2013-2014 NHL Uniform & Logo Changes

[Midway]

The skating Johnny is a nice caricature but just that. I cannot see it as a solid, recognizable crest that tests the ages.

The attempt behind the orca logo is nice, and rather appropriate for the region, but does not tie in effectively to the brand most fans will associate the Canucks with.

The skate logo is a creative 90's logo that should stay in the 90's. Reproducing it on smaller scales would also be a logistical nightmare.

The stick in rink is the safest way to go, though you could make the case that it might be too bland and uninspired. I personally don't have a problem with it but I understand the reasons for why others might.

Ultimately as someone already stated, the Canucks have gone through enough looks that perhaps this would allow for fresh start on a more solid logo package that is welcomed by the majority

[GO2HELL]

I would take the (current) Orca over the skating Johnny logo anyday. Hell, I'd take the heinous Flying V AND the black/red/gold Spaghetti Incident uniforms before I would put skating Johnny on the front. The idea is nice, but I would rather have the V-Head Johnny Canuck logo as the crest.

[Bayne]

I would take the (current) Orca over the skating Johnny logo anyday. Hell, I'd take the heinous Flying V AND the black/red/gold Spaghetti Incident uniforms before I would put skating Johnny on the front. The idea is nice, but I would rather have the V-Head Johnny Canuck logo as the crest.

This is what bothers me. The idea that the V head johnny logo would make a good crest. It wouldn't. It's a horrible design and I don't like it even on the shoulders.

[spartacat_12]

Am I the only one who actually likes the Orca logo? Lose the Vancouver script, streamline the striping, maybe go with a new number font and you have a great look.

The Orca logo looked great in its original set. The two-tone blue, silver, and maroon fit the logo perfectly. That's the problem when teams decide to simply recolour an already existing logo. They couldn't make royal blue and kelly green look good on the orca so they got lazy and kept navy and added no green. It's become a common practice in the NBA (Raptors, Hawks, Jazz, Wizards) but at least these teams know not to have their primary logos at the forefront, which is tough to do in hockey.

[Bayne]

I really like the orca logo but I agree, it doesn't suit the new look the Canucks have had since 08. It seems a bit slapped on. However I know it could be worse, so I've accepted it.

[Sport]

I would take the (current) Orca over the skating Johnny logo anyday. Hell, I'd take the heinous Flying V AND the black/red/gold Spaghetti Incident uniforms before I would put skating Johnny on the front. The idea is nice, but I would rather have the V-Head Johnny Canuck logo as the crest.

What are the specific reasons you hate the skating johnny canucks logo so much? I'm interested in hearing from a Vancouver resident.

[SteveR]

For me, the orca C needs to forever purged from the team's identity. The design and the logo itself are fine but the reason for its creation in the first place is revolting -- it was born totally of corporate ego and narcissism.

[VancouverFan69]

I would take the (current) Orca over the skating Johnny logo anyday. Hell, I'd take the heinous Flying V AND the black/red/gold Spaghetti Incident uniforms before I would put skating Johnny on the front. The idea is nice, but I would rather have the V-Head Johnny Canuck logo as the crest.

What are the specific reasons you hate the skating johnny canucks logo so much? I'm interested in hearing from a Vancouver resident.

Amen to that. I'm a Vancouver resident and I will never, EVER be caught wearing the orca logo. The orca logo was created to promote the former ownership, Orca Bay Sports & Entertainment. During the 90s era of replacing classic crests with aggressive and carnivore animals, Orca Bay originally wanted to change the Canucks name to the Orcas. With the success of SJ Sharks merchandise and the NBA Grizzlies on board, ownership felt that the Canucks name wouldn't fit into Gary Bettman's new NHL. However, then-minority owner, Arthur Griffiths and GM Pat Quinn wanted to keep at least the Canucks name when both wanted the new logo to be Johnny Canuck in the Skate logo colours. That's when local artist, Brent Lynch designed the current orca-C logo for the new majority ownership. Have a C-style logo for the Canucks but the main brand was the orca.

Add insult to injury, Mark Messier, who did absolutely nothing as a Canuck other than run Trevor Linden out of town with the help of his good buddy Mike Keenan, wore the Orca Bay uniform. As a proud long time Canuck fan, that orca does nothing but remind me of one of the darkest days in Canuck history.

[AndrewG70]

The skate logo is a creative 90's logo that should stay in the 90's.

A creative 90s logo that was created in the 1970s.

[hockey week]

The skate logo is a creative 90's logo that should stay in the 90's.

A creative 90s logo that was created in the 1970s.

a 90s plate of spaghetti that was created in the 70s lol

[themightyspitz]

The skating Johnny is a nice caricature but just that. I cannot see it as a solid, recognizable crest that tests the ages.

I saw a great concept ages ago that had the skating Johnny on a blue jersey, and on the arms had green plaid stripes. Can't find it anymore, but it was genius.

