The Hockey News Is Ranking The NHL Logos From 30 to 1

[IPostedWhat]

They started on July 14th and will do 1 a day till they reach #1.

Here is what they have done up to today, and if anyone wants to add on the next one as they do it, feel free.



No. 30: Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes logo is the first one to get rolled out in our 2014 summer logo rankings – unfortunately for them, we’re counting down from worst to first.

Yes, the Hurricanes have a terrible logo, one that was almost unanimously voted No. 30 by a group of seven THN staffers. It’s most commonly referred to as the Toilet Bowl logo because, well, it looks like it’s being flushed.

Carolina’s logo is, of course, based on the swirling system of a hurricane. Maybe it’s just difficult to come up with a logo based on weather. The Guelph Storm logo would rank low on our Ontario League list, as would the Cincinnati Cyclones in an ECHL ranking.

HISTORY OF THE HURRICANES LOGO
The Hurricanes franchise didn’t start in Carolina, of course, or even in the NHL. The origins of this team can be found with the WHA’s New England Whalers, who started out in 1972-73. They became the first WHA champions that season and were one of the better franchises until the NHL merger in 1979.

No. 29: Colorado Avalanche

There was some debate among the seven THN staffers involved on this one – much more than the Carolina Hurricanes, who were almost unanimously ranked last. For some, the Colorado colors and rocky mountain tie-in with snow and a puck running off the “A” is slick enough for this to be considered one of the top logos in the league. While others think it’s too cartoony for the big leagues. Those in the latter camp really miss the minimalist, old school Nordiques look.

HISTORY OF THE AVALANCHE LOGO
Just like the No. 30 team, Colorado is also a relocated franchise with WHA origins. And in fact, the origins of this team go a little further back than the Quebec Nordiques.

No. 28: Washington Capitals

The reason this one didn’t get much love is because it’s less a logo than it is just the team’s name being spelled out. The “T” in Capitals forms a hockey stick that has a red puck next to it and the three stars along the top are an addition to the original look. The red, white and blue colors are representative of the capital city of the USA, but other than that, it’s just “Washington Capitals” in italics. Not much to it.

Past Capitals logos have included an eagle and the Washington Capitol, though they were never embraced and the color scheme changed with them. But you figure there would be a lot of options for any potential new look for Alex Ovechkin’s team.

HISTORY OF THE CAPITALS LOGO
In the beginning, the Capitals logo represented the truly awful. In its first season in the NHL, Washington’s 21 points was about half the amount their expansion brothers, the Kansas City Scouts, accumulated. Washington’s .131 points percentage is still the worst in NHL history and in the era of the salary cap floor, it’s hard to imagine a team ever being that bad again.

The first Washington logo was very basic, straightforward and the colors popped. There are some obvious differences between the first Caps logo and the current “throwback” look. The slant of the letters goes to the left instead of the right, there are no stars above “Washington,” the stick is red, the puck is blue and the font is more plain. The Capitals used this logo from their inception in 1974-75 until the 1995-96 season.

No. 27: Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks have had a few primary logos in franchise history – and we think the current look isn’t very good.

Why? Because in 1995 the Canucks came under control of Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment and though the name was changed to Canucks Sports and Entertainment in 2008, it’s the same thing. And in 1997, the Canucks changed their color and logo away from the streaking skate to the current whale, which could also stand for the ownership company. So this logo promoted the ownership as much as it did the hockey team. Major turn off for us.

But at least with Vancouver being a coastal city the whale jumping up out of the water makes sense. And, of course, the “C” stands for Canucks. So while we aren’t fans of the Canucks logo, it isn’t the worst because a) it’s a logo, unlike Washington’s look, and b) it does make sense for the city.

But we like some of their alternate logos better.

HISTORY OF THE CANUCKS LOGO
North Vancouver’s Joe Borovich hit the nail on the head with his Stink-in-Rink design for the very first Vancouver Canucks NHL logo. The blue and green color combination connect well and the stick that breaks up the oval makes the logo into a “C” formation for Canucks. Vancouver enjoyed its first success with this logo, finishing atop the Smythe Division in 1974-75, although they were bounced in Round 1 of the playoffs.

This one was so good the team throws back to it often today. The Canucks’ colors and look have changed a few times over the years, but none are better than the original. Here’s hoping the Canucks go back to this look full-time someday. Hey, they’d move up in our rankings.

