NHL Logo Map
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Just threw this together this morning. A little something to pass the time, I suppose, while news is light. It's a cool way to get an overall geographical look at the NHL. If you guys like it, no reason we can't do other leagues.
By the way, I recommend zooming in for a good look around the northeast. Lots of teams clumped together up there. Also, Terrain view reduces the clutter of roads and things.
Some observations:
- Never considered how remote the Stars and Avalanche are.
- Do the Devils walk to Madison Square Garden when they play the Rangers?
- Southernmost team: Florida Panthers
- Northernmost team: Edmonton Oilers
- Westernmost team: Vancouver Canucks
- Easternmost team: Boston Bruins
Share any observations of your own in the comments. Or feel free to tell me this map was a waste of time. Just remember that aside from this, not much else to report lately.
Chris
NHL Heritage Map 1967
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More maps!
That's what I keep hearing from you guys. So here's what the NHL looked like after the first expansion in 1967. It's part of our NHL Heritage Map series, which will also include maps from 1974, 1979, 1993 and 1997 — all key transformational years for the league.
And of course I'll get to all the minor leagues as well. ECHL is up next. Then maybe CHL? — and by that I mean Canadian Hockey League. All 60 teams in one map. Whatever you guys choose.
Chris
NHL Heritage Map 1974
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Here is the second in a series of five NHL Heritage maps. This is what the league looked like in 1974-75 season.
I chose '74 because it was the culminating year of a handful of expansions. After the first big expansion of 1967, Buffalo and Vancouver were added to the map in 1970 along with Long Island and Atlanta in '72. Then Kansas City and Washington joined the NHL in 1974 — bringing us to a total 18 teams.
Up next is 1979 when the WHA folded and a few teams found their way into the NHL.
Chris
NHL Heritage Map 1979
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Today we travel back to 1979 for the newest NHL Heritage Map. Take a good look at the logos of the NHL in the 1979-80 season.
I selected 1979 because it was year that saw the NHL expand by taking on teams from the failed WHA. The Quebec Nordiques, Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers and New England (now called Hartford) Whalers managed to survive the storm and increased the size of the NHL to 21 teams.
So what else changed in the five years between the '74 and '79 maps? Not much. The Kansas City Scouts moved to Denver in 1976 and became the Colorado Rockies. In 1978, the Vancouver Canucks got a new logo, something they would make a habit out of over the years, and the California Seals franchise, known as the Cleveland Barons beginning in 1976, ceased to exist.
For the next Heritage Map, we'll jump ahead 14 years to 1993.
Reader Comments (62)
very cool! as a geography nerd, i find this fascinating. they had a map similar to this at last years capitals convention
Really makes the Penguins being in the "Atlantic Division" not make a whole lot of sense. Seems like Washington would be a better fit. Here's my fix:
Pittsburgh moves over to the Central Division with Columbus, Detroit, Chicago, and St. Louis.
Washington moves up to the Atlantic Division with Phiadelphia, New York, New York, and New Jersey.
Nashville moves down to the Southeast Division with Carolina, Atlanta, Florida, and Tampa.
While the Pittsburgh/Washington matchups we get beat over the head with would be less frequent, there is a possibility that the two could meet in the Stanley Cup final which I'm sure would delight the NBCHL execs. Unfortunately, it would make the Southeast Division even less relevant than it already is.
I love the idea but hate the fact that you have the Ducks logo covering the Kings. :) Would love to see more here.
"Do the Devils walk to Madison Square Garden when they play the Rangers?"
Of course not. They take the PATH train.
It may have escaped your notice that there's a huge river called the Hudson separating New York and New Jersey. I wouldn't recommend walking across it unless your body is less dense than water. (Or, unless you're a deity of some sort.)
Yeah! Edmonton is first in something! or last if you go south to north.
Neat map, but the Caps haven't played at US Airways arena since 1997, and in fact the arena isn't there any more...it's now a shopping center on the land there. They're playing now in DC, right in Chinatown...
I never noticed how few teams there are in the west coast!
That's pretty cool. I think it would be interesting to do the KHL or SEL or something like that. Leagues that we can't picture where the teams are.
Is Atlanta further west than Columbus or Detroit? Interesting.
I like the map because it seems like the idea of division reallignment comes up every now and then.
lol the stars play in oklahoma now
Hey just curious why you put the Carolina Hurricanes logo in Virginia. Raleigh is quiet a bit south of there
CBS Sports site already has a logo map for selecting a team's clubhouse.
WHat strikes me by looking at this map is how bad expansion has been for the NHL. MOst of the most Southern teams just shouldn't be there. they would look much better in Canada, the Northwest or the rocky mt area
Awesome stuff! Great job.. and keep them coming. (The AHL would be really interesting.)
Pretty cool, I always enjoy maps like these. Just saved it to "My Maps."
