ECHL New CHICAGO EXPRESS

[north dakota]

I love their alternate logo a lot.

[Viper]

Old name. New team.

Just be happy they didn't crib from the late, unlamented Shamrox instead. (Chicago's NLL team played in that same building for a couple of years before their owners abruptly pulled the plug on the 'Rox in a hissy fit just before the start of the '09 season.)

[ManCalledAmp]

Glad to see we all share the love for the alt. That's gonna make an excellent shoulder patch.

The primary is a few tweaks from being excellent...but it the "face" sideways in the reflections/details? I'm not a big fan of it, myself. A little too...subtle.

[kwhey]

Geez, now Chicago has three hockey teams in three different leagues. They ought to get an affiliation agreement.

[omnivore]

I was just going to say, is that a 3rd team for Chicago now? Well, the Wolves do really well attendance wise especially when the 'Hawks weren't as good. The suburbs of Chicago are massive and they shouldn't encroach on the Wolves market at all. Probably a shrewd decision by whoever decided to do it, especially if they're successful.

Not sure why the Blackhawks have their affiliate in Rockford though, when they'll now have two teams in their backyard.

[The_Admiral]

Because the Wolves and Blackhawks probably don't want to affiliate with each other.

As we discussed earlier when news broke about the ECHL team, I expect the Blackhawks will eventually move their AHL affiliation to Hoffman Estates when they realize that it's about 45 minutes closer, and nobody in Rockford has a job. You'd have two AHL teams 20 miles apart, which may cause a stink about territorial rights until they realize they can just commute by bus and be at the other rink in half an hour, which is a pleasant luxury in a league that inexplicably includes Abbotsford.

[eRay]

I like the primary well enough, but as others have said, it looks like it's tipping over. I'm sure this isn't very easy to prevent when there is no ground to reference, but still, more work should have been done on it. I like the idea, I'll give them that. I also enjoy the colors. Dual Blues don't work for every team, but with this identity it works. Sleek steel, ice, cold...makes sense. I, like all of you, love the secondary. It's fun(as all things minor league should be since a lot of your fans are children, and coming off as less prim & proper will earn you some points), and it's a piece of their identity, aka a different way of showing who they are. I hate when a team has their same logo re-shown in their secondary logo. This adds a bit of depth to the identity that is great. I enjoy their simple typeface as well. It's safe to say the biggest mistake they made was using Stencil for their banner up there.

[CubsFanBudMan]

I'm in the same boat as most of you: Love the alt. Look forward to seeing as the main crest on an alt (hopefully).

The primary is fine, but that leaning train gets me, too. It's especially noticeable to me when the logo is flat and straight (above). Having the Chicago, skyline and circle flat in the background and the "Express" script virtually the same below it, really exaggerates the lean of the train, IMO. If they were going for depth, there had to be a better way to do it, including angling the script somehow or having the train point more toward the front. I like that the face is subtle on the primary, and for the most part the "hey it's hockey" additions are too, although I might have gone without the stick on the X and just let the skate serve that purpose, as I think that's a rather inspired choice.

Love, that whistle guy, though. Also found the version below here. I like that, too. Maybe without the circle the primary would be better? Still think the train would lean on that wordmark.

But don't get me wrong. I like what they've done overall.

[Puck]

Wait, if the new logo has a hockey stick... Why does the old have a basketball?

I truly hope you're failing at trolling.

[CubsFanBudMan]

Another article from the Daily Herald, which includes this:

Keith Flynn at Canadian-based Flynnagain Productions designed the logo. The firm has designed logos for a variety of teams and individuals, including golfer John Daly and retired baseball pitcher Roger Clemens.

Flynnagain posts here from time to time, so perhaps he'll offer some insights.