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

I really like the Orca logo just for the fact that it represents the area, as well as the Native whale motif. They have had more identities than any team in the league and need to just stick with something. Sure it needs some tweaking, but overall I feel it's a good identity. They've been fairly successful in this set (short of winning the Cup), so just leave it. Lose the script though.

[Midway]

The skate logo is a creative 90's logo that should stay in the 90's.

A creative 90s logo that was created in the 1970s.

a 90s plate of spaghetti that was created in the 70s lol

My point stands lol it's outdated

[Morgan33]

The Orca logo looked great in its original set. The two-tone blue, silver, and maroon fit the logo perfectly. That's the problem when teams decide to simply recolour an already existing logo. They couldn't make royal blue and kelly green look good on the orca so they got lazy and kept navy and added no green. It's become a common practice in the NBA (Raptors, Hawks, Jazz, Wizards) but at least these teams know not to have their primary logos at the forefront, which is tough to do in hockey.

I disagree. The original Orca set with the Navy Blue, Maroon and silver was one of the worst looks in franchise history. Those colours came out of nowhere... unless they were intentionally trying to rip off the Avalanche. The updated Orca looks worlds better even if it doesn't necessarily fit with the Royal Blue & Kelly Green.

[GO2HELL]

Add insult to injury, Mark Messier, who did absolutely nothing as a Canuck other than run Trevor Linden out of town with the help of his good buddy Mike Keenan, wore the Orca Bay uniform. As a proud long time Canuck fan, that orca does nothing but remind me of one of the darkest days in Canuck history.

THIS is why I prefer the *current* version of the Orca. The old double blue/red/silver orca is associated with the nightmare of the Messier/Keenan era, the current orca I associate with the 2011 Stanley Cup run. That was the best season I have ever seen the Canucks play, and seeing all that success with that logo really made it grow on me. During the happiest time of my life, I was wearing a Blue and Green uniform with the orca logo.

@Mcarthy: I hate the Skating Johnny Canuck logo becuase its so goddamn cartoony and that the colours make it look like a big splotch (on the blue jersey specifically) when viewed from a distance. But really, the true reason why I NEVER want to see it as the crest, is the fact that the current Canucks set is gorgeous, and doesn't NEED to be changed. I'm afraid that if the Canucks management make another uniform change with Johnny Canuck, they'll screw it up and we'll have another disaster of a uniform. The current set, while it could use some tweaks, is good enough.

@VancouverFan69 I recall you saying (a while ago) that you don't know anyone who likes the orca and that the response to the Skating Johnny Canuck logo has been overwhelmingly positive (please correct me if I'm wrong, my memory sucks). On my end though, I have asked almost everyone I know about what they think of the uniforms/logos and maybe, out of about 30-ish people I asked, only 2 said they'd rather see that Johnny Canuck logo replace the Orca and 1 said they'd rather see the V-Head replace the Orca. The most common responses were: "I hated them (the set as a whole) at first but they grew on me and I don't think the Canucks need another jersey/logo change." And "History aside, that (skating) Johnny Canuck logo looks :censored:ing stupid."

And seriously, with the amount of jersey changes this team has made, you'd like to see them change AGAIN?! It ain't broke, don't fix it.

/End Rant

[Bayne]

While I agree their set is far from perfect, I'd much rather they didn't change anything over a complete make over yet again. If I had it my way, I'd re-tweak the design of the rink and stick logo back to looking a bit more old-timey and classic and put that on the blue and green home and roads. The current 'modernised' rink and stick is nice but it's a bit too cartoony and I'd prefer it if that gap either side of the stick handle they created was gone with and filled back in. Keep the thick lines and don't go back to the thin line they have on the old logo. I think the rink and stick is nice and simple and classic and woud fit in nicely with the rest of the uniform.

The orca is great, but what bothers me is how detailed it looks in comparison to the simplicity of the jersey template. On top of that you have the script, the numbers and the shoulder patches which all combine to make it look too busy. So the logo just adds to that. Also they use navy blue for the orca which doesnt show up anywhere else on the jersey. Use the rink and stick on home and road, remove the dumb script and replace the shoulder patches with either nothing, or the orca logo. And add some green to the collar. Maybe the triangle part around the nhl sheild.

[spartacat_12]

The Orca logo looked great in its original set. The two-tone blue, silver, and maroon fit the logo perfectly. That's the problem when teams decide to simply recolour an already existing logo. They couldn't make royal blue and kelly green look good on the orca so they got lazy and kept navy and added no green. It's become a common practice in the NBA (Raptors, Hawks, Jazz, Wizards) but at least these teams know not to have their primary logos at the forefront, which is tough to do in hockey.

I disagree. The original Orca set with the Navy Blue, Maroon and silver was one of the worst looks in franchise history. Those colours came out of nowhere... unless they were intentionally trying to rip off the Avalanche. The updated Orca looks worlds better even if it doesn't necessarily fit with the Royal Blue & Kelly Green.

