Concept Collection 51

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Yes, it's been a while. But it's better now than never, right? I'm currently trying to develop a new system for posting concept art that makes things simpler for me. (That's always the unreachable goal.) In the meantime, I'll do my best to keep this page updated a little more often.

One last thing. Help me out here. I know some of you think I've been "making you wait" for new concepts, but that's not how it is. Having said that, if you perhaps don't care for the designs in this set and feel like commenting to say something like, "I've waited months for this?!", don't bother. It'll only tell me there's no point to updating the page in the future. Rate the designs, move on, and check back later. I can't please everybody, nor will I try to do so. Just know that I'm doing my best to keep all aspects of Icethetics updated.

Collection 28: Canadian White Out

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It's weird. Last time I updated Concepts was only a week ago and the Lightning had just dispatched with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the playoffs. Now the Bolts are already moving on to the Conference Finals with a sweep of the Capitals! So much can happen in a week.

Now with a brief break in the action, I thought it might be time for a concept post that honors a playoff tradition — the white out. And it just so happens these are all Canadian teams.

If it seems my team's unlikely playoff run is resulting in fewer updates to the site, I won't argue with that. I fully expected to be enjoying the Stanley Cup playoffs from the sidelines. But with my team in the middle of it, I find it hard to spend my free time doing anything but cheering them on.

I'll do my best to keep the updates coming when I can.

Concept Collection 19

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No theme for this collection. Just a nice, varied assortment. But of course we have to start with the Senators' forthcoming Heritage Jersey — which we got a sneak peek of this week.

The way the jersey is folded in the photo the Sens provided leaves the design open to interpretation. It's not a bad attempt by Avi, but I think he may have strayed from the target. The shield he's put on the chest appears to be on the shoulder instead. And if it is in fact the "O" on the front, the photo does show that it doesn't have the double-stroke seen here. Otherwise, I'd bet it's pretty close. Anyone else want to take a crack at it?

Brendan's design is likely pretty close to the road uniform we'll see from the Kings next season. I'd bet on a black collar and maybe more black on the sleeves to add contrast. Now for the fun stuff...

So what do you think of that? I'm particularly fond of Colin's Canucks design!

Collection 14: Tex on a Tear

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Thought this was a fun story. A lot of readers send in concept art and I love it when someone new comes along because it usually means a new perspective. Somewhat surprisingly, newcomer Tex Fischer was a huge hit with his Senators concept on Sunday. Not to offend, but I'm not sure why it was such a standout considering the entire group was made up of variations on a theme. Regardless, it was a hit. And Tex has been on a tear since. Today's post is dedicated to him.

That last one should serve as the segue into our next set of concepts. I put out the word for Winnipeg Jets concepts this week and have already gotten a lot of excellent entries. Looking forward to sharing them.

Concept Collection 6

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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.

There's Something About Retro

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They say fashion is cyclical. Trends come and go and come around again. In the NHL, we seem to be re-entering a retro phase. Throwback jerseys have always been popular with fans, but it seems only in the last few years have teams started to take advantage of that. Classic designs that bring history back to life have started making their way back into the mainstream, in the form of alternate jerseys and special events such as the Winter Classic.

So "retro" is the theme of today's post. Let's see what our artists have come up with.

Jared LeBlanc

I'm a big fan of Jared's Winter Classic concept uniforms, especially what he's done for the Penguins. It's been suggested that the Pens might join the Bruins in borrowing elements from multiple past jerseys for a unique new look that still feels vintage.

Jared's also submitted some ideas for the Heritage Classic, details of which will be announced later today. Regarding the design, he writes, "The Canadians jersey is really the only vintage jersey left that they haven't worn already. ... For the Flames, I took a look at the Cowboys jerseys, which looked like a pretty solid design. I considered doing a carbon copy but I thought they might still want the Flames logo on it."

Both sets get a big thumbs up from me!
Connor Hanley

Another set of retros based in real life, come by way of Connor. Over the summer, it was announced that the Canucks would don a throwback jersey to celebrate their 40th anniversary. While this won't be the one, the Kings' vintage threads seen here are probably not far from what they'll be wearing on a few occasions this season.

The Kings did give their first round draft pick a gold jersey from the 1960s after all. We're still waiting on an official announcement from the team, however.
Connor Hanley

Connor also sent in this set which calls back to the 1920s and the NHL clubs that arrived long before the Penguins and Flyers — that's the Pirates and Quakers. Of course the design is a little dated now with Gagne's name on the back. (He plays for my team now!)

