Winter Classic Logos Unveiled!

At a press conference this afternoon, the NHL unveiled the logo for the 2011 Winter Classic along with the retro logos to be used by the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins.

The outdoor game will take place on New Year's Day at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. The logos were revealed on giant digital screens at the football stadium, which is normally home to the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers.

Unlike past Winter Classic logos, which have typically used a neutral color palette, the 2011 mark seems to feature only the colors likely to be found on the Penguins' Winter Classic throwback uniforms. To be fair, though, these are the colors most associated with the city of Pittsburgh itself.

And based on the news conference, it seems everyone in Pittsburgh is very excited to be playing in the NHL's most publicized regular season game for the second time since 2008 — though this is Crosby & Co.'s first time hosting.

A staple of the Winter Classic since its inception has been retro logos and uniforms. Every team involved has looked into its past for something special to wear. This year will be no exception.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will call back to their inaugural season, 1967-68 — for the logo at least. The uniforms won't be revealed for either team until the fall. The mark features the original skating penguin wearing a scarf, all set on a "vintage" white.

The use of this logo suggests the Penguins will also wear their inaugural uniforms, which were light blue with PITTSBURGH in diagonal text across the front. Again, we'll have to wait for the fall, but this is probably a fair assumption.

The Washington Capitals will also look back to their inaugural season, 1974-75. The logo is the original script mark used from the team's inception until 1996. The Caps' current logo, in use since 2007, is call back to this mark.

With the expection of the first Winter Classic in 2008, the host team typically wears the dark uniforms, with the visitors in white — as is standard in the regular season these days. That means the Capitals will likely wear their original white sweaters.

Of course talk about Winter Classic uniforms is speculative and premature, it's easy to make educated guesses based on history. I'd really be surprised if we get anything different — though I was definitely surprised by the Bruins last year!

The Capitals will officially unveil their Winter Classic uniforms on Oct. 2 at the Capitals Convention. The Penguins have said theirs will also be unveiled some time in the fall — no specific date just yet. You can read more about today's event at NHL.com.

All-Star 2011 Logo Unveiled!

Hurricanes unveil 2011 All-Star Game logoThe Carolina Hurricanes unveiled the 2011 NHL All-Star Game logo today in downtown Raleigh. They also revealed a giant window treatment on the RBC Plaza building promoting All-Star Weekend.

The NHL released its official description of the logo as well:

The primary color of the logo is a tribute to the Hurricanes and their legion of fans, the ‘Caniacs,’ who display their team pride by wearing red during home games at the RBC Center. Also, the holding shape is consistent with the Hurricanes’ primary logo.

With the 2011 NHL All-Star Game being played in the state capital of North Carolina, Raleigh, and the popularity of the Hurricanes stretching well beyond the Triangle, inspiration for the banners along the top and bottom of the logo is derived from the official flag of the state of North Carolina.

It's very, very red. Very red. I do like the subtle hurricane shape the logo sits in. Outside of that, I think it's rather red. I understand they didn't have a lot to work with, what with red being the Canes' primary color.

Anyway, what do you think of it? Share your comments below.

By the way, there were no details released regarding the All-Star uniforms. I'm not sure when we'll get our first look at those. Of course, they may just recycle those worn during the 2009 game in Montreal. Maybe swap the blue for black. Maybe not.

Update on Monday · Jul 26 · 2010 | 4:43 PM PDT by Chris

The Hurricanes have added a new photo gallery to their website from today's festivities. I recommend taking a look because the logo comes of much cooler on their giant poster. The dark red is darker and the silver looks more like chrome.

All Star '11 Logo Coming Soon

The Carolina Hurricanes will reveal the 2011 NHL All-Star Game logo at a news conference in downtown Raleigh on Monday afternoon, according to the team's website.

Here's the complete press release with details of the event:

Peter Karmanos Jr., CEO/Owner/Governor of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, will hold a news conference on Monday, July 26, at RBC Plaza in downtown Raleigh. During the news conference, Mr. Karmanos will reveal the logo for the 2011 NHL All-Star Game, which will be held on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011, at the RBC Center, and will discuss the ongoing preparations for the event.

