IceHL: North Preview

Over the weekend, logo submissions for the North Division ended. More impressive logos here. There were a total of 31 eligible logo sets submitted. And just like last week I'm going to give you a sneak peek at all of them.

Below are the primary logos from each set. When the ratings begin, you will see the entire set of logos in full detail along with the artist's credit.

CALGARY CAVALRY (4 eligible logos)

EDMONTON KODIAKS (8 eligible logos)

REGINA RENEGADES (3 eligible logos)

SASKATOON SHARPSHOOTERS (4 eligible logos)

WINNIPEG WINTERHAWKS (12 eligible logos)

The Winterhawks were almost as popular as the Huskies to design a logo for. But I'm definitely glad we had so many more submissions for this division. Keep them coming!

If you do not see your logo here, one of two things happened. Either your submission was ineligible based on one or more of the reasons I outlined when I began taking submissions — or your email failed to get to me. I will entertain questions via email.

And just so you know, logo voting should begin in a week or two.

IceHL: Central Preview

Over the weekend, logo submissions for the Central Division ended. Again, we've got another impressive set overall. However, this batch is much smaller. This time, only 23 eligible logo sets were submitted in total. And just like last week I'm going to give you a sneak peek at all of them.

Below are the primary logos from each set. When the ratings begin, you will see the entire set of logos in full detail along with the artist's credit.

CHICAGO HITMEN (5 eligible logos)

DETROIT MOTORHEADS (5 eligible logos)

MILWAUKEE LAGERS (4 eligible logos)

MINNESOTA MAMMOTHS (4 eligible logos)

ST. LOUIS ARCHERS (5 eligible logos)

The Motorheads and Hitmen certainly have a running theme. I was a little disappointed by the drop off in submissions for this division. I hope we can get the numbers back up for the next one.

If you do not see your logo here, one of two things happened. Either your submission was ineligible based on one or more of the reasons I outlined when I began taking submissions — or your email failed to get to me. I will entertain questions via email.

Helmets Fighting Cancer

A couple of people wrote in asking about the stickers appearing on the backs of players' helmets. Since the Vancouver Canucks seem to be a hot topic as of late, I'll use them in my example.

For most teams, players are wearing two decals on the backs of their helmets. On the right, the NHL shield and on the left a square logo you can only make out up close. It's the Hockey Fights Cancer logo. However, for the Canucks, they're wearing both decals on the right side while they wear a tribute decal for Luc Bourdon on the left.

That's the back side of Alex Burrows, demonstrating this quite nicely. Goalie Roberto Luongo isn't bothering with the NHL shield but he does have the HFC and LB decals on the back of his mask.

And while we're on the subject of Luongo, he's either got a second mask or he repainted it to make the C on the chin white instead of blue.

Luongo was named captain of the Canucks but league rules prevent him from wearing the C on his chest.

Back to helmets for a moment. A couple other readers noticed that the Dallas Stars have made some modifications to the logo on theirs.

The green star within the gold star appears to have gone away in exchange for a large gold star on the black helmets.

Meanwhile, I can't tell if the star on the white helmets is still green or has been switched to black. Not enough good photos out there. But many have asked whether this is a sign of things to come in Dallas. Will the green go away completely, forever severing ties with the North Stars? I sure hope not.

By the way, the wait is almost over for Part 6 of the Icethetics Season Preview. It's coming this weekend.

IceHL: Pacific Preview

The IceHL project is really starting to get interesting. Last night I accepted the final logo for submission for the Pacific Division. I'm very impressed with some of what I've seen. In all, 42 eligible logo sets were submitted. Today I'm going to give you a sneak peek at all of them.

Below are the primary logos from each set. When the ratings begin, you will see the entire set of logos in full detail along with the artist's credit.

ALASKA HUSKIES (12 eligible logos)

CALIFORNIA WAVE (9 eligible logos)

PORTLAND PIONEERS (6 eligible logos)

SEATTLE AVIATORS (10 eligible logos)

VANCOUVER LUMBERJACKS (5 eligible logos)

Obviously the Huskies were the most popular team to design a logo for. I'm not sure if that's because of its name or because it was first on the list. The Lumberjacks got the fewest entries. But overall, I feel each team has at least one or more very strong potential logos.

Starting this weekend, there will be a week long rating period — just like the name ratings — followed by a week long poll of the top 3 rated logos. This way we can make sure the logo you guys really want gets used.

If you do not see your logo here, one of two things happened. Either your submission was ineligible based on one or more of the reasons I outlined when I began taking submissions — or your email failed to get to me. I will entertain questions via email. Questions in the comments area will be ignored.

New Third Jersey Rumors!

