Flames Leak 30th Logo?

Got some Calgary Flames news for you this afternoon on a couple of topics — their 30th anniversary and their brand new third jersey.

Icethetics reader Cody has sent in information on this first subject. According to Sportsnet.ca, the Flames aren't supposed to unveil their new 30th anniversary logo until September. However, it seems to have appeared briefly on the team's web site on Tuesday. An intentional effort to net a free but unsuspecting focus group or a simple mistake?

It is rumoured that the Calgary Flames will wear a new logo on occasion this year to commemorate its 30th NHL season.

The logo was expected to be officially unveiled in September, but it appeared on the team's web site on Tuesday. It is unknown for what games the new logo will appear.

Flames' 30th anniversary logo?The logo in question is apparently what you see here to the right.

There's no way to know at this point if this will be the 30th anniversary logo or if it's even a final version. If it is, I think it's safe to say the Oilers beat them on 30th logos — by a mile.

That's really all I have on that. This logo has been making its way around Flames fan sites and message boards since Tuesday but no one seems to have any definitive information.

Personally, I'm curious about that last line in the Sportsnet story. "It is unknown for what games the new logo will appear." If it's an anniversary logo, it should simply be a patch on the uniform for the whole season. I certainly hope there's no plan to put this on a third jersey.

Which brings me to the third jersey news. Last September, I posted this story — which appeared in the Calgary Sun. Basically, it was Flames president Ken King talking about the team's third jersey plans. King all but confirmed the new sweater to be black with a new crest — not the Flaming C — and that it would debut for the 2009-10 season. At the time he said it was 95% complete.

I'm now hearing from a couple of sources that this design is being replaced in favor of a retro look from the team's early days (no word if the Atlanta Flames logo will make a reappearance). It's possible the team is working on a white sweater devoid of any black. Those were the days.

I'll continue to follow these stories but keep in mind that we're less than a month away from getting some official news — which I always prefer anyway. Meantime, Calgary fans, were you wary of another black jersey? Excited about a vintage look? What about this 30th anniversary logo?

Update on Thursday · Aug 20 · 2009 | 2:20 PM PDT by Chris

Got a quick follow-up on the 30th anniversary logo thanks to the guys at the Calgarypuck Forums, specifically a user called alltherage. He's allegedly got a screenshot from the web site before the logo was removed. However, I can't vouch for the legitimacy of this image, so I post it with some hesitation.

As you can see, it's right there above Kiprusoff's head, but it's placed in such a way that would've made it easy to add later. That being said, the image was posted on Wednesday afternoon so it may well be real.

Did anyone else happen to see it before it was removed? Anyone else have a screenshot to share?

Update on Thursday · Aug 20 · 2009 | 6:23 PM PDT by Chris

One last update to this post before I put this topic to bed. Apparently, we have all seen this logo before right here on Icethetics and only Jared noticed. He pointed out that it was in a preview image I posted of the Flames' new web site almost a month ago. It just slid under the radar.

Early version of Flames' web site redesign

Turns out it was Photoshopped right into the rafters and I never even noticed. I think I was distracted by the burning hockey players. So there you have it. End of subject.

Change the Leafs Logo

I mentioned this briefly on Twitter several weeks ago, but I've been getting emails almost daily about one Toronto fan's attempt at fixing his team's logo.

In case you're one of the few that hasn't yet heard, LeafsLogo.com and creator Jeff Veillette are on a crusade to convince the Toronto Maple Leafs to change their logo and uniforms. He likes the new third jersey so much he thinks it deserves a promotion.

The design is based on one that originated in 1938 and went by the wayside in 1967 — following the team's final Stanley Cup championship. It's extremely recognizable and beyond that, the Leafs have not won anything since. If that's not reason enough, I don't know what is.

Jeff wants the Leafs to shed the current look, which is by many accounts one of the worst in the league right now, and go with a classic, more traditional design. And who here can blame him?

The current logo has been in service for nearly 40 years and in that time, no Stanley Cups have found their way to Toronto. So Jeff started a petition to, hopefully, reverse the team's luck. Currently, more than 1,300 people have agreed with them.

I'm curious to see what Icethetics readers think of this petition. Cast your vote in the poll to the right. Should the Maple Leafs switch back to the old logo Jeff is talking about or should they just keep everything the way it is — leaving the old logo and uniform for special occasions as an alternate jersey?  

Jeff has gotten some local press about his campaign too. He's spoken to the Toronto Sun and the Toronto Star, both of which have published interesting articles which seem to be in support of the idea, even if not everyone is. The following was printed by the Star.

