Strauss NHL Rebrand III

The new concept series in which designer Elliott Strauss takes on the immense task of creating the ideal look of the NHL now continues. All 30 teams will receive his rebranding treatment — some with big changes, others small changes — all, hopefully, for the better.

In Part I, Elliott took on the Capitals, Coyotes and Panthers. Part II, saw updates for the Oilers, Red Wings and Thrashers. This time it's the Penguins, Maple Leafs and Stars.

The bold text below are Elliott's own descriptions.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The logos are all new. I tried to create a dramatic-looking penguin on Pittsburgh's signature triangle. Vegas gold is gone and yellow is back.

An igloo is featured as a patch logo and the jerseys pay tribute to the sweaters from the early '90s. The alternate brings in elements from the mid-00s triangles and also the new triangle featured in my logos.

Certainly a menacing penguin and the classic design is hard to beat. However, it does leave a little to wonder about in terms of logistics.

I like the idea of a yellow third, but is it dark enough that the opposing team could wear white? And while the two-tone jersey numbers may look cool, they don't quite meet their practical responsibility which is legibility — not to mention the nightmare for the person in charge of customizing each sweater.

Despite that critique, though, I am a fan of this look for the most part. By switching to Vegas gold, the Penguins weren't giving themselves the shinier look you'd imagine but rather desaturating their color scheme. It looks horrible and needs a change.

One thing I do like about the Penguins' current design is how they've stepped out of the box with the third jersey in using an entirely new color scheme. Even the Panthers only changed one color. The Pens went all the way.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The jerseys aren't much to speak of in terms of changes but I did come up with a new logo package. The leaf is spiky and help forms a T. The shoulder patch is a portion of the iconic CN tower behind a blue version of the Canadian flag.

This will probably end up being one of Elliott's most controversial designs if for no other reason than the sweeping logo changes.

However, the simplicity is hard to argue with and while it breaks from tradition in a big way, I don't think it's for the worse.

The one change I'd make is to dull the corners of the leaf — make them not so sharp. Then when you squint at it, it kind of looks like the Toronto Arenas shield.

Maybe it's just me.

Finishing up in the south with some not-so-sweeping changes in Dallas.

Dallas Stars

Since they seem to be more inclined toward black these days, I left black as the primary jersey color and switched up the logo a little bit. The chest mark is simply a star on top of Texas.

For the striping, I tried to make it in such a way that the gold looks best with the two colors — I'm not sure about a specific thought process.

The alternate eliminates the black and has stripes similar to their current uniforms.

I think Elliott was definitely going for a look that evokes the Stars' early days in Dallas. Apart from the sleeve stripes, it's almost a dead ringer.

I like the green third. It's something Dallas has struggled with in the Age of Reebok. I still think their best jersey was the green one with a giant star that was once an alternate.

Unfortunately, the Edge stifles that sort of creativity. Am I bitter? Never.

I'm aiming to get Part 4 posted within the next week. It will feature my Tampa Bay Lightning among others.