I know the real reason you're here checking Icethetics tonight. It's to see if I've got any new third jersey scoop. It's your lucky night. I've got some new information to share regarding what some of the yet unreleased sweaters will look like.

As always, the source shall remain anonymous — so take it for what it is. But how many times have I lied to you?

This person got a look at the jersey designs on a piece of paper and compared what he saw with what Howard Berger saw. There's some interesting stuff here.

Is this the logo that will be on the front of the San Jose Sharks' third jersey? I'm told that it will indeed be black but instead of featuring just the full-body shark logo, it will actually be the new shield logo introduced last year — which includes the full-body shark.

My source writes, "This jersey disappointed me, it isnt just the black with the traditional shark. It is black, yes, but it uses the full body shark inside the shield design. With the orange and black script reading 'San Jose' across the top with the sun design."

Personally, I loved this logo from the moment it was first unveiled last year and would be thrilled to see it front and center on its own jersey. Is this true? I don't know. But I sure hope so.

We're continuing to hear that the Los Angeles Kings' third jersey will in fact be black and white with this logo — in black and white, no purple. I'm a little worried it's going to look boring, but they pulled off the look well in the '90s.

That's not all...

The Dallas Stars' third jersey will be white — basically the opposite of the regular black jersey. DALLAS will be arched above the player's jersey number in black text with a green outline instead of gold.

The interesting thing about this is that, like Toronto, wearing it at home forces the visiting team to carry twice as many jerseys with them on their road trip.

The Vancouver Canucks will wear their secondary "stick-in-rink" logo on the front of their blue third jersey. However, this latest source claims it will actually be a white version of the logo currently used as a shoulder patch. It certainly stands out more.

My hope is that the new Johnny Canuck logo will find its way onto, say, the shoulders of this jersey. It seems all of the images being seen by our "leakers" are small and grainy making it difficult to see details — such as shoulder decoration.

And that brings us to the Ottawa Senators. What I wouldn't give to see that team wear this logo, but there's been no word on that. If anything, it might be a shoulder patch, but this is just wishful thinking — I have nothing to back that up.

What I do have on the Sens from my source is this: "The jersey is not black, its that odd gold colour that the sens use. The word "SENS" isnt laid out in the common slanting downward fashion, its close together in white, with the red and black outlines, slightly slanting upwards (think Washington Wizards of the NBA, gold alternates). Very different from the concept illustration."

Gold, eh? That's... unusual. I'm not so sure about that but the main thing to take away from this information is that the upward slant of the text will not make it look like it says SNES as many have worried. In fact, I've put together a few concept renderings what what this may look like.

It's a simple upward slant that I've done but the actual jersey may feature more stylized or curved text. First, on a gold jersey, as this rumor suggests.

That's just standard block letter text, but they may also use something similar to the numbering style seen on their current home and road sweaters.

This serif text is also used for the C and A on the captains' sweaters. But if you want my opinion, I still think it'll be a black jersey — and this is the more likely look for the text.

And here are a couple of other options — one including gold.

Which one do you guys like best?

By the way, just a blog note here. I've updated the Atlanta Thrashers' third jersey logo in the sidebar. Their new sweater features the bird-head only logo on the shoulders — obviously no logo on the front as we all know.

That's all for tonight. Hope that satisfies your third jersey rumor thirst for now.

Canucks Remember Bourdon

The Vancouver Canucks are remembering the late Luc Bourdon this season with a special decal on the back of their helmets. The 21-year-old defenseman was killed in a motorcycle accident in May.

I didn't know about this tribute logo when I wrote about the new specialty logos for the Icethetics Season Preview or I would've included it with that batch.

Thanks to Joshua for sending in the graphic.

What Makes A Good Logo?

I was perusing some old issues of The Hockey News this morning. They're from almost a decade ago when I used to have a subscription. I was looking at the logo rankings for 1999 but something stuck out. I came across an article that has just as much relevance here at Icethetics today as it did then.

Todd McFarlane, creator of Spawn, is a great artist and a huge hockey fan — the essence of Icethetics. For those who don't know, he designed the Edmonton Oilers' third jersey logo you see on the left.

McFarlane was interviewed for this piece I was reading and was asked what he thought would make a good logo. So he came up with five guidelines. You can read the article below.

There's something about the Huntington Blizzard's logo that gives Todd McFarlane a chill.

Turnabout is fair play because McFarlane has been giving readers of Spawn comic chills for years. The Calgary-born artist has created a multi-million dollar entertainment and production industry sparked by his skill at drawing riveting images.

So, who better to evaluate logos than McFarlane? A self-professed hockey fanatic, he jumped at the chance to offer his two cents in THN's seventh annual minor pro hockey logo ranking.

