2013-2014 NHL Uniform & Logo Changes

[VancouverFan69]

Come, on! This looks great!

nothing else is needed to make that a "proper" crest. Print it, Vanc!

its too detailed. i like the logo but it doest look great on a jersey imo.

I find that crests like Chief Black Hawk and the Red Winged Wheel have a lot more detail than Johnny Canuck and both of those crests are among the classics in sports logos. Johnny, imho, doesn't have any more detail than the orca. The only thing that Johnny and the orca have in common is that they are facing right.

[Morgan33]

Simple is effective... ask the Canadiens and Bruins.

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[Sport]

But the Canadiens and Bruins have logos that are, ya know, good.

[VancouverFan69]

Simple is effective... ask the Canadiens and Bruins.

>

Both are great looks. Modified Stick 'n Rink is what I would call my "second" first choice for the primary. Current third jersey templete striping is what I prefer because the current home and away striping is copy and paste from the mid 70s vintage unis. If done properly, I am more than open to trying Johnny with either a stickless Rink C or a Millionaires V in the background.

[The Giant Pacific Octopus]

This concept is still the best idea I've seen for the Canucks. All the symbolism, none of the cartoonishness. The team really needs to look into an idea like this

That wouldn't just be the coolest logo in Canucks history. It would be the coolest logo ever!!*

*After Pucky the Whale of course.

[Morgan33]

But the Canadiens and Bruins have logos that are, ya know, good.

From a strictly design standpoint I don't see how the Bruins and Canadiens logos are that different from Vancouver's updated stick n' rink... The appeal those logos have is mostly due to their longevity and Stanley Cup History. Take that away and theres quite a lot of common ground between the three.

[Patchey13]

I think Vancouver's thirds are terrible. That hockey stick logo was lame in the 70s and its just as lame now in the 21st century. Its not like the Orca jerseys are any better. Vancouver is one team that needs a makeover (in regards to a logo) in my opinion. As long as they keep the nice blue green combo as a color scheme.

I'll agree with you about the 70's version but not the new one. I think it's a great modernization making a previously bad logo into something decent. Nobody is going to confuse it for a masterpeice but I think it's boldness & simplicity matched with those great colours gives the Canucks a solid look.

- match the stripes on the sleeves and hem to the stripes on the pants and socks. This is my #1 biggest pet peeve with these uniforms and it would be so easy to fix.

- Skating Johnny Canuck on the crest. No arched Vancouver over him.

- The orca C on the shoulders

- and if they want to, throw a white V onto the sleeve stripes, but I could take or leave that.

I agree with you about the first point but that's about it. The full bodied Johnny Canuck logo is way too complex to be a primary logo and the orca has very little in common with it when it comes to the style in which it's rendered.

I think the new one works much better as a shoulder crest, but seems weak when it's front and center on the jersey.

[IceCap]

The Bruins' logo plays off the idea of Boston as the "hub of the universe." It doesn't tie in with the name, but it does a fine job representing the city.

The Canadiens' logo can best be seen as similar to the better baseball cap monograms. The initials of the team's official name, the Canadiens Hockey Club, are present.

With the Canucks' stick in rink logo it's just....kind of generic. A hockey stick in a rink. Nothing that ties into the city, nothing that ties into the team name. Sure, it's supposed to be a C for Canucks, but it's not clear at all with the older version of the logo. I still can't see it myself. I know the elements are all there, it's just not happening on a visual level. The newer version fairs a bit better, but it's still a stretch. So all we're left with is a stick in a rink, which pales in comparison to the Habs' monogram or the Bruins' hub.

[BigBubba]

Hmm...never knew Johnny was so popular. Personally, I think it would make an absolutely terrible crest. The orca is OK, but the jerseys are fantastic. All they need to do is beef up the stripes a bit (not the thick middle one; the two thin ones above/below it).

And while we're at it, HOWZ ABOUT WE RENAME THE DALLAS STAS TEH LONE STARS OR EVEN LONE STARZZZ KUZ THTZ KEWL???//?//

[MDGP]

I've never liked the Johnny Canuck logo as much as the Orca, and I think it would be a terrible crest. While it is perfectly fine (I would tweak the beard and the head rotation so he wouldn't look so goofy), I don't think it works as a crest application. Someone made a point awhile back that the Buffaslug was a perfectly fine logo that wasn't utilized properly, I think that's how I feel about the Johnny Canuck logo as a crest.

