A History of the NHL's Current Logos
Saturday · Jun 30 · 2012 | 4:07 PM PDT
We're not expecting any logo changes in the NHL this year, so I thought it might be the perfect time to take a look back at when all of our current logos were born.
The timeline stretches from last summer all the way back to 1948. But creating a simple chronological list isn't quite as simple as it seems. Do we say a logo was born when the basic concept was formed? Is it "reborn" each time it gets an update?
These are questions I'll try to tackle here. Enjoy the read.
2011
January 31: Right in the middle of the season, the Tampa Bay Lightning become the first team of 2011 to introduce a new primary logo. They drop black and silver from their color scheme and go with a simplified, single-color design.
June 22: The Nashville Predators update their primary logo — a shape and basic design that was first created when the team joined the NHL in 1998. Extraneous details and colors are removed in the updated version.
July 22: After the logo is leaked online, the Winnipeg Jets scramble to hold a cyber-unveiling just a month after the team's name is announced at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Only two months earlier, the team had been known as the Atlanta Thrashers prior to the relocation and renaming.
2008
September 20: The Buffalo Sabres offer up a modernized throwback third jersey to quell rising fan opposition against the team's rebranding efforts two years earlier. The Sabres revive their original 1970 logo, adding silver outlining and a darker blue.
November 22: The Los Angeles Kings unveil a third jersey, featuring a brand new crest. Three years later, that crest would become the team's primary mark.
2007
As Reebok takes over production of all NHL uniforms, several teams take the opportunity to implement new designs which include revamped logos.
June 21: The Boston Bruins modernize their logo with new lines and serifs on the B. However, the spoked-B concept is first introduced in 1948. The Bruins have used it ever since, making slight modifications throughout their history.
June 22: After 12 years of wearing bronze and blue, the Washington Capitals return to their roots with a classic patriotic color palette. The team also brings back the wordmark concept first used upon the team's entry into the league in 1974.
July 24: The San Jose Sharks introduce an updated version of their primary logo. Just like the team's original mark from 1991, it features a shark biting through a hockey stick and is created by the same designer. The new version includes fewer straight lines and a heavier emphasis on Pacific teal, the club's primary color.
August 22: The Ottawa Senators unveil new uniforms featuring a revised version of their faux-3D centurion character. The original concept of this mark is first seen on a third jersey in 1997. The new version uses a simplified color palette and stronger lines.
August 29: The Vancouver Canucks reveal a new palette and a recolored primary mark. The orca design first debuts in 1997 in dark blue, light blue, maroon and silver. The new version does away with maroon but retains the dark blue and silver which are not part of the team's new color palette of green and blue.
2006
June 22: A year after the sale from Disney, the Mighty Ducks franchise is renamed the Anaheim Ducks at the urging of fans and introduces a brand new logo and color scheme. During the 2006-07 season, the webbed-D logo was rarely seen on its own as the club made a big push to market the newly shortened name by using the full wordmark.
2005
July 22: Following the lockout that canceled the 2004-05 season, the National Hockey League unveils its new shield logo as part of a process of rebuilding its image. The orange is replaced with Stanley Cup silver and the letters are rearranged to read in an upward direction rather than downward.
2003
September 3: Under the direction of NHL great Wayne Gretzky, the Phoenix Coyotes unveil a completely redesigned logo that retains some of the original colors launched in 1996 when the team moved from Winnipeg. The brick and sand colors are carryovers while the forest green and purple are dropped.
October 13: The Columbus Blue Jackets hit the ice in a new alternate jersey with a crest that focuses more on the symbolism of its name and home state and less on electric green. Four years later, the Civil War-inspired star wrapped in the Ohio flag becomes the club's primary logo.
The Calgary Flames introduce a red home sweater in 2003 that features their classic flaming C in black. However, the flaming C dates back to 1980 when the club is relocated from Atlanta. A red version is used on the white jersey and vice versa. The logo is revised to include a black outline in 1995. For these reasons, this logo is the trickiest when trying to determine a true origin date.
2000
October 28: The Pittsburgh Penguins debut a new third jersey which reintroduces the skating penguin logo which was created at the team's formation in 1967 and modified a year later. The 21st-century edition, however, features Vegas gold in the color palette. In 2002, it becomes the team's primary logo.
1999
November 18: The Minnesota Wild officially unveil the new logo that will represent the team when it takes the ice for the first time the following year.
1998
The St. Louis Blues refresh their famous Blue Note logo with an extra shade of blue. The revised logo with its more angular corners dates back to the 1997-98 season when it debuted on a new white third jersey in a lighter shade of blue. The darker blue is used on the version of the logo used on the blue sweater which launched in the fall. The Blue Note concept itself originates with the team's inception in 1967.
1997
June 16: Following their move from Hartford, the newly minted Carolina Hurricanes officially reveal their logo to fans at a public event at the team's arena.
1995
January: The Dallas Stars begin play in the lockout-shortened 1995 season with an updated logo that now emphasizes the club's new home. The original concept for the logo debuted with the Minnesota North Stars in 1991, prior to their 1993 relocation to Texas.