The black, gold and orange (later yellow and red) color scheme was introduced in 1978-79 and though the skate blade was the main logo, the awful, awful jerseys hid it on the shoulder. Rememeber the Flying V? Yikes.

 

[IPostedWhat]

No. 26: Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning have been around since 1992-93 and have had different variations on their logo, but their current look is the only one that doesn’t have lettering on it.

I’ve got to be honest – when seven THN staffers sat around debating and ranking these logos, I was voting for the Lightning to go a little higher than 26. Usually – though not always – I’m not a fan of logos that have the team’s name in it, so I have to give Tampa Bay credit for dropping the text from their look. The blue lightning bolt and circle may look plain to some, but to my eyes, it’s the most refined look Tampa Bay has had in its 20-plus year history.

But when it came to ranking all 30 NHL logos, Tampa Bay didn’t get much love from most of the seven staffers. It’s plain and it doesn’t grab the attention of everyone. So here we are, with the Lightning ranked at 26, just ahead of the Vancouver Canucks.

HISTORY OF LIGHTNING LOGO
The original Tampa Bay Lightning look was a design put together by Phil Esposito and colleagues Mel Lowell and Henry Paul. From the Lightning’s website:

Together with colleagues Mel Lowell and Henry Paul, Esposito began sketching out designs for what would eventually become the Tampa Bay Lightning logo.

“I literally would go home at night, and sit in my office and draw pictures of lightning bolts on notebook paper,” Esposito said. “And remember, I am no artist. But all of us would come in the next day and sit down with each other to compare what we had come up with. And let me tell you, between the three of us, there was a lot to look at.”

…Initially, Esposito had just settled on a silver lightning bolt with the word “Tampa” across the top. Lowell and Paul then altered it slightly to include the circular backdrop on which it is emblazoned, which still is incorporated in today’s logo, unveiled in the spring of 2011.

Perhaps the most key contribution, however, came from long-time Tampa sports journalist and pioneer Tom McEwen, who advised Esposito to include the word “Bay” as well, signifying a union between Tampa and its neighboring communities.

“Tom told me it had to say “Tampa Bay” no matter what, and that, honestly, was the best decision I could have made at the time,” Esposito said. “There was such a great divide between Tampa, Clearwater, and St. Petersburg that I could not believe. So I thought, yes, in order to be successful, we have to unite.”

No. 25: New York Islanders

Debuting in the 1972-73 season, the New York Islanders were created in part to stymie the fledgling WHA from getting a foothold in the area. The team was quickly built the right way and within six years, the Long Island franchise undertook a run of four straight Stanley Cup titles thanks to legends such as Mike Bossy, Denis Potvin and Bryan Trottier, among others.

For most of the franchise’s history, the team has gone with a blue and orange logo featuring a stylized “NY” and the world “Islanders” with a map of Long Island in the middle. Except for one radically different crest, of course, that has drawn derision as one of the worst logos in the history of the game. But the Isles went back to their roots soon after and even with the team moving to Brooklyn soon, they can still use the same look – they just might need to shift the map a little to the east.

But despite the strong color scheme and the simplicity of the Isles’ logo, our THN panel was unimpressed, ranking it among the poorest.

History of Islanders Logo
As detailed in the book Fish Sticks: The fall and rise of the New York Islanders, the original crest was designed by John Alogna, who owned a local ad agency at the time. The colors reflected that of Nassau County itself and Alogna was given three days to come up with something after previous efforts had fallen through.

That logo stood until June of 1995, when an urge to do something fresh led New York to a revamp that, well, didn’t go over so nice. From Fish Sticks, quoting Robert Rosenthal, part of the franchise’s management team at the time:

“As the team continued to lose, fans needed something to cling to and homed in on the logo,” Rosenthal said. “We began to realize it was not dying down. In the final analysis, we didn’t want our fans or players to be subjected to ridicule for something other than our play.”

No. 24: Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings may have won two of the past three Stanley Cup championships, but in THN’s current NHL logo ranking contest, they’re not nearly as much of a mover-and-shaker. Our in-house panel of judges ranked L.A.’s current logo 24th overall.

The Kings’ straight-ahead approach to this incarnation of their logo – featuring the initials of the city above the crown that in some form has been a part of every logo since the organization’s inception in 1967 – isn’t especially creative or eye-catching. Sure, it’s better than some of their more daring fashion experiments, but that’s damning with faint praise.