The royal & kelly is a much better look for the Canucks and is clearly favoured by the fans, but that doesn't mean the original orca set was terrible. It just happens to be the only colour scheme that never made an appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals. My high school's hockey team used the original orca template (funny enough our teams are called the Avalanche and pretty much rip off Colorado's logo), and I always though it was a good look. Not as good as the current set but much better than any of the black/red/yellow/orange sets.

[VancouverFan69]

Add insult to injury, Mark Messier, who did absolutely nothing as a Canuck other than run Trevor Linden out of town with the help of his good buddy Mike Keenan, wore the Orca Bay uniform. As a proud long time Canuck fan, that orca does nothing but remind me of one of the darkest days in Canuck history.

THIS is why I prefer the *current* version of the Orca. The old double blue/red/silver orca is associated with the nightmare of the Messier/Keenan era, the current orca I associate with the 2011 Stanley Cup run. That was the best season I have ever seen the Canucks play, and seeing all that success with that logo really made it grow on me. During the happiest time of my life, I was wearing a Blue and Green uniform with the orca logo.

@Mcarthy: I hate the Skating Johnny Canuck logo becuase its so goddamn cartoony and that the colours make it look like a big splotch (on the blue jersey specifically) when viewed from a distance. But really, the true reason why I NEVER want to see it as the crest, is the fact that the current Canucks set is gorgeous, and doesn't NEED to be changed. I'm afraid that if the Canucks management make another uniform change with Johnny Canuck, they'll screw it up and we'll have another disaster of a uniform. The current set, while it could use some tweaks, is good enough.

@VancouverFan69 I recall you saying (a while ago) that you don't know anyone who likes the orca and that the response to the Skating Johnny Canuck logo has been overwhelmingly positive (please correct me if I'm wrong, my memory sucks). On my end though, I have asked almost everyone I know about what they think of the uniforms/logos and maybe, out of about 30-ish people I asked, only 2 said they'd rather see that Johnny Canuck logo replace the Orca and 1 said they'd rather see the V-Head replace the Orca. The most common responses were: "I hated them (the set as a whole) at first but they grew on me and I don't think the Canucks need another jersey/logo change." And "History aside, that (skating) Johnny Canuck logo looks :censored:ing stupid."

And seriously, with the amount of jersey changes this team has made, you'd like to see them change AGAIN?! It ain't broke, don't fix it.

/End Rant

Connor, if you don't mind my asking, of the 30ish people that you've asked regarding their Canuck logo preference, did you ask only those of a particular age range(likely youth and young adults) or those from any particular demographic, ie. tourists or newcomers to BC?

The reality is, is that most long-time Canuck fans, myself included, HATE the orca and would love to see Johnny Canuck finally have its rightful place on the classic blue, green, and white Canuck sweater. Last Monday, when I was at the Canucks-Minnesota game, I was wearing my friend's custom-made Johnny Canuck jersey. I received countless compliments and inquires on it. During the playoffs, I dress up in my Johnny Canuck costume and many fans come up to me and want their photo taken with me. Why?? Because they know the history and legacy of Johnny, going back to the Pacific Coast/Western Hockey League days from 1945 to 1970.

Hey, I'm with you. I am sick and tired of all these identity changes. As Canuck fans, we ALL have our likes and dislikes regarding past and present Canuck uniforms and logos. No wonder why the slogan reads, "We Are All Canucks". My familiarity with JC goes back to the '94 playoffs. Don Cherry on Coach's Corner during the Canuck-Leaf series mentioned Johnny when talking about his playing days in Vancouver. At first, I didn't want a human character for a logo when I was more than happy with the Speeding Skate. However, sportscaster, Don Taylor, who at one time wrote for The Vancouver Province, mentioned several times that Johnny Canuck should be brought back as a third and then as a new logo when it was announced that Orca Bay was changing the uniforms. I kept an image of Johnny and I thought long and hard. "That's the right crest for the Canucks", I realized. It would have that same strong presence on the Canuck uniforms just like the iconic Chief Black Hawk has on the Blackhawks sweaters.

I bet, if the Canucks put Johnny on at least a new alternate jersey, it would be one of the hottest selling jerseys in the NHL. Not because it's new, but because the Canucks would have FINALLY gotten it right.

[Lee.]

So you're countering his anecdotal evidence presented as fact with your own anecdotal evidence presented as fact but use the half-cocked words of Don :censored:ing Taylor to back your argument up?

Good grief

[Corvus]

I find all the Johnny Canuck love overblown. None of the existing JC logos the club has in use would make a strong primary. The skating JC would need a background like, sigh, a roundel, to make it into a decent logo, and the head on a v is awful.

The Orca on the current jerseys is slightly awkward, but overall the uniform is strong and there's not urgent need for tweaking. And there a ton of jerseys walking around town on gamedays, so sales are strong.