August 10: After relocating from Quebec earlier in the summer, the newly renamed Colorado Avalanche unveil their new logo.
1993
June 14: One of two expansion teams, the Florida Panthers hold a fan event to display their new logo and uniforms.
1992
February: The New Jersey Devils announce the green in their color palette will be replaced with black to start the 1992-93 season. Other than the color swap, however, the logo remains unchanged from its 1982 design which came after a relocation from Colorado.
1979
The Edmonton Oilers transfer to the NHL from the WHA, where this logo debuted in 1972. The team continues to use it unchanged until 1996 when its colors become dark blue, red and copper. The classic color palette is brought back in 2008 for a third jersey, and finally, returns to primary status in 2010.
1978
The New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs make some modern updates to their primary logos, as had become standard practice over their decades in existence. The basic look of the Rangers shield dates back to their 1926 entry into the NHL. Toronto's use of a complex leaf design goes back to their renaming in 1927, but a simplified shape isn't first seen until 1967. The 11-point leaf debuts in 1970 and is revised eight years later.
1972
The New York Islanders join the NHL with this logo in 1972. It sees tweaks and updates over the years to design elements as well as the colors. It is replaced for a brief period between 1995 and 1997 until fan backlash forces it back onto the team's sweaters. From 1997 to 2010, a navy blue is used. The original mark with the original royal blue returns on a third jersey in 2008 along with one modification. It now features four stripes around the hockey stick, instead of three, to commemorate the team's four Stanley Cup championships. It becomes the Isles' primary logo in 2010.
1967
The Philadelphia Flyers introduce the winged P upon entering the NHL in the first wave of expansion in 1967. They are the only team from that group still using their original logo, unchanged.
1965
Prior to the first NHL expansion, the Chicago Blackhawks made some modifications to modernize their classic Indian head primary mark, a basic idea in use since the team joins the league in 1926. It begins as a black and white logo, with color being added in 1935. The mark would endure a number of cosmetic upgrades over the years, but the mark in use today is first found on a Hawks uniform in 1965.
1952
Like many of its Original Six cohorts, the Montreal Canadiens logo is largely unchanged from the franchise's early days. The CH is seen on Habs jerseys from the founding of the NHL in 1917, though in a much rougher design. The version with the enclosed C debuts in 1952 and has remained unaltered since.
1948
The use of a winged wheel logo by the Detroit Red Wings dates back to the team's renaming from the Falcons in 1932. But the actual shape would go through a few changes early on. The wing is extended and the wheel design is perfected in 1948, making it the oldest logo currently in use in the National Hockey League.
Discuss your take on this history in the comments.
Reader Comments (23)
This was an excellent post and a great read. I really like this site.
Red Wings logo, the oldest and still the best logo in the NHL. Great post.
You made fair points in your rebuttal, and you organized your list with far greater specificity than I did, and my "pre-defense" wasn't intended to be taken seriously. Having said all that, it still seems possible to split the oldest 15 from the newest 15 (by my count, that would make Minnesota/St. Louis and Pittsburgh the dividing line.), and if the Bruins' modernized seriphed B in the spoked-wheel matches up against a logo whose foundation is more recent then that's just the way the random seed categorizes, and I'd be okay with that. But that's another matter. This is a great post, and I found the background very interesting.
A funny thing to note about the perceivability of slight logo changes. Leafs tickets for the game against the Sharks this year featured their old logo, when I jokingly pointed out to the usher he said "what isn't that the symbol on your sweater?"
I guess if I want forgiveness for not acknowledging the seriphs of Boston and the Vegas gold of Pittsburgh, I should forgive the usher :p
I hope you understand that my interest in this topic, though poorly expressed, is a reflection of the appreciation I have for the enormous work you put into this site as a "hobby", this site is way too professional to use that word.
Do the Flames have the distinction of being the only team to use the logo from their road sweaters on their home ice, especially when they could use the home sweater design? As I do a cursory run-through of the NHL teams, I can only think of the Lightning being another to use their road logo, only because they are forced to, unless they were to put a blue circle at center ice in which to put a white logo. I know that the Rangers use their logo (or some form of it), not the wordmark from the front of their sweaters. Other than that, I'm having a hard time thinking of any others.
Maybe that could spark a concept for another post: center ice designs compared to sweater logos. After all hockey aesthetics can extend beyond the sweaters.
Geoffrey: Actually, the Maple Leafs are the first team that come to mind for me. You can't use the white leaf on white ice. And technically, the Lightning don't use their road sweater logo at center ice. They use a blue version of their home crest. The road jersey says Tampa Bay above the bolt.
But actually, the Flames, Leafs and Lightning aren't the only ones. The Blues use their road jersey logo which features the lighter blue in the Blue Note. And the Canucks do the same. The ice the orca is breaking through is white on the home jersey, blue on the roads. Also, I'm fairly certain the Kings still use the black and silver crown logo at center ice rather than the banner-shaped one seen on their jerseys.
Think that about covers it.
Interesting read. Thanks!
Never saw a timeline like this before. Excellent idea and great post!