If they recolored the Orca (which is perfectly fine, please don't rant about how "It doesn't explicitly say Canucks!!!!1!!11!" I find that argument extremely stupid) and removed the word mark above it, I think they'd have one of the top 5 uniforms in the league. Maybe if they fixed the head (like I said, I find that it looks like he has a really goofy smile the way his mustache is drawn) they could use the Head-in-V logo on the shoulders.

[Chromatic]

This concept is still the best idea I've seen for the Canucks. All the symbolism, none of the cartoonishness. The team really needs to look into an idea like this

I think if they retooled it to fit the lumberjack theme it would be great. Adding a pilot motif would dilute an already vague enough identity.

If they recolored the Orca (which is perfectly fine, please don't rant about how "It doesn't explicitly say Canucks!!!!1!!11!" I find that argument extremely stupid) and removed the word mark above it, I think they'd have one of the top 5 uniforms in the league. Maybe if they fixed the head (like I said, I find that it looks like he has a really goofy smile the way his mustache is drawn) they could use the Head-in-V logo on the shoulders.

The Orca isn't hated because it "doesn't explicitly say Canucks", its hated because on top of being a bad logo, having an Orca as the primary logo is stupid.

[MDGP]

The Orca isn't hated because it "doesn't explicitly say Canucks", its hated because on top of being a bad logo, having an Orca as the primary logo is stupid.

First, I really don't think it's a bad logo, I can safely say I like it better than a majority of logos and it is well designed. You can never convince me it isn't a strong, professional logo. Second, you actually listed one of your reasons for hating the logo as being because...

I hate the Orca. Its a terrible, terrible logo. First of all, they shouldn't have an orca as their primary logo in the first place. I know people argue that "They're not the sticks in rinks or plates of spaghetti either", but they at least made some semblance of sense. Yes BC has Orcas, but they have nothing to do with the team. If they want to represent the region, I think the colours and Johnny Canuck do a fine job of that.

If that isn't saying you hate the logo because it does explicitly say Canucks, I don't know what is. Also, how do the Stick-in-Rink and spaghetti skate make more sense? (I'm assuming it's because the spaghetti skate explicitly says Canucks).

Third, you do realize the Orca is styled with Native American/Canadian imagery, right? I don't think the logo just represents a whale, I think it represents the people of the region who created that art, and those people are technically Canucks as well, whether you like it or not. So I don't think it is stupid to have an orca, and I really don't think your argument that it is similar to that Saints having a Gator has any legs to stand on.

(I do, however, understand why people would get annoyed about how it was made to represent the ownership group).

[Chromatic]

The Orca isn't hated because it "doesn't explicitly say Canucks", its hated because on top of being a bad logo, having an Orca as the primary logo is stupid.

First, I really don't think it's a bad logo, I can safely say I like it better than a majority of logos and it is well designed. You can never convince me it isn't a strong, professional logo. Second, you actually listed one of your reasons for hating the logo as being because...

I hate the Orca. Its a terrible, terrible logo. First of all, they shouldn't have an orca as their primary logo in the first place. I know people argue that "They're not the sticks in rinks or plates of spaghetti either", but they at least made some semblance of sense. Yes BC has Orcas, but they have nothing to do with the team. If they want to represent the region, I think the colours and Johnny Canuck do a fine job of that.

If that isn't saying you hate the logo because it does explicitly say Canucks, I don't know what is. Also, how do the Stick-in-Rink and spaghetti skate make more sense? (I'm assuming it's because the spaghetti skate explicitly says Canucks).

Third, you do realize the Orca is styled with Native American/Canadian imagery right? I don't think the logo just represents a whale, I think it represents the people of the region who created that art, and those people are technically Canucks as well whether you like it or not. So I don't think it is stupid to have an orca, and I really don't think your argument that it is similar to that Saints having a Gator has any legs to stand on.

(I do, however, understand why people would get annoyed about how it was made to represent the ownership group).

No. The 'C' shape its in represents the Canucks. I'm not saying I don't like the Orca logo because "It doesn't explicitly represent the name". I'm saying I don't like it because its an Orca. See the difference? The Haida art style is unique. But It doesn't look good enough to be the primary logo. It looks ridiculously '90s. Especially with such simple jersey striping. It looks out of place. I think it could make an okay shoulder patch, but thats it.

[MDGP]

No. The 'C' shape its in represents the Canucks. I'm not saying I don't like the Orca logo because "It doesn't explicitly represent the name". I'm saying I don't like it because its an Orca. See the difference?

