Collection 36: Conceiving a Classic

If all has gone according to plan, I should be spending the day on the high seas en route to some tropical island somewhere. But I'm going to put you guys in the opposite state of mind with something a bit more wintry. Collected here are some sharp Winter Classic concepts.

The most prevalent rumors have the Flyers hosting the Rangers on the day after New Year's 2012. Of course that hasn't stopped some from hoping for a Western Conference match-up. Look for a new set of concept art on Wednesday.

Collection 31: In the Future... (If There Is One)

With all this rapture talk, I thought we might take a look at what the future holds (if there is one) for NHL uniforms next season. These are all based on rumors that have been reported around the web recently.

The first set is based on the rumor that the Flyers will host the Rangers for the 2012 Winter Classic. The inspiration for the Flyers' throwback jersey is the Philadelphia Quakers franchise — which has no relation to the Flyers. Still, I have yet to see a Flyers WC concept not based on that team's uniform design.

Another rumor spreading this spring calls for the Isles to launch a black alternate next season.

Whether or not it's wishful thinking, the prevailing rumors for the Stars is the debut of a green third jersey.

Now this one is a little more outside the box. It assumes the Thrashers are sold and moved to Winnipeg and that True North would retain the Moose branding to some extent while also paying tribute to the Jets.

And last here is just one more example of a Quakers concept standing in as a Flyers jersey for the big outdoor game next year. Personally, I don't see it happening. But then the Flames revisited their city's hockey history at their outdoor game this year. I suppose Philly could do the same in 2012.

Concept Collection 6

No theme today, just another random assortment of concept art here.

Up first, Mike Ivall provides his take on a 2012 Winter Classic possibility. Rumors have suggested the game could be played in Philadelphia or New York next year.

Dallas Stars concept removed at artist's request

By the way, the Lightning concepts just keep streaming in, so I imagine that'll require another post or two in the near future. That's all for now.

Creative Inspiration

Has it really been seven weeks since the last concept post? Unacceptable. Yes, there have been a lot of blog and tournament updates. And yes, I've been busy lately. But seven weeks is a long time. So I'm going to try some new things to keep the concepts flowing.

Since getting this page updated is lower on my list of website priorities due to the time/effort required, I'm going to start adding new concept art to our brand new Facebook page on a regular basis to keep everyone satisfied. However, I will continue to save some items to be showcased here on the site.

So I'm taking some time out this holiday weekend to post a handful of new work. Most of the concepts sent in tend to be a slight re-imagining of a team's uniform. Usually some stripes are rearranged or colors changed. But every so often, an especially creative concept appears. That's today's topic.

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Peter Debay	Peter has an interesting take on the look of the Vancouver Canucks. Interesting choice of colors and type. Gives the sweater a very classic feel.
Ryan Haslett	Ryan is one of our most prolific designers, and here I've got three of my favorites. (I know there's only one rating, by the way, so just make it an average.) First, awesome Canucks jersey. Forgot the Johnny Canuck V logo, go Johnny Canuck all the way! I also like this Avalanche concept. Great callback to the old Colorado Rockies logo in the burgundy and blue. And green is just what the doctor ordered for the Ducks. Heck, I'd settle for orange if they'd just use the webbed D on the front!
Matthew Duke	This post is about creativity and sometimes that can yield a somewhat disappointing result. I like where Matthew is going with the uniform designs, but that ATL logo was not well-liked as a 10th anniversary mark, and it's sure not any better here. But at least it gets us thinking about things for the Thrashers.
Vin Maccioli	Here's a cool one. Vin offers up a unique alternate sweater with a very retro feel. It may not work for the Red Wings on a regular basis, but maybe as a one-off specialty thing instead. And yes, I'm also posting this one as a tribute to my Bolts' new GM — Stevie Y! I'm expecting great things from him.
Jake Slavik	The last concept is a little Winter Classic 2011 bonus. And with all respect to Jake, this is pretty far out. He's combined so many different eras of the Penguins and Capitals that it's become kind of a jumble. On the other hand, it does help us see what was good and what was bad about these clubs' past uniforms. For example, Weagle good, funky striping not. And sadly, he's left the gold out of the Penguins' jersey entirely. Despite the blue sweaters in the Pens' early years, the penguin logo was never without gold.

I'm shooting for concept updates on a weekly basis, but that may be too much to ask for. Just know that I'm doing the best I can. I'm assuming things will quiet down on the news front as the summer goes on, which will allow more time for concept posts.

