0266: Waddell's Winter Classic, Part 1

I've got a great new series to debut today. It takes Winter Classic Weekends to their next logical step. The Brothers Waddell — Chance and Jake — have designed Winter Classic/retro-style uniforms for all 30 NHL franchises... whether they have the history to support it or not. Some are seriously good, some are just fun.

Now rather than doing one big dump of 30 jerseys (where many would simply get overlooked), I'd like to roll them out over the coming winter two at a time. Today we start with the Penguins and Kings. Again, retro style jerseys with no specific ties to the team's past. Just something unique and interesting.

Remember, Chance and Jake have designs for all 30 teams so we have 28 to go. How will I decide which two to post next? I won't. You will. The first two were picked at random. The next two will be picked by the first commenters on this post. Comment with the two teams you'd like to see next. First come, first served. Check back next Saturday morning to see them!

Update on Saturday · Nov 10 · 2012 | 11:03 AM PST by Chris

Brian was first, so Rangers and Islanders are what we'll get next Saturday. And just like this week, first to comment gets to choose the next two teams.

0188: Oakland Freak Out

It started innocently enough. John J. Woods was designing this new sweater for the Oakland Seals when he suddenly saw new potential in that old logo. And that's where the freak out angle comes in.

0170: What If Nike Made a Pens Jersey?

That's kind of a preposterous question. For one thing, Reebok would never go for it. But moreover, this isn't what would happen if Nike designed the jersey. It's what happened when Matt McElroy designed one on a Nike template. I have to be honest. I love the color combination here and I think this would make for a really cool third jersey. But it sounds like most Pens fans here are tired of blue alternates.

0152: Ahoy, Penguins! Arrrgh!

Maybe I should've saved this concept for Talk Like a Pirate Day, but that's still a couple of months down the road. Nick Burton has an interesting jersey offering for the Pittsburgh Penguins based on their Steel City NHL predecessor, the Pirates. This isn't the first concept we've seen from that era of the NHL in Pennsylvania...

You may recall a number of Quakers-inspired Flyers jerseys that started appearing when it was announced Philadelphia would host its first Winter Classic last year. This one by Jack Gambro was one of them. I'm reposting it here because I think it makes a good companion for the Penguins/Pirates look above. What do you guys think? Would these make for a great-looking game or what?

0110: Flashback to 1995

Look familiar? The Pittsburgh Penguins wore a similar third jersey from 1995 to 2002. Alan John Herbert has created a bit of an update to that design for today's concept. We should turn it into a game. Can you spot all the differences?

0077: Steel Town in the '70s

New series this weekend. I'm shelving the Winter Classic stuff for a while in favor of Retro Weekends! We'll save it for special throwback-inspired jersey designs like this one from Colin May. The colors call back to the Pittsburgh Penguins from the 1970s. It's actually a neat look.

0037: A Possible Fix for Pittsburgh?

Last week I lent voice to the opinion that the Pittsburgh Penguins are overdue for a uniform overhaul. They wear a generic template with washed out colors and a weak design. I'm not saying Alan Waldron has the perfect solution, but this is certainly a step in the right direction. It minds the club's near half-century of history with bold lines and a design that stands out. If it were me, the one thing I'd change: forget Vegas gold and go with full on Penguins yellow from back in the day. Where do Pittsburgh fans stand on the matter?

Having said mine, it's only fair now that I let Alan say his peace on the design:

I kept the Pens 5-stripe pattern because I like the fact that it's a design element unique to the Penguins and featured on our inaugural uniforms. I know there aren't many people in the 'Burgh that like the diagonal Pittsburgh on the front, so I've included a second option with the circle logo which I think is equally as attractive.

Update on Wednesday · Mar 28 · 2012 | 10:05 AM PDT by Chris

After reading through the comments, Alan has made some revisions to his Penguins concept. What do you think of the changes?