In discussing the logos, McFarlane spawned five guidelines:

• Cartoony characters with hockey paraphernalia are silly. "A Solar Bear with RayBans? A Stingray with a stick? Why not have a Pirate with a knife instead of a stick in his mouth? So many of these logos would've been better if you get rid of the stick."


• The primary logo should be clean and uncluttered with words. "I'm pro image. Keep the city and nickname in the secondary logo or on a shoulder patch. The words are bigger than the icon in a lot of cases."


• Ditch the cartoon characters. Consider the audience. "Two groups of fans attend games: children and adults. Kids are outnumbered five to one and it's the adults who buy the merchandise. They're more likely to buy if it's a cool logo. Plus, it's hard to determine what's cool for kids. What's cool for a seven-year-old is definitely not cool for a 12-year-old."


• If you have to sell out and go with an animal caricature, "pick something menacing. Not a fish or a bird or a puppy. Be intimidating. Or at least be regal rather than dumpy."


• The logo should be big and bold. "You should be able to distinguish it even from the nosebleeds or on TV from your couch. Too much detail just adds to the clutter."

—Brian Costello

By the way, I'd link to this article if I knew it existed somewhere else in cyberspace. I literally retyped it from the old worn newsprint where I read it.

So, all you graphic artists out there, keep these tips in mind, not only when designing logos for the IceHL, but in all your future designing ventures.

Now, I'm not done with McFarlane yet. THN got him to make a best/worst list of minor pro logos for the 1999-2000 season. That would include the AHL, IHL and ECHL. I've built graphics so you can see the logos and make your own judgments.

McFARLANE'S BEST: Huntington Blizzard (ECHL), Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL), Houston Aeros (IHL), Johnstown Chiefs (ECHL), Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL), Chicago Wolves (IHL), Louisville Panthers (AHL), Florida Everblades (ECHL), Pee Dee Pride (ECHL) and Michigan K-Wings (IHL).

McFARLANE'S WORST: Greenville Grrrowl (ECHL), Toledo Storm (ECHL), Dayton Bombers (ECHL), South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL), Saint John Flames (AHL), Hershey Bears (AHL), Mississippi Sea Wolves (ECHL), Trenton Titans (ECHL), Jackson Bandits (ECHL) and Mobile Mysticks (ECHL).

I wonder what he'd say about the Stingrays today and how his best/worst lists may have changed in the last 10 years.

Icethetics Season Preview, Part IV

NEW NHL LOGOS

The Icethetics Season Preview is winding down. All week I've been getting you caught up with what's new in the world of hockey as it pertains to the right side of your brain.

Unlike last season, no NHL clubs are introducing new primary logos this season. However with the re-introduction of third jerseys this fall — and I'll go deeper into this tomorrow — a handful of teams will have new marks for their new duds.

There's no better team to start with for this topic than the Buffalo Sabres. I know a number of tradition-loving fans are thrilled at the prospect of the team's original logo making its' return — even if it is on a part-time basis.

The updated classic logo with a darker blue and silver lining will be worn on the Sabres' third jersey this season. Some are even hoping this logo will eventually be promoted to full-time status. It's not unprecedented for a third jersey logo to eventually become a team's primary. The Blue Jackets and Blues both did it.

Speaking of the St. Louis Blues, they've also unveiled a new logo to go on their new third jersey. The main feature is the use of the Gateway Arch imagery but it's also got the classic circle style — similar to what the Wild did when they introduced their first and only third jersey in 2003.

It's a beautiful design and use of color and stays true to the original Blue Note. You have to hand it to the Blues for really getting this one right.

Technically, the Carolina Hurricanes also have something new on their new third jersey. This dark version of their primary logo can be found on the shoulders. It's nothing spectacular, but it sure is a nice touch. And I assure you it looks much better in context, on the black jersey.

But that's all for new NHL logos — officially. But leaks happen and there's no group in the world that can really keep a secret — except the ones that kill people. So over the course of the summer, a few logos have make their way to those of us interested enough in finding them.

We'll begin with the Los Angeles Kings, who will be unveiling a new third jersey next month. The logo seen here fits the description for what we've heard about this particular sweater. It was discovered on a governmental trademark web site. And while those web sites generally tend to use only black and white images, it's believed this logo as well as the jersey will be black and white — and maybe silver.

So I trust this image and fully expect to see it on the front of the Kings' new third jersey in November.

Another team with leaking logos is the Phoenix Coyotes. Two brand new logos turned up over the summer.

The logo on the left is expected to be on the front of the Coyotes' new third jersey — also expected for release next month. The one on the right, if I were to guess, will probably be on the shoulder of this jersey — if they use it on a uniform at all. It could just be one of those alternate logos that only gets used on a handful of merchandise. The Canucks, Senators and Sharks all have logos like that.