HISTORY OF THE KINGS LOGO
When the Kings debuted in the 1967-68 season, they wore purple jerseys at home and gold on the road. The colors were chosen by team owner and expat Canadian Jack Kent Cooke, and represented royalty – and to match nicely with the color scheme of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers. The crown logo that appeared on the jersey differed from the primary logo.

After eight seasons, the Kings changed logos for the first time. The team added horizontal lines around the name to provide a sense of speed, and kept their second logo for eight years (while also adding purple pants after spending their initial seasons wearing gold pants).

In 1988, the Kings’ logo changed drastically. Gone was the purple and gold, replaced by a black-and-silver version of their previous logo. The change coincided with the acquisition of NHL icon Wayne Gretzky, and their new colors were a match with a different L.A. team – the NFL’s Los Angeles Raiders (who have since relocated back to their original home in Oakland). Because there were no throwback jersey nights, Gretzky would never wear purple and gold in his eight years with the organization.

Logo Rankings | Post-to-Post

 

[pixburgher66]

I'd predict that Leafs get #1, and deservedly so. Well, honestly Original 6 will probably be the top 6. Hawks is my favorite just because of the color though. Leafs is just clean cut, love that.

 

[awaz]

i really like the kings, caps, avs, and canes logos

 

[IndyAndy]

Personally, I would put the Islanders logo as the worst. I actually like the Canes, Aves & Lightning logos, & would have them much higher up the list.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

How isn't Winnipeg's near the bottom? Thing's a god damn abomination.

Same with Minnesota.

 

[awaz]

How isn't Winnipeg's near the bottom? Thing's a god damn abomination.

Same with Minnesota.

oh man, strongly disagree with Minnesota. I love that one.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

oh man, strongly disagree with Minnesota. I love that one.

Yuck.

 

[oaknightshockey1]

So far this list has more on it that surprise me for being so low than not. I like the Avs and the Lightning and the Kings quite a bit.

 

[BGDave]

Yuck.

x 2.

Double yuck

 

[BGDave]

I'd predict that Leafs get #1, and deservedly so. Well, honestly Original 6 will probably be the top 6. Hawks is my favorite just because of the color though. Leafs is just clean cut, love that.

I have always put the Hawks as #1 in all of sports, much less the NHL.

And that is coming from a bleed-Leaf-blue fan.

 

[BGDave]

All of the Original 6 are quite awesome in their own way, and I would have no problem with them being the Top 6.

Now, who would be #7

Right now I am leading to the Blues. That blue note is tres, tres cool.

 

[davnlaguna]

I hate the Kings logo but many old fans feel that way

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

All of the Original 6 are quite awesome in their own way, and I would have no problem with them being the Top 6.

Now, who would be #7

Right now I am leading to the Blues. That blue note is tres, tres cool.

Flyers.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

The Flyers and Devils (I swear it's not a homer pick) have pretty timeless logos. I like both of those to go along with the original 6 in the top 10.

 

[forty_three]

Personally, I would put the Islanders logo as the worst. I actually like the Canes, Aves & Lightning logos, & would have them much higher up the list.

B-B-B-But the point in the "I" shows the location of the Nassau! CLEVER!

So far this list has more on it that surprise me for being so low than not. I like the Avs and the Lightning and the Kings quite a bit.

I never understood why the Avs are an "A" and not a "C". I get that they are called "Avalanche" but the Flames aren't an "F". It's just weird, most logos incorporate the place, not the name when using an initial.

I hate the Kings logo but many old fans feel that way

I'm with you. Don't really quite hate it, but it is not as cool as the older ones.

 

[KennyBanyeah]

I'd predict that Leafs get #1, and deservedly so. Well, honestly Original 6 will probably be the top 6. Hawks is my favorite just because of the color though. Leafs is just clean cut, love that.

I'd have the Leafs in 3rd behind the Hawks and Wings. Those 3 are well ahead of the pack, IMO.

As far as purely aesthetic evaluations go I'd have the Habs out of the top 6 as well, with the Blues and possibly the Flyers ahead of them.

 

[Cobiemonster]

imo the Kings logo should be much higher

 

[KennyBanyeah]

imo the Kings logo should be much higher

I agree.


We're talking about the old purple and gold crown, right?

 

[Otis B. Driftwood]

Good thing the Mooterus isn't around anymore otherwise we would kick Carolina's ass.