Okay, then why don't you like the fact it's an orca? (I also disagree that the Orca doesn't represent the region, but we can agree to disagree on that one)

[VancouverFan69]

I've never liked the Johnny Canuck logo as much as the Orca, and I think it would be a terrible crest. While it is perfectly fine (I would tweak the beard and the head rotation so he wouldn't look so goofy), I don't think it works as a crest application. Someone made a point awhile back that the Buffaslug was a perfectly fine logo that wasn't utilized properly, I think that's how I feel about the Johnny Canuck logo as a crest.

If they recolored the Orca (which is perfectly fine, please don't rant about how "It doesn't explicitly say Canucks!!!!1!!11!" I find that argument extremely stupid) and removed the word mark above it, I think they'd have one of the top 5 uniforms in the league. Maybe if they fixed the head (like I said, I find that it looks like he has a really goofy smile the way his mustache is drawn) they could use the Head-in-V logo on the shoulders.

The argument that the Orca doesn't say Canucks is very legitimate. I don't know if you ever resided here in Vancouver, but the reason the Orca was incorporated as the Canucks' primary logo back in '97 was because the ownership of the club was called Orca Bay Sports & Entertainment, based out of Seattle. They were a very micro-managing ownership that nearly destroyed the franchise with the signing of Mark Messier and hiring of Mike Keenan. That's why many long-time Canuck fans hate the orca. It had no connection to the club's history and heritage.

The current skating Johnny Canuck is an update on the original version that the Canucks used during their pre-NHL days from '45 to '70. Like you, I wasn't keen on having a human character for a crest but my mindset was convinced by loyal fans who followed the pre-NHL Canucks. I began to see a partial resemblance to both Chicago's Chief Black Hawk and Pittsburgh's Skating Penguin. I strongly feel that should Johnny replace the Orca, it will be extremely popular throughout the sports world and jerseys would sell like hotcakes.

[Chromatic]

No. The 'C' shape its in represents the Canucks. I'm not saying I don't like the Orca logo because "It doesn't explicitly represent the name". I'm saying I don't like it because its an Orca. See the difference?

Okay, then why don't you like the fact it's an orca? (I also disagree that the Orca doesn't represent the region, but we can agree to disagree on that one)

Ignoring all the design issues I have with it, it seems out of place. I know the logo doesn't have to explicitly say the team's nickname (I like quite a few logos that don't) but it just doesn't mesh well. It comes out of left field. You can't just arbitrarily use something like that in a logo. Why is it there? (going by your argument that the Orca doesn't represent the region, why is it on the jersey?).

[The_Admiral]

I think the orca being a third brand-new identity and color scheme was just a breaking point for people. One big sea change in team identity, okay, but generally after that you either tweak a bit or go backward and tweak that, not go back to the drawing board altogether. I'd feel sort of unmoored from my team if it kept completely reinventing itself every few years. Especially when you factor in what the team actually did on the ice in that era, I'd say anything the Canucks designed in that time period would have been met with the same exhaustion and resentment: they could have worn the Grizzlies' colors, straight black and white like orca whales or the Brooklyn Nets, anything. Sucking plus new design #3 would have worn people out.

[MDGP]

The argument that the Orca doesn't say Canucks is very legitimate. I don't know if you ever resided here in Vancouver, but the reason the Orca was incorporated as the Canucks' primary logo back in '97 was because the ownership of the club was called Orca Bay Sports & Entertainment, based out of Seattle. They were a very micro-managing ownership that nearly destroyed the franchise with the signing of Mark Messier and hiring of Mike Keenan. That's why many long-time Canuck fans hate the orca. It had no connection to the club's history and heritage.

The current skating Johnny Canuck is an update on the original version that the Canucks used during their pre-NHL days from '45 to '70. Like you, I wasn't keen on having a human character for a crest but my mindset was convinced by loyal fans who followed the pre-NHL Canucks. I began to see a partial resemblance to both Chicago's Chief Black Hawk and Pittsburgh's Skating Penguin. I strongly feel that should Johnny replace the Orca, it will be extremely popular throughout the sports world and jerseys would sell like hotcakes.

I said in another post that this was one of the few arguments I actually got besides personal preferences. As a fan, I completely understand that having a crappy ownership group can make fans bitter about that sort of stuff. I get that. I also don't think the logo necessarily needed to reflect the history of the team (this obviously coming from an outsider who doesn't have an emotional tie to the team). Also, I'm 19, and didn't really start following hockey until '01; to me, that is the Canucks logo, which could factor into why I'm more tied to it.