All-Star Anticipation

As you know, the Carolina Hurricanes were recently awarded the NHL All-Star weekend for 2011. A logo has not yet been released. In anticipation of that, a lot of artists have been sending in all-star concepts so I wanted to share some of those tonight.

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Tyler Rodgers	Tyler has created the most original/complete logo and uniform set for the 2011 All-Star Game. Something like this could very well be the logo. Despite its similarity to the 2009 game in Montreal, it does what most all-star logos do. It takes elements of the host team's logo and combines it with stars. The uniform designs are also surprisingly feasible. I would not be at all surprised to see something like this when the official logos and jerseys are unveiled. Is it the most creative all-star set we've ever seen? At the risk of offending Tyler, no. But to his credit, it is very realistic.
Ezra Brouwer	Ezra sends in this uniform set, a fitting follow-up to the 2009 all-star jerseys. Not bad, but maybe a little too heavy-handed with the stars.
Matt Marczel	Matt's submission is pretty sharp. Great use of stars and striping. Only odd thing I noticed was the use of Avalanche jersey numbers. Seems a little out of place. But overall, very nice jerseys.
Tony Galiffo	This last concept logo isn't about the 2011 All-Star Game, obviously. Instead, it's Tony's suggestion for a 2012 edition of the Winter Classic in Ohio featuring the Columbus Blue Jackets. He's even set up a Facebook page to promote his cause. Feel free to join him if you support it too.

Got some really excellent concepts on the way. Heading to the Northeast for those so check back soon.

Concepts Out of Thin Air

We head to the Mile High City for the latest batch of concepts. Enjoy this Colorado Avalanche artwork.

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Matthew Duke	At first glance, Matthew's concept may look like one for the old Colorado Rockies club. But look closer. It's all about the Avs. It's a unique design with a new color added. Should it replace what is arguably one of the best logos in all of hockey? Of course not. But I could see it gaining a following as an alternate. Maybe not the white one. I prefer the way the striping works on the burgundy sweater. Shameless promotion for Matthew: He's got a Carolina Hurricanes concept that will knock your socks off. I'll try to get it posted soon.
Ryan Haslett	I'm not sure that removing the classic "A" logo is the way to go about making an improved Avs jersey concept, but what Ryan has isn't half bad. Plus, the Caps-inspired sleeve design gives the effect of snow-covered mountains. And I have been enjoying watching Colorado play in blue.
Glen Cuthbert	But if you do have to replace the crest, I certainly don't think diagonal text is a good thing. The sasquatch footprint, however, could be a keeper. Glen has placed it on the original Avs third jersey for us.
Brian Brideau	Perhaps the real solution is just to fix the striping on the Avalanche's home and road sweaters. Is Brian's Phoenix-style concept the cure-all? Maybe not, but it's a step in the right direction. Why not just go back to the original look from 1995? Don't let Reebok stand in your way.
Jeff Wozniak	Finally, as we wait for word on the locale(s) for the 2011 Winter Classic, Icethetics artists are more than glad to throw in their opinions. Jeff pits the Avalanche, dressed as the Quebec Nordiques, against the Montreal Canadiens in the epic Battle of Quebec. Who wouldn't love to see that old Nordiques logo back on NHL ice? This would be a cool match-up for a Canadian game. Any other outdoor match-ups you'd like to see?

Hope you liked those Avs concepts. Our creative designers work very hard. Up next: Elliott Strauss' NHL rebranding series returns this week! And, as a perfect segue, it starts in Colorado.

Winter Winding Down

As the winter winds down, there's been a lot of talk about next year's Winter Classic. Rumor has it the Washington Capitals will get to host. And by far, the most popular opponent among Icethetics readers seems to be the Ottawa Senators. That's our theme for today's post.

