Below I have judged all 30 of the NHL logos to see which ones are the best and the worst. I know these type of things depend on your personal preference, so if you disagree with any of these please to tell me what you think.
Criteria:
Team name: The team name should possess some measure of ferocity or danger; lacking that, at least some relevance to the city or sport. Chantability is important, so brevity is a key quality; however if a long name lends itself easily to a shorter nickname, that’s ok too. Points off for names that are either adjectives or nouns that have no easy plural; what are we supposed to call the players if the team name can’t be made multiple?
Colors: These should be eye-catching but not blindingly bright; you won’t get much respect as a team if your players are running around dressed like circus clowns. Colors should blend well, and it’s usually best not to stray too far from the basics; navy blue is usually ok for example, but pinkish-magenta…..uh no.
Logo: This is the one, and of course the main focus of this page. You can usually tell the era a team entered the league just by looking at the colours of its logo, though redesigns have blurred the distinctions in some cases. The older teams stuck mostly to primary colors, with either elaborately drawn or starkly simple designs; teams from the ’60s and ’70s often went for simple blocky abstract designs with more secondary colors; the logos of the past decade have unfortunately been mostly brightly colored designs, with bold eye-shocking perspective, streaky lines to suggest fast movement, and lots of TEAL. You know how dated these things are going to look in 20 years? What if everybody’s logo looked like that?
No No’s:
Hockey Sticks: Really, how many logos contain hockey sticks? TOO MANY! Can’t these artists think of anything more original?
Triangles/Circles: Same think as above. There are too many triangles and circles in all of the logos. Take a look at Pittsburgh, San Jose or Anaheim for example. And the list goes on for teams that include circles in their logos.
Teal: Yuck. Every team gets full marks except for San Jose and Anaheim. Teal just doesn’t look good on hockey jerseys
Well here we go with my logo critic on all 30 teams of the NHL. For each team I will include the following:Judges?: a rating out of 10. 1 being the lowest. 10 being the highest.Franchise Date: date the team was added to the NHL.Uniform Colours: tells what colours are on the team’s jersey.First thoughts: my first impressions of the logo.Thumbs Up: good things about the logo.Thumbs Down: bad things about the logo.
The Top Logos:
1.Vancouver Canucks
Judges?: 10
Franchise date: 1970
Uniform colors: Blue, silver, red, and black
First impression: Reminds me of a totem poll.
Thumbs Up: Good choice of colours.
Thumbs Down: Not really much bad stuff to say about the logo, but with Marcus Naslund out with a broken leg I think the Canucks are unfortunately doomed for the playoffs.
2. Buffalo Sabres
Judges?: 10
Franchise Date: 1970
Uniform Colors: Black, red and silver
First impression: It’s beedie eyes look like a gremlin.
Thumbs Up: Nice colour clash, and very fierce looking.
Thumbs Down: I don’t really see anything wrong with this logo. Do you?
3. Florida Panthers
Judges?: 10
Franchise date: 1993
Uniform colors: Navy blue, red and yellow-gold
First impression: Why are his hind legs so small? Oh I see…perspective.
Thumbs Up: No hockey stick, no teal, the logo is ferocious. Well done Panthers!!
Thumbs Down: No points lost for you!
4. Dallas Stars
Judges?: 10
Franchise Date: 1967 (moved from Minnesota 1993)
Uniform Colors: Green, black, and gold
First impression: This is a lot better than that ugly Minnesota Stars logo.
Thumbs Up: The tip of the star hidden in the “a” of the “stars” looks cool.
Thumbs Down: No points deducted for this logo. A perfect 10.
5. Phoenix Coyotes
Judges?: 9
Franchise Date: 1979 (moved from Winnipeg 1996)
Uniform Colors: Forest green, dark red, and black
First thoughts: When ever I see this logo I always think of that Simpson’s episode where Homer ate that really hot pepper then started hallucinating and saw an abstract Mexican dog that talked.