Along with these other leaked logos were a couple of new scripts that turned up for the Coyotes and the Boston Bruins.

This new script logo for the Bruins matches much better with the new logo they unveiled last year.

The New York Islanders and Edmonton Oilers are expected to go retro with their new third jerseys this season.

Technically, these aren't "new" logos but they are new additions for this season.

And that's that. We're expecting to see something new when the Thrashers, Lightning, Stars and Senators unveil their new third jerseys, but rumor has it they'll simply be text logos across the chest.

If you think I missed anything, shoot me an email and I'll be sure to add it. Otherwise, that does it for the this edition of the Icethetics Season Preview. Tomorrow is the last day of the Icethetics Season Preview (or is it?) and it's all about third jerseys. It's all the intelligence we've gathered this summer wrapped up in one big post.

Icethetics Season Preview, Part III

NEW MINOR LEAGUE LOGOS

The Icethetics Season Preview continues. All week, I'm getting you caught up with what's new in the world of hockey as it pertains to the right side of your brain.

Logos come and go — a lot like fashions. I find this especially true for the minor leagues. So it's time to get caught up on the new logos unveiled in 2008 — beginning with the AHL.

Not only did they get a new logo, but the Iowa Stars have a new name this season. They are now the Iowa Chops — much to the dismay of hockey fans everywhere. And they unveiled their new logo on July 9.

It pretty much speaks for itself. On, now, to the ECHL.

As part of their 15th anniversary celebration, the Charlotte Checkers unveiled a new logo midway through last season, on January 11 — delivering a great update to a previously childish look.

Don't mess with that bear.

The South Carolina Stingrays also got a new logo — which was unveiled on June 4 — and I'd bet money the same design firm that did the Checkers had a hand in this one. It even borrows from the same color palette.

Notice how much better these hockey logos look without hockey sticks? These are identities these teams can build on for a long time to come. Speaking of identity, the Stingrays also took the liberty of unveiling the other logos that go with their new branding.

One more ECHL club is getting a new logo. This summer the Texas Wildcatters relocated to California. The Ontario Reign unveiled their new logo on March 17 — before the corpse was even cold.

We'll finish things up with the Canadian Hockey League. The Prince George Cougars of the WHL got a much-needed update to their look with an unveiling on August 20.

The Shawinigan Cataractes of the QMJHL will don a new logo to celebrate their 40th anniversary.

This is one case where I prefer the original. Consult the team's web site for more information.

Almost forgot one. The St. John's Fog Devils of the QMJHL are no more. The club is now simply the Montreal Juniors — or Club de hockey junior de Montréal.

A simple name with an even simpler logo. Thanks to Matt for catching that one for me.

If you think I missed anything, shoot me an email and I'll be sure to add it. Otherwise, that does it for the this edition of the Icethetics Season Preview. Tomorrow, we're looking at new logos around the NHL. Don't miss it!

Icethetics Season Preview, Part II

NEW CENTER ICE DESIGNS

The Icethetics Season Preview continues. All week, I'm doing my best to get you caught up with what's new in the world of hockey as it pertains to the right side of your brain.

Every year, every NHL team repaints its ice rink. In fact, this happens several times a year. But usually, they paint the same logo down on center ice each time. For the 2008-09 season, a half-dozen clubs are giving their manmade ponds a makeover.

In this post I'll be using concept images to show you what the center ice logos will look like. They are not entirely accurate representations of what's painted on the ice, however the logo dimensions are correct. The arena names have been left off along with the center line design which can vary from team to team.

A couple of teams are just enlarging their primary logo under the main faceoff circle.

The Dallas Stars increased the size of their logo and also added small stars to dot their red line. The Toronto Maple Leafs actually removed one. Previously, the Leafs center ice featured two logos, one facing the television cameras and the other facing opposite.

Two other teams are using their center ice circle to celebrate their anniversaries.

The Montreal Canadiens' 100th anniversary logo replaces the classic CH logo this season while the Edmonton Oilers are going with a simplified version of their 30th anniversary mark, which includes the vintage logo.

Finally, two other teams are going with their third jersey logos at center ice.

The Buffalo Sabres will use their updated vintage logo while the Carolina Hurricanes are going with the storm flag and small square storm flags along their red line.

There are unsubstantiated rumors circulating that these designs are temporary for the Hurricanes and Sabres, meant only as a marketing tool for the preseason in creating awareness of the teams' new third jerseys. I'll keep an eye out when the regular season starts to see if the primary logos find their way back to the ice for these two teams.

I'm only covering the NHL with this part of the preview, but if you think I missed anything, shoot me an email and I'll be sure to add it. Otherwise, that does it for the second day of the Icethetics Season Preview. Tomorrow, we're looking at minor league teams introducing new logos this fall.