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Tyler Allen	There's no question in my mind that the Senators need to wear something like this when they eventually get selected for the outdoor game. Tyler's done a great job with this concept. But his Capitals jersey is more of a Frankenstein creation than anything else. It seems he's literally taken element from every past Caps uniform and injected the Weagle. It's not terrible, but I think the stars are a bit distracting. Might be different on the ice.
Drew Krause	If it's simplicity the Sens would like in a Winter Classic sweater, Tyler's may be the right look. But if it's true vintage they want, look no further than Drew's concept. I didn't like the crazy stripes when Montreal did it, but that might've been because the blue threw it off. Maybe the Sens could do it better in black. Drew also threw in a couple of logos, including a simplified version of the old primary mark along with a new heritage mark to go with that jersey.
Mike Bell	The Caps' owner may have recently nixed plans for an actual third jersey, but that doesn't mean concept versions can't live on here at Icethetics. Rather than incorporating the Weagle, which many have done (because of its awesomeness), Mike opted for a simple color reversal. Blue jersey, red logo. Not sure about the number being on the front though. We have enough to read there as it is.
Brad McPelican	Brad went the more traditional route with his third, but the key in this concept are the home and road jerseys. Check out the stars on the shoulders! That jersey belongs on a bit marquee sign, rather than a hockey player. And if that logo looks familiar to you, it comes from the Capitals' old primary logo from the late '90s.
Ryan Haslett	And lest we leave Canada out of the Winter Classic one more time, Ryan Haslett has put together this 2011 concept for a match-up between the Flames and Canucks in Calgary. You don't get any more classic with a Flames jersey. However, I'm not sure it's the best idea to go with a Canucks jersey from the era in which they wore the same colors as Calgary. For the Canucks, there'd be no choice but to go back to the 1970s and the classic stick-in-rink log.

By the way, I do have a few more Olympic concepts to share. I'll try to get those posted before the weekend.

Next Winter Classic: Revisited

The Winter Classic at Fenway Park was nothing short of classic. It's such an awesome tradition and there's no shortage of opinions on who should play in future outdoor games. Since the last concept post, a few other artists have submitted some interesting ideas. I have a pair here I thought worth sharing before we move on to a new concept topic.

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Brad McPelican

Brad writes in with an idea for a New Year's Day game not in 2011 but in 2014. He calls it the Canadian Classic. It would feature the Ottawa Senators and Vancouver Canucks (playing as the Millionaires) at Frank Clair Stadium in Ontario. It may seem a bit unusual, so I'll let him explain. He wrote a very long proposal which I have actually edited way down for your convenience. All the key details are intact. There was a time when the Stanley Cup was a challenge cup exclusively for Canadian clubs and in the Canadian Classic, I would like to relive that era. The contest I find would be the best is one between Ottawa and Vancouver. Both cities currently are home to NHL franchises who have never won the Stanley Cup but, in hockey's early days, had taken home the prize as two of the nation's finest teams. What makes this game even more special is that — 100 years earlier, in 1914-15 — the Vancouver Millionaires played in a best-of-five series in Vancouver and won the Cup. It was the last time the Stanley Cup would be exclusive to the best Canadian team — with the Portland Rosebuds joining the PCHA. This series was the last truly Canadian challenge for the Stanley Cup, which I think is pretty special. As for the jerseys and event logo, I tried to make them as classic and as true to their time as possible. The logo was designed to look like the old team championship pictures and features vintage colors. The jerseys, on the other hand, are almost exactly what they wore — refitted for Reebok Edge jerseys of course — with Ottawa wearing brown pants and Vancouver wearing white ones. You might notice as well that their are no names on the back of the jerseys. This is to be true to the times, not a mistake. If that game doesn't satisfy traditionalists, nothing could. By the way, just wanted to point out (because I know someone will) that the nameplates on NHL jerseys are currently part of NHL regulations and would probably require an Act of Bettman to sidestep. And he hates Canada.

John B

Obviously this one is just meant to be for fun. You could call it Winter Classic Freak Out. While my little corner of Florida has been atypically cold the last couple of days, there's clearly no way it could sustain a sheet of ice outdoors. But as a Lightning fan, this was a fun concept to look at and muse on. As long as the Winter Classic is around, I don't ever imagine the Bolts or Panthers getting a shot at it. It will forever be reserved for teams who play where outdoor ice is a viable option. John does have some interesting artwork here but I'm just not sure these "classic" jersey designs really work. Tampa hockey club? An F with cat ears and a tail? I'll pass. The icing on the cake probably has to be the Winter Classic-themed surfboard design. Thanks to John for giving us a laugh.

Thanks to all the artists who sent in their ideas for future Winter Classics.

The Next Winter Classic(s)

It's hard to believe 2010 is a mere four days away. That means the third annual Winter Classic is coming up at the end of the week.

And on the eve of the big event, a bunch of eager artists have started thinking about the next one. Or should I make that plural? A couple weeks ago, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said he'd like to see a second outdoor game on New Year's Day 2011 — this one in Canada.

No decisions have been made at this point and any discussion on the topic is pure speculation. But that's what the Icethetics Concepts page is for. So as we prepare for the Philadelphia Flyers to face the Boston Bruins at Fenway Park, let's think about what we might like to see in 2011.