WHAT: News conference concerning the NHL All-Star Game logo
WHEN: Monday, July 26, 2010, 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Plaza Condos Amenities Level (23rd floor), RBC Plaza, 301 Fayetteville St., Raleigh
WHO: Hurricanes Owner/CEO/Governor Peter Karmanos Jr., Hurricanes President/General Manager Jim Rutherford, President of the Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau Dennis Edwards, Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce President Harvey Schmitt, President and CEO of Highwoods Properties Ed Fritsch (developer of RBC Plaza)

Obviously, you can count on seeing the new logo here on Icethetics as soon as it's available on the web. The unveiling will pave the way for an upcoming mini logo tournament I'm putting together featuring past all-star logos!

A History of Logo Larceny

Take a good look. On the left is a logo created by Mike Ivall and first posted to the Icethetics blog on July 8, 2008. It has a habit of stirring up controversy in the form of infringement because, on right is the new logo of the NAHL's Port Huron Fighting Falcons, who will have an unveiling event for it on Wednesday.

There is no question where this Fighting Falcons logo came from. Too many distinct elements just copied outright without much else altered. What is perhaps most disturbing is that this team isn't even bothering to credit the logo's original creator and, in fact, crediting someone else entirely. Someone named Larry Smith of Tag Sports Graphics gets the nod on the team's website.

Mike tells me he emailed the team over the weekend and is waiting to hear back. I also have an email into the them seeking comment on the situation. I'll let you know if they reply.

This isn't the first time Mike's logo has been used without his permission. Most recently, he worked out a deal with the Maplesoft Hawks, a AAA organization based in Ottawa, had been using his exact logo on team merchandise.

However, a rather shady company called Chi-City Tees, presumably based in Chicago, is selling t-shirts featuring Mike's design — without his permission. They list no physical address on their website. Another company called MNM Hockey, is using a slightly altered version of the logo to promote its site. To my knowledge, neither organization has worked out a deal with Mike.

That just makes them thieves.

Update on Friday · Jul 16 · 2010 | 9:25 PM PDT by Chris

The situation regarding the logo seems to have sputtered out this week. The Fighting Falcons will apparently go back to the drawing board on this one. Times Herald writer Paul Costanzo spoke with president/GM Ernie Hicke at Wednesday's press conference:

On the logo: I talked briefly to Hicke about it, and basically the team is looking for a new one. Mike Ivall had created a logo very similar to the Fighting Falcons (not the same) and had contacted the team. Nobody wanted to get into a legal dispute over it, so the team is just going to create a new logo.

Sounds like that wraps things up. I'll keep an eye out for the new logo and share it here on the blog when the team does unveil it. The season begins Sept. 10, so we should see it before then.

Caps Sued Over Weagle

Designer claims infringementA few weeks ago a lawsuit was filed against the Washington Capitals for copyright infringement. Apparently, a fan from Vienna claims the team's new secondary logo, introduced in 2007, was his idea.

Here's an excerpt from an article in the Washington Business Journal from June 18:

Chris Joannou claims he started tinkering with the Caps’ old logo in his spare time in 1993. He sent the team an unsolicited drawing of an eagle and the Capitol dome embedded in a hockey stick. Very Pittsburgh Penguin-y, but the late Abe Pollin, the Caps owner at the time, allegedly acknowledged the design in a July 1993 letter.

“Very creative, very bold, and I like it,” Pollin supposedly wrote. “We haven’t thought of changing the Capitals’ logo or name; but, if and when we do, your logo will certainly be given consideration.”

A couple of years later, Joannou alleges, he showed Caps officials two versions of another proposed logo, this time with an eagle astride the Capitol building, its wings outstretched in a “W” shape.

The law firm Stueve Siegel Hanson are representing Joannou and included another version of the Weagle logo in their complaint. What do you guys think of them?

Lawsuit logo comparison

It's worth noting there is a reason most pro sports teams don't accept unsolicited artwork. Crap like this. I'm not discounting Joannou's claims. Maybe he created this in the 90s, maybe he didn't. Maybe it's similar, maybe it's not. That's for a judge to decide. All I know is that if you give someone artwork without any prior agreements, you're just setting yourself up for problems.

If you find yourself wanting to submit artwork to a team, I highly recommend first reading this post about unsolicited artwork over at PuckDrawn. Johnny's got a lot of great information there for logo designers, including an Idea Submission Form.

Meantime, I'll try to keep an eye on this story and see where it goes. The Weagle is possibly one of the most popular secondary logos in the NHL. It would be a shame to see it disappear.