The petition's backers have been using the Internet to promote their cause, but they're also considering holding a rally to attract attention to their efforts.

But Hall of Famer Red Kelly, a Stanley Cup champion with the Leafs, doesn't think changing the logo will make any difference.

"It's not the logo or the number on the back, it's the player that's going to do the winning," said Kelly, who won four Cups during his stint with the Leafs from 1959 to 1967.

"I think the key is the maple leaf, regardless of the shape it's in. If it's a maple leaf, then it's a Toronto team."

Kelly has a good point, but superstition can be a powerful thing.

Head on over to LeafsLogo.com and check out the petition. Are you in favor of a return to the old days? Or do you think the Leafs should keep their look the way it is?

Panthers Reworking Logo?

There's a question that's been nagging at me for a few weeks now. I want to see what the rest of you think. Are the Florida Panthers in the process of covertly adopting a new logo?

I noticed recently that the Panthers' official web site was redesigned to feature a legless panther logo in the banner. See the following graphic.

Panthers' official web site banner with altered logo

At first, I didn't think much of it. Maybe they were just cropping the legs off to improve the aesthetics of the logo in the banner. But this was more than just a simple crop. Special effort was made. The white fur on the panther's chest had been completely changed.

But then it started showing up all over the web site. Every page has its own custom banner with the altered panther logo.

The club's Twitter avatar even got the same treatment (left), but this time with an added text element. You can see a larger, more detailed version as the custom background on the page.

But that's not all. Like many teams, the Panthers have an official Facebook page for fans to join. It contains an image gallery that features two different logos. The new one I'm talking about (left) and the regular one with the broken stick — and text (right) can be seen below. 

So is this just a simple alteration for web use? Or are the Panthers covertly launching a new logo this year? I don't have a solid answer for that just yet, but it seems the new symbol has made its way to an offline location.

A reader named Brett wrote in to say that he was watching a video about NHL 10 on IGN when he noticed this altered Florida logo and grabbed a screenshot (below).

NHL 10 screenshot via IGN.com

So clearly this new logo is being distributed for uses not related only to the web. Why is it being introduced? Why lose the big cat's legs? Why add a new text element to 15-year-old logo? Will it be replacing the full-body panther logo on the home and road jerseys? That, I very much doubt, but I honestly don't know.

Still, many questions and no answers. So that means everything that follows is guess work. The Panthers are one of a handful of teams expected to release a third jersey this year. Could this logo be meant for that? Perhaps this logo may never even make it onto a sweater. I really can't say.

If anyone reading knows anything about what's going on with this new Florida Panthers logo, I'd love to hear about it. Drop me a line and we'll keep everyone here up to speed.

In the meantime, sound off in the comments. Do you like "new" legless panther? Or do you prefer the leaping, text-free version?

Update on Sunday · Jul 19 · 2009 | 10:02 PM PDT by Chris

Now that I've had a day to read through some of the many comments and emails I've received on this story, it's time for some clarifications.

First, some new information I didn't have before writing this post. As commenter Alex points out, Miami Herald writer George Richards claimed back in March to have gotten some inside information on the Florida Panthers' new third jersey, due this fall.

According to my source ([fellow writer/columnist] David J. Neal), the new jersey is fairly similar to the Wild's third jersey.

The main color is dark blue with light blue (no idea where that's coming from) on the sleeves, shoulders and bottom. Kind of looks like the Penguins.

The leaping cat logo is replaced on the front by a logo similar to the Wild. Florida on top; Panthers on bottom, the Panther head in the middle.

The Panthers say the jersey that was spotted today at Incredible Ice by David J. is not the final jersey and may just be some kind of prototype. That might explain the inclusion of the light blue. We still have to wait and see what the new jersey will look like, but this helps.

This description makes it all the more likely that the Panthers are testing the waters with an altered logo to be used on a new sweater. That's assuming it's true. As he says, we'll have to wait and see.

Now to reply to some comments. First, Johnny Griswold:

Do you think it's just a variation of their regular logo that they use for horizontal banners and graphics that they don't have a lot of depth to play with?

As I said, that was my initial assumption, the reason it took me weeks to write up this post. The problem is, they already have a logo similar to that, so why make a new modification?

Then Six Zero comments:

I'm surprised no one's commented on the fact that this logo isn't entirely new. The leg-less Panther is as old as the franchise, just hasn't been seen since perhaps their first two years in the league. I've even seen it without the stick.