Rumors suggest Yankee Stadium will play host to at least one of the 2011 outdoor games. That puts the Rangers at home to face who? Islanders? Maple Leafs? Capitals? And regarding the Canada game, Bettman mentioned Calgary by name. Would the Flames face their province rivals, the Oilers? Perhaps the Canucks or even Avalanche?

Let's see what some talented people have come up with as suggestions for 2011.

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Brendan Droppo	Yankee Stadium Rangers vs Islanders This may be the most well-designed Winter Classic 2011 concept I've received. Brendan Droppo is sticking with the New York City rumors and pairing the Rangers and Islanders at Yankee Stadium. Probably a safe bet. He's got a great logo that evokes the locale (as the past logos have done) and a pair of classic sweaters. Though I'm not sure you can call anything but their current jersey a classic. But then I thought that about the Red Wings too. And theirs worked out just fine last year. This is an awesome concept and I'm completely on board with it only if western Canada also gets their own Winter Classic. If they don't, I say out with the Isles. Canada deserves to get back into the outdoor games. Pit the Rangers against the Maple Leafs. If there is a Canadian game, I'd vote to leave it the way it is. Not sure the Rangers have another rival as big as the Isles. Plus we need to share the wealth. Everyone should get a shot at a Winter Classic game.
Cole Jones	Target Field Wild vs Stars Cole Jones of The Other 6 Seconds hockey blog emailed in to tell me about his idea. You can read the full proposal on his blog, but here are the bullet points. While I'm over here trying to get a Canadian team back into their own game, Cole, a Stars fan, is attempting to get a southern U.S. team into the mix — his own. He'd like to pit the Dallas Stars against the Minnesota Wild at Target Field, which is currently under construction in Minneapolis. It will serve as the home of the Minnesota Twins beginning in April 2010 — more than enough time to prepare it for a hockey match. It would be a huge day for Minnesota hockey fans, that's for sure. To see their current team after 10 years on the ice, facing a blast from the past in the form of North Stars jerseys would probably send some people into a tailspin. The only problem I see is this: Aside from Minnesotans, who cares? Part of the idea behind the Winter Classic is to appeal to new fans. To put the game in front of people who normally wouldn't watch. The past few seasons the NHL has been going for teams in big markets or with long histories. Yes, Dallas and Minneapolis are two huge markets, but the point is to go beyond them. A Rangers-Isles game would certainly do the trick. Everybody knows the Rangers, even if their not hockey fans. But this idea of getting the Stars back to Minnesota for a big event is a pretty popular one in hockey circles...
Ryan Haslett	Target Field Wild vs Stars Another regular Icethetics artist, Ryan Haslett, independently came up with the same idea. Wild and Stars at Target Field. But Ryan's idea for an event logo and game jerseys is a little different. They definitely feel like classic hockey, but both designs borrow from current sweaters. The "M" on the Wild jersey comes from the new green third while the Stars sweater is based off their current third, but infused with a little more gold. Either Cole's or Ryan's designs could work well if, indeed, one of the 2011 Winter Classics were to take place in Minnesota.
Ryan Haslett	Rogers Centre Maple Leafs vs Canadiens Speaking of Canada, Ryan did have a second Canadian option — going with one of the oldest rivalries in professional sports. He's got the Habs and Leafs at Rogers Centre in Toronto. Formerly called the SkyDome, the stadium plays home to the Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto Argonauts. As expected, he's got the teams in vintage sweaters, and surprisingly enough, one that the Canadiens have NOT worn in the past two seasons. The logo is a little weak but it plays off the simplicity of the Rogers Centre logo. Now to be fair, the Canadiens just took part in an outdoor game in 2003. Maybe they should sit on the bench a little while longer, you know? If you're going to put the game in Toronto, maybe have the Leafs face their province rival Ottawa Senators. As I said, spread the wealth.

One thing I've noticed with these concepts is they're all set at baseball stadiums. Let's not forget the first two NHL outdoor games took place in football stadiums and were quite successful.

In wrapping things up, the one concept I don't have to share that I would really like to see is Calgary. I'm not familiar enough with the city to know where it should be played, but the Flames should host it and their opponent should NOT be the Oilers. (The Oilers faced the Habs in 2003 in Edmonton.) I think it comes down to the Maple Leafs, who play in a huge market and have a long history, or the Canucks, who are geographically closer and a more common foe during the regular season. But it's not up to me.

So what are your thoughts on the 2011 Winter Classic(s)? If you have have concept art to share, I'd be happy to add it to this post. If you just have another thought about a good match-up, drop a line in the comments.

By the way, happy new year!