And yeah, that's a good idea. If you enjoyed doing it, definitely make a similar map for the AHL and the ECHL. These type of things are always interesting.
good job
this map is cool but about the atlantic the isles should be more on the ISLAND and the preds deff dont play in kentucky just to point out a few
While it's not a waste of time, I'd like to point out that a map of NHL teams is available on Wikipedia. But, your's is zoomable, therefore much better.
Looking at this map makes notice something. There really seems to be a glaring empty spot in the pacific northwestern US. That really does not make sense when you consider the history of professional hockey in that area. Hockey was once quite popular in the northwest.
You have to think that things would have turned out a lot better for the NHL in the present had the NHL - which was led by the Leafs - not blocked western expansion to Seattle, Vancouver and Portland in the mid sixties. Had those markets entered the league in 1967 when the game was very strong in those markets the NHL landscape would be entirely different. You have to think that the NHL's television market share would be a lot stronger. Now those fans and that momentum are gone.
Back in the early sixties the Western Hockey League had plans to become a rival and compete with the NHL but this was derailed when the NHL got word and counteracted with expansion in the eastern US in 1967. This diluted the talent point to the point that a new league could not compete for players.
Meanwhile across Canada people were furious because Vancouver was not granted a team, so that eventually led to an expansion in 1970. It's too bad there wasn't a similar uproar against the exclusion of Portland and Seattle. Had the league just found a way to go in early in those markets I think the game would have very high standing in the US - at least in the northern USA. We'd probably have a couple less shaky southern markets to boot.
The NHL should really start moving teams from the east to the west. Chicago, Detroit, Columbus, and St. Louis shouldn't be in the western conference.
Makes me think Portland and Seattle need a team. Of course Winnipeg would be nice too
It seems that the thrashers logo is too high. I went on a trip to Atlanta last week and I don't remember the city being in Tennessee! lol
I think this is really cool. You should do this for other leagues like the AHL, CHL, USHL, and stuff like that.
Next time the Oilers win a Stanley cup their slogan should be "On Top of The World".It works on so many levels (well it would if they won) I would buy merchendise with that!!
And ya it is a waste of time, but its still better than nothing!
I'm sure you did something like this back on ToL, though maybe it was somewhere else that I saw it...
You used the new Sabres logo, does this mean that it's official?
some of the team placements are little off, but nice job!
whenever people talk about division realignment whenever expansion is brought up, they always say detroit to the east, when in fact, columbus is much closer to the east.
whenever the pens play columbus it is usually a really good game
It looks like Vancouver has to travel farther than anybody else.
I see you guys have noticed a few kinks in the map, such as the fact that all the logos appear to be slightly north of where they should be. Here's the thing: It's just a Google map with custom icons. And the icons are placed in such a way that they would point down to a specific location. So the bottom of the logo should be closer to the proper location. Maybe I could put a dot there or something to indicate that. Anyway, I just thought it was cool for a general overall view. And I'll start putting some together for the other leagues too.
I am Just happy the Buffalo Slug is gone.
@Brian WOW he dint mean it literally.
Ive never noticed how close Nashville and Atlanta are.
The Cheyenne Avalanche! The team, coaches, and all other staff would make up about half the population of that little village.
if the Penguins moved to KC a few years ago, Detroit would have taken their place in the East... So Detroit going to the East has been brought up before.
Question to Chris, was the map aligned in relation to the location of the team's arenas? If so, this is ridonk.
LOVE this map! You definitely need to do one for the AHL and WHL/OHL/QMJHL. Those would be much more interesting.
Glaringly empty area in the Pacific Northwest and central Canada.
This map clearly illustrates two things. How far removed Minnesota is from everyone else in the Northwest Division, none of which are even in the same time zone, and how dumb it is that Dallas is in the Pacific Division, even farther from their nearest neighbors - again, all of which are not even in the same time zone.
If you like hockey maps, here's a map of all the hockey jerseys featured on my blog, Third String Goalie.
"if the Penguins moved to KC a few years ago, Detroit would have taken their place in the East... So Detroit going to the East has been brought up before."
to me, this makes no sense. columbus is closer geographically to the east that detroit.
also someone said it doesnt make much sense to them why the pens are in the atlantic. geographically, it doesnt. so put boston in the atlantic and move pittsburgh into the northeast with buffalo and the canadian teams (afterall it is a 4 hr drive straight to buffalo) this makes more sense that moving washington out of the weaker southern division.
taking Pittsburgh out of the Atlantic and Boston out of the Northeast takes away from the rivalries. Montreal-Boston and Philly-Pittsburgh games are great.
there is no reason why teams need to switch divisions just for the sake of geography especially in the Eastern Conference. I understand Dallas is pretty far from the Pacific teams but Texas is huge, they are far away from everyone!!!!!
