simple, clean jersey. The generic sens/pens/lightning template was just dumb as it was/is being used by 2-3 teams. I also brought back the robo penguin as the shoulder logo.

Washington Capitals:

While I liked the modernization of the old logo, I'm sort of getting tired of the jersey. I thought to go back to their original look but with the modern colours. I also modified the colouring of the logo slightly to match the original logo (the "L" is changed to red). The Weagle also stays as the shoulder logo.

There is the Metropolitan Division. Tomorrow will be the division where the majority of the teams do not have an Atlantic Ocean coastline.

[LAWeaver]

Nothing to complain about here. Great job with these, kiwi.

[TylerG]

Love these!

Please send me these templates, would love to use them!

tylerg1999@hotmail.com

[kiwi_canadian]

Love these!

Please send me these templates, would love to use them!

tylerg1999@hotmail.com

I just used my stock Nike template... Are you wanting that or the templates for each team?

[Morgan33]

All of these look great! Love the Capitals and Flames

[wonderbread]

i don't like how the stripes get cut off in alot of places. I know it's a template issue but i can see Nike altering the template to work with the teams, the same way when Nike took over the nfl and made special templates to fit for the teams

[kevsim1]

That San Jose alternate look AMAZING with grey instead of orange. Great work on the series BTW.

[Evil G]

Whoa, slow down there.

Overall, I'm disappointed that you didn't get rid of some logos (Ducks, Canucks, Jets). Change their logos to the Mighty Ducks crest, Stick-in-rink, and the Jets Air Force badge, and I may appreciate the work a little better.

Also, would there be a Seattle and Portland/Quebec City team by then?

[kiwi_canadian]

Whoa, slow down there.

Overall, I'm disappointed that you didn't get rid of some logos (Ducks, Canucks, Jets). Change their logos to the Mighty Ducks crest, Stick-in-rink, and the Jets Air Force badge, and I may appreciate the work a little better.

Also, would there be a Seattle and Portland/Quebec City team by then?

Ducks: I'm not a huge fan of the Mighty Ducks logo and I just don't see them using that logo in the future. They've already won a cup with their current identity but I don't envision them going back to the Mighty Ducks logo any time soon... They do pay homage to it as a shoulder logo and as a vintage jersey but nothing beyond that.

Canucks: even though they are my favorite team, I've always found it difficult to do a concept for these guys as they have yet to establish a really strong identity. As a fan of the team, I associate both the skate logo as well as the whale logo because they have had their most amount of success with these two identities. I personally don't feel that the old or new stink in rink is a very strong logo but again, this is just my opinion on this and hence why I went the route I did.

Jets: Like I said in the explanation, I actually do like the current identity. It's taken a while to grow on my but I do like. I do like the homage to the Canadian Air Force and I think the colours fit well with the team. To each their own I guess...

As for the possible relocation/expansion teams... You will just have to wait and see

[kiwi_canadian]

Right, it's the last division, the not so geographically accurate Atlantic Division:

Boston Bruins:

Nothing really changed here apart from some minor alterations to the alternate jersey. I got rid of the white stripes as it made it too mid 90's Pittsburgh, socks especially. I like what Providence did with theirs and decided to continue it to Boston.

Buffalo Sabres:

Biggest change, the apron stripes are gone. I also went back to the original Sabres design, socks and all, but with the modern colours.

Detroit Red Wings:

Can't mess with a classic. As much as I despise them, I couldn't really tough their look.

Florida Panthers:

I went back to the original design. I like the idea that they went back to red, but to me it just wasn't enough. I liked their original design when the went to the Cup Finals and carried that back over to the Swift.

Montreal Canadiens:

Before anyone says anything, remember what I said before about the mesh pannels on the Swift jerseys. When you lay them out flat, you can notice that the striping does not continue around the arms or chest, but when you are wearing it, you can't see it at all. Please keep this in mind when forming an opinion on the Habs jersey. With that said, nothing major to change on the home and away. The numbers changed on the away jersey to bring back what they had as well as added the lace up collars to both jerseys and brought back the 3rd jersey for the Habs. I went with the 1936-38 white jersey as that is one they have not used yet as an alternate.

Ottawa Senators:

Went back to the original logo as well as jersey design. I kept their current shoulder logo as well as the heritage jersey (See Montreal for chest striping). Now I know some people will say that they do not like the red numbers on the black jersey as it makes it hard to see. I for one do like them and I think it works well with the jerseys. I also brought in a sublimated design on the waist and arms. I know a lot of people did like this on their 2nd alternate jersey and I thought it would work well on these but as a subtle design.

Tampa Bay Lightning:

Another blast from the past. I do not like Tampa's current jersey as I find it too simplistic as well as just another copy of an old team. Some teams can get away with simple (Toronto, Detroit, Philly), but Tampa Bay isn't one of those teams, especially with a name like "Lightning". I went back to their Cup winning template and used their first Edge logo and slightly modified to look more like an updated original logo. I also used a sublimated lightning bolt on the jersey as well on the arms and body. I wanted the bolts to be very subtle hence why they are so lightly coloured. I didn't want them to be an unnecessary distraction on the jersey... I briefly contemplated bringing back the storm jerseys as a 3rd but thought better of it.

Toronto Maple Leafs:

I think they finally got it right a couple years ago by bringing back the waist stripes and adding the maple leaf shoulder logo as well. Only change is to the 3rd as I used their upcoming Winter Classic jersey as their new 3rd jersey.

* BONUS*

Quebec Nordiques:

There are some teams I really can't see lasting over the next few years. I personally don't see Phoenix working out and they will eventually move most likely to Seattle... but since this is for 2016-17, that won't be happening because they out clause would not have kicked in yet. The next team I see that could be on the hook for relocation is the Florida Panthers. A near empty building on most nights and not nearly competitive enough (yet) to make some noise in the league. I'm not sure of the financials of the team, but I'm guessing they have are been bleeding money over the last few years. I'm just making a conspiracy theory here, but I think Bettman has told the group in Quebec City to hold off and their will be a team coming available really soon, just don't touch Phoenix right now... Much like they did with the True North group and the Thrashers. I believe that the NHL doesn't want to move a team unless an NHL standard arena is built and ready to take a team. Quebec is currently building a new one and I can see the group coming in and buying the Panthers and moving them to Quebec City to become the Nordiques 2.0, that and they fit nicely into the division and there will be no realignment nessesary (another reason why I think Florida is in a division with northeast based teams. Tampa is only there for state rivalry sake. Now that I've explained my theory, IF the Nordiques do come back, I would love to see them come back in what they had when they left. I love the logo and I like the incorporation of the Quebec symbol into the jersey. Also on every bit of promotion the group who's been building the arena has had investors and politicians a like all wearing Nordiques jerseys.

That's it for this series and most likely I won't be posting anything for a while... School starts back up and I have to get back to educating the youth of tomorrow. C&C are always appreciated.

[wildwing64]

Overall, I'm disappointed that you didn't get rid of some logos (Ducks, Canucks, Jets). Change their logos to the Mighty Ducks crest, Stick-in-rink, and the Jets Air Force badge, and I may appreciate the work a little better.

This is Kiwi's concept, he doesn't have to use those logos just because you happen to prefer them over what he's gone with.

----

I will say one thing about that Ducks set. Kudos for finding a way to make the third design actually work as a white jersey. Yours is probably the only one I've ever seen that looks good.

[kevsim1]

Can Tampa regain their victory stripes?