sitboaf

I appreciate your feedback. I think the New Jersey logo is very 1982, which is fine for 1982, but... Agree to disagree on its timelessness, I guess. But, it's a moot point, I suppose. We see very little creativity from the club when they have the opportunity to exercise it. NJ could very well last forever. And you are correct that there have been slight alterations to the Bruins logo, but those do not rise to the level of a "logo change", IMO, as they are small tweaks. The original point of my post was that the spoked B or the Blackhawks head have been more-or-less the same logo, and not changes like the Sabres have undergone, for instance. I've always viewed the Ballard Leaf as a significant change, but you're right— it was an update and not an overhaul.

You may well be right about the Pens, Islanders and Devils. I've felt the Devils logo has been outdated for about 20 years now, but they show no signs of alteration, so... The Pens reverted to the cartoony bird from Robo Penguin in 99, but a lot of people still love that 90s look, so that's why I feel unsure. Islanders have flirted with change, but never really commit to it. I wonder how soon they will try again. I mentioned the Leafs because they have had a realistic looking leaf logo for half their existence, and a simplified, geometric leaf for the other half. I much prefer their current logo, and I hope they keep this design for a long time, but there's 5 decades of something else clogging up their history. The Bruins have had their spoked B for 73 years, and their color scheme for 88 years. All the changes recently have been to third and specialty jerseys, and I don't see the team adopting any of their ugly bear designs as a main look.

I wanted to talk about MLB, too. It seems the most "stable" of the big 4, in terms of logos. It's also here that we've seen a lot of "reversion"–where a team returns to a previous logo, as if to say, "we tried other looks, but we keep coming back to this. THIS is our forever identity." Seem forever done: Orioles - returned to an old (albeit secondary) logo after some ornithologically correct years. I love this bird face. Red Sox - same idea since 1924. Definitely done White Sox - changed a LOT in their history, but now have 30 years with the word lockup. Still looks fresh. Done. Tigers - 118 years with a navy D, with only a brief break. Done. Royals - have never changed. Got it right the first time. Angels- 5 overhauls in their existence. The current one is simple and beautiful, but despite seeming eternal, is but 17 years old. Gonna say they found their forever logo. Yankees - kind of a weird case, right? Their primary logo is the top hat and bat, but their "actual" logo is the interlocked letters, and that won't ever change. Athletics - English script A seems locked for eternity. Though I am a big fan of the elephant. Blue Jays -flew very far from home, but have migrated back to that beautiful look that kicked it all off. Done. Cubs - SO done. Reds - see Cubs. Dodgers - see Reds. Brewers - a return to the "mb glove" seemed as unavoidable as gravity. Will they ever dare leave again? Mets - got it right the first time. Giants - Easy? to call, because they've never been graphically ambitious. I still much prefer the vertical arched lettering over the current radial arch lettering, but I think the wordmark/orange/black/baseball is probably it. Cardinals - 100 years of bird(s) on a bat! Done. Not done: Guardians - Feels like the main logo should go on the hat, and the actual main logo is on someone's draft table. Something is coming soon. Astros - Have overhauled 4 times in 60 years. The current, boring roundel won't last long. Orange and navy may be their comfort zone, though. Twins - Just 2 looks in 60 years, but the current logo is so darn forgettable. I have to imagine the best is yet to come. Mariners - Have had 4 distinct looks in 45 years. I think this logo changes soon. Rays - I can't imagine a wordmark with a sparkle is their stopping point. Rangers - 4 looks in 50 years. The current one is classy but dull. I think they have a return to the state outline or cowboy hat lurking somewhere in the not-too-distant future. Diamondbacks - Logo has been stable, but the colors were once overhauled to shed their 90s-ness. Unsure... Braves - Above my paygrade. But, I'd bet on a significant alteration this decade. Rockies - Abominable letter lockup is just 5 years old. Feels 100. Change has to come, and will probably involve mountains again. Please retain the purple. Marlins - Have already had 3 looks in 30 years. I sometimes feel like they are close to finding their bedrock, then I see the city uniform and fall in love with something new. Phillies - One might have thought the 70s/80s P was their forever, but they've since riffed on their 50s/60s cap logo, and have been there for 30 years. Can't predict, but their million looks pre-war are probably out of the running. Pirates - Well, it's a letter. They tried 5 different pirate faces over 8 different decades, then gave up. I have to imagine we will see a new Pirate (or ship) eventually. Padres - An ocean of changes in 53 years. I can't imagine the current letter lockup (suitable for a hat) is where they will settle. Nationals - the swoopy W is now 11 years old, and is a callback to a much older logo. But I don't think they are finished, because it's not really their own.

I was looking through all the NHL team logos, and it seems several teams are "done" with their branding. What I mean is, they will probably never change their main logo (other than small tweaks) ever again. For other teams, it seems like logo and branding changes are inevitable. Maybe I'll think more in depth about other leagues later, but this is how I personally categorize the NHL teams now: For Sure Forever Done: Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues. Wouldn't be surprised by a change, but these may yet last for decades: Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, Minnesota Wild, New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, Seattle Kraken, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Vegas Golden Knights. Change seems like it will come sooner than later: Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals, Winnipeg Jets. Of course, relocation or a change in ownership can vaporize any team's identity fast, but barring those events, I wondered if you all might have similar thoughts.