Funny enough, my brother lived in Vancouver for a few years and I would stay with him for a few months in the summer, so while I wasn't a permanent resident, I did kind of live there. Beautiful city (though I wasn't there full time, so I don't really know if it is actually terrible, haha).

Ignoring all the design issues I have with it, it seems out of place. I know the logo doesn't have to explicitly say the team's nickname (I like quite a few logos that don't) but it just doesn't mesh well. It comes out of left field. You can't just arbitrarily use something like that in a logo. Why is it there? (going by your argument that the Orca doesn't represent the region, why is it on the jersey?).

My argument was that I do think it represents can represent the region. I just feel like your arbitrary argument falls into the region of change for changes sake. It just doesn't give te necessary information needed. If it's because you prefer the idea of sticking to the historical aspects of the team, then all the more power to you, I find that to be a valid argument as to why you like it better as (I'm assuming a Canucks fan).

Just a little rant that has nothing to do with what I said above, I do think we as a community sometimes put too much emphasis on making a name or logo super representative of the region a team is from. While it is a good way to gain inspiration, I also find that it can make things too complicated (like this whole Johnny Canuck situation). I do it too, especially when making concepts, but I'm getting a bit bored of hearing that a logo looks bad because it doesn't represent the region, I'd prefer a team that creates a look because it looks good (teams like the Bears) or over a team that tries way too hard to make it representative of the region and looks only mediocre. Unfortunately, I don't think that's something that will happen very often any more. (NOTE: I'm not against teams using a name based on a region, I just don't like it when every single design element is flimsily presented as representing the region somehow).

[Chromatic]

The argument that the Orca doesn't say Canucks is very legitimate. I don't know if you ever resided here in Vancouver, but the reason the Orca was incorporated as the Canucks' primary logo back in '97 was because the ownership of the club was called Orca Bay Sports & Entertainment, based out of Seattle. They were a very micro-managing ownership that nearly destroyed the franchise with the signing of Mark Messier and hiring of Mike Keenan. That's why many long-time Canuck fans hate the orca. It had no connection to the club's history and heritage.

The current skating Johnny Canuck is an update on the original version that the Canucks used during their pre-NHL days from '45 to '70. Like you, I wasn't keen on having a human character for a crest but my mindset was convinced by loyal fans who followed the pre-NHL Canucks. I began to see a partial resemblance to both Chicago's Chief Black Hawk and Pittsburgh's Skating Penguin. I strongly feel that should Johnny replace the Orca, it will be extremely popular throughout the sports world and jerseys would sell like hotcakes.

I said in another post that this was one of the few arguments I actually got besides personal preferences. As a fan, I completely understand that having a crappy ownership group can make fans bitter about that sort of stuff. I get that. I also don't think the logo necessarily needed to reflect the history of the team (this obviously coming from an outsider who doesn't have an emotional tie to the team). Also, I'm 19, and didn't really start following hockey until '01; to me, that is the Canucks logo, which could factor into why I'm more tied to it.

Funny enough, my brother lived in Vancouver for a few years and I would stay with him for a few months in the summer, so while I wasn't a permanent resident, I did kind of live there. Beautiful city (though I wasn't there full time, so I don't really know if it is actually terrible, haha).

Ignoring all the design issues I have with it, it seems out of place. I know the logo doesn't have to explicitly say the team's nickname (I like quite a few logos that don't) but it just doesn't mesh well. It comes out of left field. You can't just arbitrarily use something like that in a logo. Why is it there? (going by your argument that the Orca doesn't represent the region, why is it on the jersey?).

My argument was that I do think it represents can represent the region. I just feel like your arbitrary argument falls into the region of change for changes sake. It just doesn't give te necessary information needed. If it's because you prefer the idea of sticking to the historical aspects of the team, then all the more power to you, I find that to be a valid argument as to why you like it better as (I'm assuming a Canucks fan).

Just a little rant that has nothing to do with what I said above, I do think we as a community sometimes put too much emphasis on making a name or logo super representative of the region a team is from. While it is a good way to gain inspiration, I also find that it can make things too complicated (like this whole Johnny Canuck situation). I do it too, especially when making concepts, but I'm getting a bit bored of hearing that a logo looks bad because it doesn't represent the region, I'd prefer a team that creates a look because it looks good (teams like the Bears) or over a team that tries way too hard to make it representative of the region and looks only mediocre. Unfortunately, I don't think that's something that will happen very often any more. (NOTE: I'm not against teams using a name based on a region, I just don't like it when every single design element is flimsily presented as representing the region somehow).

