Alternate NHL Logos & Uniforms - 1967

[thebigeh]

I had created and hand drawn these about fifteen years ago, and had recently done likewise with my Inkscape program. They're NHL logos and home and away uniforms from an alternate universe circa 1967. Basically its my version of a "what would the NHL look like if it had grown a different way?" feel about them, around the same time of its first modern growth.

I drew up the logos and uniforms, basically to keep my training methods up to date. Some of them look familiar. Others have a mismash of different eras in them. And some are completely different, yet have a distinct familiarity to them, if you understand. I will introduce each team from the oldest to the latest.

First up, the Montreal Canadiens:

About the logo, I've always been partial to the Habs' earlier logo which was thinner and a little more ornamental than the current one, introduced in the mid 1950s and is still in use. The rest of the uniforms are what one would expect around this time. I've always like the Habs' numbers inside the stripes of their sleeves.

[thebigeh]

Next, The Toronto Maple Leafs:

The logo is, of course from the mid 1930s to about the early 1960s, before the Leafs had thickened their outlines, which I never liked. The only thing different was they didn't have the blue shoulder yoke on their white uniforms that they adopted in the late 1950s.

Next, the Boston Bruins:

The stripes on the sleeves are evened out. Not much of a difference. The shape of the "B" on the logo is exactly the same as it was when it was first introduced in 1949 and continued until the late 1960s when the curves of the letters were evened out.

More to follow.

[thebigeh]

Next up, the Chicago Blackhawks:

Not much difference here, except for there being three white stripes and two black one on the sleeves of home jersey, instead of two white and one black. The head of Chief Blackhawk is non smiley like he used to appear at the time.

Next, the Detroit Red Wings:

No real change in that one.

And, last of the Original Six, the New York Rangers:

No change in the uniforms. The logo is of a different shape with different lettering and the word "RANGERS" is in red, just like they used to have, on and off, which I like seeing as it matches the same coloring on their blue home jerseys.

It might not be much to show, but I guarantee you, things are going to start to look a whole lot different after this. More to come, I guarantee you.

[thebigeh]

Now for the new and different teams. The timelines for their entry are different than what they are in reality.

First, the league's seventh team, the Cleveland Barons:

The uniforms were inspired by the OHL's Oshawa Generals. Blue is still the main color, as it was when they were in the AHL, but to differentiate them from the Toronto Maple Leafs, I added black as a second color. I thought a script logo on the front of the jersey would be a nice touch for a team named the Barons.

Next up, a few years after the Barons, the league's eight team, the Philadelphia Americans:

Yes, the logo is from the Rochester Americans. But I had this Philadelphia NHL team adopt the Americans' name and they would create a farm team in Rochester with the same name. The uniforms are clearly inspired by the American flag, and there are eight stars on the front of the jersey that represent Philadelphia as the eighth NHL team. There are also eight stars on the back of the jersey along the top part. There are also eight red and white stripes along the sleeves at the base of the jersey, and on the socks. The numbers on the jersey are the same as the New York Rangers as they were made by the same manufacturer.

More to come.

[gusbus00]

For Detroit and Boston I would make the logo larger. And Detroit's logo is off center.

[Chromatic]

The Barons logo is cheesy as hell, but I love the uniforms.

[thebigeh]

For Detroit and Boston I would make the logo larger. And Detroit's logo is off center.

From the first season under Detroit's new nickname, Red Wings, until the Norris Family sold them fifty years later, it was intentional to have the wheel in the logo centered right underneath the collar. Why? I have no Idea. Just wanted to keep some traditions in the Original Six intact.

[DnBronc]

So, in this timeline, the Barons are actually welcomed into the league in the 50's instead of being given the runaround. Cool.

[thebigeh]

Next up would be two teams coming in at the same time also with backgrounds from our current timeline of the American Hockey League.

First, in alphabetical order, the Baltimore Clippers:

The main logo is the same as the one the Clippers used in the AHL (I actually redrew the logo this past summer). But, rather than use diagonal lettering on the jerseys, like they had in the AHL, The lettering here is on a curve and in serif form. And underneath the lettering, would be an anchor that was also a part of the main logo. The white uniforms were inspired by their AHL counterparts from the early seventies.

Alongside the Clippers, are the Pittsburgh Hornets:

The Hornets were known for wearing red throughout most of their existence in the AHL. And these were no exception. But because red and white were synonymous with the Detroit Red Wings, I added gold to their logo and uniforms. There are plenty of red and gold stripes all over both sets of uniforms - especially on the socks - as to give off the look of a hornet. The logo is obviously different from the real AHL one.

The next two that I'll add are familiar NHL names, but with slightly altered appearances. They'll come later.

[thebigeh]

The next two teams in my alternate NHL are familliar names in the league who would come in together a year after the previous two. But their appearances are altered somewhat

First up, the Minnesota North Stars:

First, the obvious difference. The logo is the prototype the North Stars introduced when they entered the league in 1967 and that they used on their uniforms during the preseason before they ditched them and used the more streamlined one they used throughout the majority of their realtime NHL existence. The logo is rotated a bit so that the arrow part and star are in an upright - northerly - position. I only used green and white to keep it solid and simple, like with both Detroit and Toronto. The uniforms look like the ones the Maple Leafs first introduced in 1970 because, like the logo, I wanted to use a vertical sleeve stripe with a star on the top to signify them being the North Stars.

Next is the St. Louis Blues:

The logo looks like the realtime version, except longer at the stem. The uniforms are somewhat like their earlier versions but a little more toned down, and without a second trim around them. The dark home uniforms look like the ones they wore from the mid eighties. The white road ones look like Minnesota's but with blue instead of green.

I've got two more to post and they will be up soon.

[thebigeh]

Finally, and reaching into 1967, the last two teams to make up my alternate NHL. Both of them from California.

First, the Los Angeles Blades:

Yes, the Blades logo looks very much like the old school Saskatoon Blades logo. But, according to the history of the Saskatoon Blades the team was set up as a farm team of the LA Blades pf the old Western Professional Hockey League. If they had been successful in landing an NHL team back then, than this would assumably be what their logo would look like. I added red to make them different and give them a hot feel as they would be the first genuine sunbelt team in the NHL. They would also carry on the modern look in their uniforms with a V-neck sweater.

And last but not least, the San Francisco Seals:

Never liked the name California/Oakland Seals. This team would play out of the Cow Palace and would be marketed as a San Francisco team. The logo removes all hints about where they're located and concentrates more on the stylized seal. The uniforms remain basically the same.

That's all I have. Feel free to comment on the entire collection, as some have.

[neo_prankster]

Very nice.

Would there be any point in time where the Hornets become the Penguins, or the Blades become the Kings?

Would Buffalo still have the Sabres by 1970?

Would there be a Seattle Totems franchise, or would the Vancouver Canucks start first?

[thebigeh]

Very nice.

Would there be any point in time where the Hornets become the Penguins, or the Blades become the Kings?

Would Buffalo still have the Sabres by 1970?

Would there be a Seattle Totems franchise, or would the Vancouver Canucks start first?

To answer the first question: No, they wouldn't change their names. I would see the Hornets adding black to their red and gold ensemble down the road.

As for the last two, it would definitely be the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks. But I would have to come up with some kind of Johnny Canuck logo and colors for Vancouver.

[omnivore]

I love those Clippers unis. Just simple, but perfect.

[Stampman]

Interesting start.

Although I kind of wonder at LA looking like the old Colorado Rockies/Kansas City Scouts with those colours.