Thumbs Up: It has lots of colours without blinding anybody.
Thumbs Down: It includes another hockey stick. Ughh..
6.Los Angeles Kings
Judges?: 8
Franchise date: 1967
Uniform colors: Purple, black, and silver
First Impression: What the?! Find a close up of their logo and you’ll see what I mean.
Thumbs Up: Pretty cool logo. Nothing much wrong with it except……
Thumbs Down: Why is the lion wearing sunglasses?! AAHH. And why does it have hockey sticks?
7.Washington Capitals
Judges?: 8
Franchise date: 1974
Uniform colors: Blue, black, and bronze
First impression: Hah! I’ve never seen that before. An eagle with only one foot!
Thumbs Up: The name and logo go hand in hand with the city.
Thumbs Down: Would somebody please grab that eagle another foot?! The poor thing!
8.New Jersey Devils
Judges?: 8
Franchise Date: 1982
Uniform Colors: Red and Black
First impression: Umm what’s that arrow on the “j” pointing to?
Thumbs Up: Simple yet effective. The “n” and the “j” look nice, combined like that.
Thumbs Down: Tsk Tsk another circle, and would somebody please find that perverted artist?! Please!
9.Minnesota Wild
Judges?: 8
Franchise date: 1997
Uniform colors: Forest green, dark red, yellow-gold
First impression: It reminds me of a restaurant near my house (The Wild Cat Grill).
Thumbs Up: The colours blend well and the background blends in well with the animal’s face.
Thumbs Down: Not very fierce looking.
10.Colorado Avalanche
Judges?: 7
Franchise Date: 1979 (moved from Quebec 1995)
Uniform Colors: Maroon, slate blue, and black
First impression: Wow! After 6 years of staring at their logo I finally noticed that hockey puck in the lower right hand corner.
Thumbs Up: Pretty cool logo, pretty cool name.
Thumbs Down: Points of for the circle.
11.Columbus Blue Jackets
Judges?: 7
Franchise date: 1997
Uniform colors: Capital blue, red, and yellowish-green
First impression: Cool. I just noticed the “CB” banner in their logo.
Thumbs Up: I found the “CB” banner pretty cool.
Thumbs Down: Augh. Another hockey stick. Columbus, Columbus.
——————————————————————————–
The Other Logos Which Rank In The Middle:
12. Calgary Flames
Judges?: 6
Franchise date: 1972 (moved from Atlanta in 1980)
Uniform Colors: Red and goldFirst impression: Does Mc Donalds sponsor this team or something?
Thumbs Up: The Captain and assistant captain use the Calgary and Atlanta logo.
Thumbs Down: AHHHH My eyes! I am blinded! Wow Calgary, maybe it’s just resolution on my computer screen, but could you maybe tone it down a bit?!
13. Atlanta Thrashers
Judges?: 5
Franchise Date: 1997
Uniform Colors: Navy blue, blue, copper, red, and gold
First impression: Gimme that stick! It’s mine! Hands off!” Thumbs Up: Hey cool! Squint and the logo doubles as it’s nest. Bird…Nest…Bird… Nest!
Thumbs Down: Bird… Nest! Where was I? Oh yes, bad things….hmmm. Minus the blue and it looks like something the cat barfed up.
14.Edmonton Oilers
Judges?: 5
Franchise date: 1979
Uniform colors: Navy blue, dark gold, and red
First impression: Yeah, you can tell these colors were picked in the 70s…
Thumbs Up: The “Oilers” part looks cool.
Thumbs Down: Umm isn’t oil suppose to be black? So what kind of oil is this? Oh sorry I asked. Yuk.
15. Toronto Maple Leafs
Judges?: 5
Franchise Date: 1917
Uniform Colors: Blue and White
First impression: I am Canadian and I am pretty sure we don’t have blue maple leaves up here. Eh?
Thumbs Up: It’s simple but noticeable.