Okay, I know it CAN represent the region. But just because it can, doesn't mean it belongs on the primary crest. I do think my Saints analogy works in this case. There are gators in Louisiana, so why not have the Saints use a gator as their logo? Besides, while their are Orcas in the region, its not like they're constantly hopping around out in English Bay. They're still a fairly rare sight.

[Cosmic]

The argument that the Orca doesn't say Canucks is very legitimate. I don't know if you ever resided here in Vancouver, but the reason the Orca was incorporated as the Canucks' primary logo back in '97 was because the ownership of the club was called Orca Bay Sports & Entertainment, based out of Seattle. They were a very micro-managing ownership that nearly destroyed the franchise with the signing of Mark Messier and hiring of Mike Keenan. That's why many long-time Canuck fans hate the orca. It had no connection to the club's history and heritage.

The current skating Johnny Canuck is an update on the original version that the Canucks used during their pre-NHL days from '45 to '70. Like you, I wasn't keen on having a human character for a crest but my mindset was convinced by loyal fans who followed the pre-NHL Canucks. I began to see a partial resemblance to both Chicago's Chief Black Hawk and Pittsburgh's Skating Penguin. I strongly feel that should Johnny replace the Orca, it will be extremely popular throughout the sports world and jerseys would sell like hotcakes.

I said in another post that this was one of the few arguments I actually got besides personal preferences. As a fan, I completely understand that having a crappy ownership group can make fans bitter about that sort of stuff. I get that. I also don't think the logo necessarily needed to reflect the history of the team (this obviously coming from an outsider who doesn't have an emotional tie to the team). Also, I'm 19, and didn't really start following hockey until '01; to me, that is the Canucks logo, which could factor into why I'm more tied to it.

Funny enough, my brother lived in Vancouver for a few years and I would stay with him for a few months in the summer, so while I wasn't a permanent resident, I did kind of live there. Beautiful city (though I wasn't there full time, so I don't really know if it is actually terrible, haha).

Ignoring all the design issues I have with it, it seems out of place. I know the logo doesn't have to explicitly say the team's nickname (I like quite a few logos that don't) but it just doesn't mesh well. It comes out of left field. You can't just arbitrarily use something like that in a logo. Why is it there? (going by your argument that the Orca doesn't represent the region, why is it on the jersey?).

My argument was that I do think it represents can represent the region. I just feel like your arbitrary argument falls into the region of change for changes sake. It just doesn't give te necessary information needed. If it's because you prefer the idea of sticking to the historical aspects of the team, then all the more power to you, I find that to be a valid argument as to why you like it better as (I'm assuming a Canucks fan).

Just a little rant that has nothing to do with what I said above, I do think we as a community sometimes put too much emphasis on making a name or logo super representative of the region a team is from. While it is a good way to gain inspiration, I also find that it can make things too complicated (like this whole Johnny Canuck situation). I do it too, especially when making concepts, but I'm getting a bit bored of hearing that a logo looks bad because it doesn't represent the region, I'd prefer a team that creates a look because it looks good (teams like the Bears) or over a team that tries way too hard to make it representative of the region and looks only mediocre. Unfortunately, I don't think that's something that will happen very often any more. (NOTE: I'm not against teams using a name based on a region, I just don't like it when every single design element is flimsily presented as representing the region somehow).

Okay, I know it CAN represent the region. But just because it can, doesn't mean it belongs on the primary crest. I do think my Saints analogy works in this case. There are gators in Louisiana, so why not have the Saints use a gator as their logo? Besides, while their are Orcas in the region, its not like they're constantly hopping around out in English Bay. They're still a fairly rare sight.

To the Saints-Gators thing: the New Orleans Saints identity does not demand a gator logo, but I don't think it precludes one either. If the Saints wanted to make a gator secondary logo, I would be open to the idea. The analogy is not perfect and I said secondary logo because replacing the iconic fleur-de-lis adds another dimension that the Canucks situation did not have. The Vancouver Canucks identity did not absolutely have to have an orca logo, but I don't think it precludes one, either. Logos represent a franchise, which is both city/region/state AND nickname. Sometimes logos sway more towards one or the other. Hurt feelings aside, the fact is the orca logo fits with the region. Ironically, the Saints' fleur-de-lis from your example represents the region much, much more than the nickname. If it had been "Dragon's Den Sports and Entertainment, Inc." that owned the team and there was a dragon logo instead of an orca, you'd have a strong case for knocking that thing into oblivion.