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.

Winter Classic Details Tomorrow

Later this afternoon, the Carolina Hurricanes and the NHL will unveil the 2011 All-Star Game logo. Tomorrow we'll get our first look at the Winter Classic mark — even though we've already sort of seen it.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and the NHL will hold a press conference at Heinz Field tomorrow, unveiling new details regarding the 2011 Winter Classic, including the official unveiling of the logo and a mockup of the rink inside the stadium.

The announcement was posted this morning on the Penguins' website and included the following:

Among the highlights of Tuesday’s media conference, which will be streamed live on PittsburghPenguins.com in addition to being broadcast nationally on NHL Network, are the unveiling of the 2011 Winter Classic logo and a mockup of where the ice rink will sit on the Heinz Field surface.

NBC and VERSUS play-by-play announcer Doc Emrick will be on hand to serve as the event’s emcee.

The release also mentions that Sidney Crosby, Maxime Talbot and Pascal Dupuis will be on hand for the event. It does not specifically say whether the Pens' Winter Classic uniforms will be on display. Earlier this month, team brass told local papers that the new sweaters would not be unveiled publicly until the fall.

So unless they surprise us, the main thing Icethetics readers will likely take away from tomorrow's presser will be the logo unveiling. And as I mentioned, we sort of already saw it last month. When the 2010-11 schedule was announced, a graphic on NHL.com showed a small, obscured version of the logo.

AJHL Logo Map

View AJHL Map in a larger map

Today we're featuring the Albert Junior Hockey League's logo map. That may seem random, but actually there's a good reason for it. Starting tomorrow, we'll begin the AJHL mini-tournament of logos.

The league has 16 teams, one of which you'll have to scroll way up for on the map. The Fort McMurray Oil Barons must have lots of long bus rides to endure. And one other note on this map, the Lloydminster Bobcats don't actually play in Alberta — their arena is in Saskatchewan!

So why an AJHL tournament? Okay, I don't have a reason for that. That was pretty much just random. But at some point we'll be getting to all of the junior leagues. Some of them have pretty awesome logos. Of course some do not.

Anyway, enjoy the AJHL map. What league should we do next? I'm thinking the Central Hockey League, which recently merged with the IHL. If you have suggestions, the comment box is just below.