The only thing it's missing is a clear line whether to sort the logos by its first ever appereance on a jersey, by the use as a primary logo, or by the last modification ever made.
The Oilers and Islanders are listed back in the 70s, despite of many changes in color schemes, while the Calgary Flames are listed in 2003 at the first appearance of the black "C" - which still isn't the official logo.
Pittsburgh and Columbus are listed in the year their logos came up as alternate versions, while the Blues are listed in 1999 instead of 1997.
Finally, to be a complete nitpicker: The Blues introduced their current logo in 1997 on the white alternate jersey. When one year later this logo was promoted they added the darker version but only (!) to be used on the blue road (now home) jerseys.
so, who do we think is next to change?? have to say the devils could do with a new logo or jerseys, they need to boost incoming cash, quick way to do it - a lot of new merchandise sales......
Don't the Florida Panthers use a modernization of their 1993 logo?
Alvin: There have been alternate versions over the years, but this logo has been their primary mark all along. In 1998, they put a broken hockey stick in the panther's paws for the third jersey. And the 2009 third jersey saw a simplified version of the panther's head in a circle.
The older a logo is, the better it seems to be. It's a sad commentary on modern designers.
In 1999 the Panthers switched to a darker hue of blue I believe, no?
Armstrong: Your premise is totally baseless! Sorry, gotta stand up for the modern designers here. First of all, when it comes to designing sports logos these days, they always have someone higher up to answer to — often someone who's making bad decisions about design based on what they think will move merchandise. So let's not blame the designers. Second, we'll see how your argument stands up when I start posting bonus polls pitting teams' current logos against their old ones.
Alvin: Yes, a barely perceptible adjustment was made in 1999 when color palettes all across the NHL were standardized. But again, for our purposes here, the logo has remained unchanged since 1993.
The Flyers logo was modified for their truly gruesome alternative jersey from 2002-07. It’s a 3D logo with raised silver beveled edges.
Armstrong: Right and wrong. The older the logos are the better they look has nothing to do with the designer but only TIME. The only thing you can blame modern teams is that they pull the trigger way to early when it comes to logo changes.
Imo, the Minnesota Wild and the Ottawa Senators, or even the simplyfied Predators logo will be classics in 20-30 years.
On the other hand, teams like the Bruins or the Capitals did a great job on keeping classic logos up to date.
Chris: The Blues logo still listed two years late, or am I getting something wrong? ;)
MisterMorrison: Sorry, I thought I already responded to your original common, but apparently I did not. Anyway, I knew there were parts of this that would be complicated and so I expected a discussion. First, the Blues introduced that white third jersey you referenced on Feb. 1, 1998 — not 1997. Nitpicky, but obviously beside the point.
The difference is in the details of theses logos. And to be fair, I did explain why, especially the Flames, were tricky to place on the timeline. In the end, I went with the logos actually used in my graphics because they're the ones used by the teams on colored backgrounds. I don't like using white backgrounds in logo graphics.
The Flames' black C came about in 2003 while the version we still see today on the white jersey was introduced in 1995. I did address that in the post. Similar deal with the Blues. The dark Blue Note wasn't added until the following season on the new blue jersey. I did mistakenly have the logo under 1999 and I can't figure out how I made that mistake but it's been rectified.
The Oilers and Islanders are listed in the 70s despite changes over the years because they've both since gone back to their original colors and logos. Just a couple of years ago, this list would've looked a lot different.
The Ford Pinto will always be a crappy car, no matter how much time passes. The notion that logos or anything else necessarily become better as they age is false. The Original 6 logos are awesome because they are awesome, not because they are simply decades old. Show me one logo done since 1980 (and tweaks to existing logos do not count as "new" logos) which is as good as those of the Bruins, Blackhawks, Red Wings, etc. The logos done in the 90s were tragic, and those teams are still fumbling around for some 'iconic' identity (I'm looking in your direction, Ducks). In fact, do not bother. Nothing you say will convince me otherwise. 1980 was a watershed year which heralded, among other tragedies, awful uniform design, overuse of black, poorly-drawn anthropomorphic aggressive stick-wielding creatures, and Philly's experiment with long pants.
"Nothing you say will convince me otherwise."
Gotta love anyone who's open to an exchange of ideas. Why bother joining the discussion at all?
Chris, Hey, the Whalers wore the long pants too. They just weren't any good.
I think that the red wings should be moved to the 90's or the habs moved to 1917 because they both featured changes
regarding the 1978 entry with the rangers and Leafs:
"The 11-point leaf debuts in 1970 and is revised eight years later."
...this would mean that in 1978, the Leafs revised their logo.
Just wondering what the actual revision was?
My only nit to pick with Winnipeg's logo is that they have the wrong jet pictured. The Canadian Air Force flies mostly CF-18F Super Hornets. A Hornet has twin tails, not a single one. So, if they must call themselves "The Jets," just put the proper aircraft in the logo, will 'ya? The RCAF might thank you folks later!
Other than that--great article!
--RKJ
The Red Wings logo has not changed, Raphael. It is the same now as it was in '48 and always has been