Ok here's what you do. Move two bad franchises- Atlanta and NY Islanders. One goes to Central Canada, and one goes to Seattle/Portland whatever. They form a division with Edmonton, Vancouver, and Calgary. Next, San Jose, LA, Phoenix, Anaheim, and Colorado make a division. Then, bring Dallas and Nashville down to form a div. with Tampa Bay, Carolina, and Atlanta. Central division is Minnesota, Chicago, St.Louis, Detroit, and Columbus. Then NY Rangers, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington form div. Finally, move Pittsburgh to Northeast with Buffalo, Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto.
Chris, you might need to check your math. You put Atlanta in a division with Tampa Bay, Carolina, Dallas and Nashville after you moved them to Central Canada/Pacific NW. I think you probably meant the Panthers instead.
I completely agree %100 with what EL said up there, I was just about to point out much of what he mentioned but he beat me to it. The NHL needs to seriously consider Seattle and Portland in future expansion and or relocation plans.Why did they decided to put a franchise in Nashiville, when there are much better markets with more population in Portland and Seattle? Metro Nashville has a population of 1,666,566, while Metro Portland has a population of 2,217,325 and Metro Seattle with 3,407,848 (stats gathered from Wikipedia), I personally would love to see a franchise in Seattle and so would lots of the American Canucks fans living in that city, who knows maybe somebody could coax former Canucks owner John McCaw to pass an expansion application on to the NHL for the city of Seattle. I would love to one day be able to make the 3h 40m drive to watch my boys play on the road.
Is anybody else having this issue with the map? For some reason, despite saving it to My Maps, I can't open it for some reason directly from Google Maps. The only way I can open it is if I click through the link on this website. The AHL Map, on the other hand, opens like a charm.
Yep, you're right, I meant the Panthers instead of the Thrashers: The Southeast Division would be Dallas, Nashville, Tampa Bay, Carolina, and Florida.
Definitely the CHL!
If youre gonna move two teams, you'd be crazy to move the Islanders over Phoenix. Move PHX to Winnipeg and make that division Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, and Minnesota. Colorado takes PHX's spot in the Pacific...then move Atlanta to Quebec...move the Penguins to the SE so the NHL gets PIT-WSH games whenever they please. NE is QUE, MON, OTT, TOR, and BUF...atlantic would be NYR, NYI, NJ, BOS, and PHI, and SE would be PIT, WSH, CAR, TB, FLA
Correct me if I'm wrong BUT didn't the NHL already try to move Pgh to another Div??? I believe it was '96/'97 something like that. NorthEast Div: Pitt,Buf,Mtl,Ott,Hart. Atlantic Div: NYI,NYR,Phi,NJ,Fla,TB,Wash. I grew up in the 80's and to me as a long time Pens fan I LOVE the fact that the Pens still play the old PATRICK Division(minus the Caps). Phi vs Pit (Gotta love the battle of PA 8 times a year, plus the 1989 Patrick Division Playoffs, the infamous Phi goalie Ron Hextall chasing Pens winger Robbie Brown around the ice after Brown scored the 9th Pens goal, Pens win 10-7 but lose series 4-3), NYI vs Pens(1975 Playoffs, Pens blew a 3-0 series lead and were eliminated from the Playoffs 4-3), NYR vs Pens(1992 Patrick Division Playoffs, the infamous Adam Graves slash on Mario Lemieux that broke Lemieux's wrist, Pens won series 4-2 on the road to Stanley Cup Win #2), Hell, any of the Patrick Division Playoffs that the Caps and Pens met. NJ vs Pens(1991 Patrick Division Playoffs, Pens back-up goalie Frank Pietrangelo making "THE SAVE", video is kinda poor). Please DO NOT move the Pens out of the Atlantic/Patrick Division
More historical maps please! Fine, the 1967's map with the big expansion is cool just to see the old logos, and the others that you are planning to make (the 74, 79, 93 and 97) make sense too. But before that expansion, before the "Original" Six period (trivia: how many of these teams were actually with the league when it was created in 1917? Only two: the Habs and the Toronto Arenas, which would later be named the Maple Leafs), the league had up to 10 teams in 1930. A map from that year would be cool to see.
And after that, why not a map of defunct NHL franchises?
@ Bob, I like the idea of early NHL Maps. Many People don't know that Pittsburgh had a NHL team back then. The Pittsburgh Pirates Hockey Club(1924-1929). They were the first Pittsburgh team to wear the City colors of Black and Yellow Gold(Pirates Baseball team wore Red/White/Blue back then and the Steelers weren't born until 1933).
@91Pens92: Actually, the Pirates stayed in Pittsburgh until the end of 1929-1930 season. They then moved to Philadelphia the next year and became the Quakers and played only one season. Is this how the rivalry between the two cities started? ;)