I suppose it might be a treat for centenarian hockey fans in Pennsylvania to see those two sweaters hit the ice again. But they shouldn't hold their breaths.
Jack Martineau

Canadian fans always like to see their teams don the retro duds. Jack digs back deep into Maple Leafs history with these St. Pats sweaters. The team actually wore that green jersey for a game or two back in the mid-90s. They should do it again!
Ryan Haslett

And while we're on the subject, here's another throwback for the Leafs from Ryan. Just like the St. Pats jersey, this one also saw life in the afterlife when it was dusted off for at least one game in the early '90s. Now that the Leafs seem to be taking an interest once again in looking like the storied hockey team they are, maybe more of these throwbacks are in the cards.
Matt Marczel

And to finish things off, one of our most prolific artists, Matt Marczel, offers up this throwback to the previous iteration of the Ottawa Senators club. He points out that it could be used if the Sens ever play in a Winter/Heritage Classic. Unfortunately, the first problem is legibility. The second is the Canadiens just wore a very similar stripe-y sweater last year.

By the way, I have lots of new concept art ready and waiting. Someone needs to stay on me about keeping this page updated. I'm very forgetful.

Winter Winding Down

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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.

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.

Strauss NHL Rebrand IV

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It's time for another installment of the concept series by artist Elliott Strauss. In this edition he takes on the Buffalo Sabres, Tampa Bay Lightning and Calgary Flames. The artist's descriptions appear in bold text next to each set.

Elliott Strauss

Buffalo Sabres

I updated the logos, taking the B from the shoulders, changing the shape, and crossing the swords that are also on the shoulder logo on top of a circle.  The jersey plays on the theme of their Winter Classic jerseys: striping that switches its direction from hem to arms. The alternate is a retro design.

The Sabres have long been a staple of Icethetics concept art. The problem is that ever since 1996 when they ditched the blue and gold, fans have been unhappy. Fourteen years later, the message finally seems to be getting through to team management, but we'll see how that goes.

Elliott has a great concept here, mixing the old with the new and keeping the classic logo alive on the alternate sweater. Personally I always loved the logo on the red third jerseys and this harkens back to that.
Elliott Strauss

Tampa Bay Lightning

Hopefully here you see an obvious throwback to their pre-Edge uniforms with the simple two solid stripes at the base. The shoulder designs get a little more abstract. A very miniscule amount of silver is found in all three unis. The primary logo is slightly tweaked and the new wordmark I tried to make very jagged to match the nickname.

As a Lightning fan, I have my own thoughts on this one, which I'll try to keep to a minimum. First, I think the current secondary should be the primary mark. It doesn't need the text if you ask me, tweaked or otherwise. And for that matter, the wordmark needs some adjustment. This isn't a criticism of Elliott so much as the team itself. Not the best choice, if you ask me.

Regarding the jerseys, I like the striping, but the font isn't quite suited — or perhaps it would just require some getting used to. Mainly, though, I'm glad to see the lightning bolt sill on the pants.
Elliott Strauss

Calgary Flames

Black is dropped here as I wanted to get a more retro feel the jersey. But the design has some modern influences in the angled patterns — reminiscent of the old Pens jerseys.

The Flames are a team with an established visual identity that is difficult to improve upon. The Flaming C will last longer than a lot of other NHL logos which is likely why Elliott saw no point in changing it.

He mixed elements of Calgary's pre-Edge uniforms and I think it really works. However, I'm not sure there's any way to beat the classic '80s jerseys that the Flames pulled out as a 30th anniversary tribute this season.

In Part 5, Mr. Strauss tackles — you guessed it — the Blackhawks, among others. In the meantime, check back for new concept art. I plan to have new posts here several times a week.

It's Back!

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Since my return to Icethetics, it seems like I've brought back every feature but one. Arguably, your favorite one! I get emails all the time asking where the concept art went. Well it went to Twitter, but many of you have said that you want it back on the blog.

It's time to revitalize this stagnant Concepts section here at Icethetics. My goal is to get at least one new post a week on this page and ramp it up as more artwork comes in. Let's start with one of our most prolific contributors, Mike Ivall.

Calgary Flames concept by Ivall

It's a kind of merging of the Flames' old third jersey logo and the classic Flaming C. The jersey designs are very interesting as well, almost evoking a sense of fire and flames — though I don't want to make too much of a case in favor of the Edge design.

Wild fans, this one's for you. Untvar has come up with several different ideas for the forthcoming alternate sweater. Take a look and tell us what you think. Each one is labeled.

Minnesota Wild alternate concepts by Untvar

Personally I prefer the shade of green in A but I'm also partial to the striping on E. Not caring much for the North Stars-inspired designs but to each his own.

That's what I've got for now. I'm going to comb through my inbox and try to find some artwork I haven't yet posted — including all those Ducks concepts I asked for a few weeks ago! In addition, the Ice Bulls will be announcing their final decision on their new logo tomorrow so I'll be posting all of the submissions I received that didn't make the cut.

It'll all be right here in the newly reinvigorated Concepts section!