What's most interesting is how it changes the imprint of the entire mark, meaning its shape and orientation. The leg-less logo is landscape, while the previous is more of a portrait orientation. It'll be interesting to see how different a jersey might look with a logo that is wider than it is tall.

Being a Floridian myself, I feel like I've managed to pay pretty close attention to what the Panthers have done over the years. This isn't the first time they've had a half-panther/half-text logo, obviously. But this one is different.

As you can see in a side-by-side comparison, the new one is holding a broken stick, while I don't recall the old version ever incorporating that element. The new logo also doesn't include the text enclosure and has some color variations. But mostly, that white fur on the chest has been modified to stand alone better.

Basically I'm curious as to their reasoning for reinventing the wheel. Perhaps it's as simple as easier separation of individual elements, as seen in the web site banner. In this new logo, the text is not inextricably tied to the logo.

Or maybe I'm just making something out of nothing. But while we're still on the topic, let's look at some other Panthers logos.

First, without the stick, then with the stick, then with two sticks. The first two have been largely interchangeable throughout the years. The stickless panther has commonly been seen on home and road sweaters while the cat with the broken stick has traditionally made an appearance on the third jersey.

The double-stick logo has been around since the franchise first came into existence. Notice it says "hockey club" at the bottom of the circle, for people who weren't sure. It's quite reminiscent of the Wild's home jersey crest, but I wouldn't expect to see it on a new alternate jersey for the Panthers. They'll almost certainly go with something new.

That nearly wraps this post up, but I do have a bit of concept art to share from Gary.

His third jersey design is solely based on this new logo, and not on the earlier account of a potential leak. Still, it would bring a vintage look to the team for the first time. Though I think a lot of Panthers fans would appreciate the return of the classic red sweater. It went by the wayside (converted to a third jersey) even before the Age of Reebok.

Now what do you make of all that?

Fenway Will Host Bruins, Flyers

The Winter Classic 2010 will be held January 1 at Fenway Park between the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers. This should come as a shock to no one who regularly reads Icethetics. I'm posting it today because the NHL is making the official announcement this afternoon.

Additionally, the Boston Globe posted pictures online, giving readers a sneak peek. They come from NHL communications manager Schuyler Baehman's Twitter account. You can see them right here as well.

Winter Classic 2010 via Boston.comThe logo (upper left) takes on a slightly new look from years past. Certainly a more vintage feel. The photo on the bottom shows the layout of the rink on the baseball field while in the outfield you can see the blow-up jerseys that indicate the Flyers as the Bs' opponent.

The press conference will likely yield more information. I'll update this post later tonight.The NHL will release the 2009-10 season schedule later this afternoon as well.

And one more note. Part 3 of the Sweater Switch series will be posted tomorrow. It will include Gaborik, Havlat and the other new members of the Canadiens.

Quack to the Future!

Just days ago, hockey fans in Moline, Illinois were mourning the loss of hockey as the Abbotsford Heat unveiled its new logo and uniforms. But happiness now reigns as the league that once hatched the Quad City Mallards resurrects them — and with six new logos to boot.

Today the International Hockey League announced the approval of the expansion franchise. The team now has a bare-bones web site set up with the following splash page graphic — from which I borrowed tonight's headline.

It features six different logos, two of which are textless. I didn't think you could make a mallard look intimidating but somehow these guys actually managed. And while I'm impressed by the look of this club, I can't help but wonder how wise it is to exist in the first place.

An article in the Quad-City Times points out the frequency of attendance trouble the i wireless Center has faced for hockey in the last decade. (Also talks about the management's marketing strategy for getting fans back.) The arena has been home to the sport since 1995, but has also lost two different teams — the original Mallards shut down when the Calgary Flames moved the AHL's Ak-Sar-Ben Knights to town in 2007.

Now they're gone and I hate to pass judgment on the fans, but it just doesn't seem like there are enough of them in Moline to warrant a team. Maybe you just make the 90-minute trip down I-74 to see the Rivermen in Peoria.

Having said that, there's more to this story. See, the IHL used be called the United Hockey League — the home of the first Quad City Mallards club. So in a way, it's like they just took a two-year vacation while the AHL tested the waters of a market that it found couldn't quite support it. So maybe they're right where they're meant to be.

Thanks to J.D. for the tip on this story and for making the "Mallards are re-hatching" joke. And now that you've heard enough from me, what do you guys think of the menacing green-headed bird logos above?