Thumbs Down: Why aren’t these guy’s called the LEAVES any ways? Just a thought.
16. Chicago Blackhawks
Judges?: 4
Franchise Date: 1926
Uniform Colors: Black and red
First impression: Somebody paints graffiti all over their logo and they decide to keep it?!
Thumbs Up: Take note San Jose. At least this logo isn’t devouring a hockey stick.
Thumbs Down: What’s with these original six teams?! There logos are all so *yawn* boring!
17.Montreal Canadiens
Judges?: 4
Franchise Date: 1917
Uniform colors: Blue, White, and Red
First impression: Why do they have American colours for a Canadian team?
Thumbs Up: Umm..they won 6 Stanley Cups in a row!
Thumbs Down: Like all of the original 6 teams, this ranks down there with the rest of them.
——————————————————————————–
The Hall Of Shame Logos:
18. Pittsburgh Penguins
Judges?: 3
Franchise Date: 1967
Uniform colors: Black, yellow, and gray
First impression: Plucky pointy penguin pecks playfully.
Thumbs Up: At least he dressed for the occasion.
Thumbs Down: Another stupid triangle in the logo!
19.Nashville Predators
Judges?: 3
Franchise Date: 1997
Uniform colors: Navy blue, silver, and gold
First impression: It reminds me of a beaver that just came from the dentist.
Thumbs Up: The silver and navy blue are cool.
Thumbs Down: The fangs on this thing are kinda goofy looking. You’re funny lookin’ huh huh hilg.
20. San Jose Sharks
Judges?: 3
Franchise Date: 1990
Uniform Colors: Teal, silver, and black
First impression: Didn’t anybody feed the shark?
Thumbs Up: I guess the shark looks OK.
Thumbs Down: Uggh ahh blah gag…teal, hockey sticks, and triangles?
21. Boston Bruins
Judges?: 2
Franchise Date: 1924
Uniform Colors: Black and gold
First impression: Looks like some basketball logo to me.
Thumbs Up: Think of it this way. At least it’s not a giant “S” so they could all look like Superman.
Thumbs Down: Gag! Ugly colours. When was the last time they sold an ugly Bruins jersey?
22. Philadelphia Flyers
Judges?: 2
Franchise Date: 1967
Uniform colors: Orange and black
First impression: Mommy, why does it keep staring at me?
Thumbs Up: It has a starey, eyey thingy on it!
Thumbs Down: Ok, that’s it. All the original 6 teams must get new logos. They are all so boring.
23. St. Louis Blues
Judges?: 2
Franchise Date: 1967
Uniform Colors: Blue, navy blue, silver, yellow
First impression: I’ve never seen a blue note with feathers…have you?
Thumbs Up: The colours go nicely, but umm sorry St. Louis that’s about all your going to get points for here.
Thumbs Down: This logo is boring and ugly. Score another -2 points for St. Louis. Wow there on a roll!
24. Carolina Hurricanes
Judges?: 2
Franchise Date:1979 (moved from Hartford 1997)
Uniform Colors: Black, red, and silverFirst impression: Bullseye!
Thumbs Up: You can buy their replica jersey and substitute it for a dart board.
Thumbs Down: It looks like its been through a blender.
25. New York Rangers
Judges?: 1
Franchise Date: 1926
Uniform Colors: Red, white, and blue
First impression: Looks like a road sign to me. Caution, defensemen ahead. Oook.
Thumbs Up: The colours correspond with the city.
Thumbs Down: This is one of the most boring logos I’ve seen. Zzzzzzzzzz.
26. New York Islanders
Judges?: 1
Franchise date: 1972
Uniform colors: Navy blue and orange
First impression: It’s….well it’s…..ummm….very orange and round.
Thumbs Up: I can find my way around part of New York.
Thumbs Down: People! Get rid of the hockey sticks and circles already!
27. Tampa Bay Lightning
Judges?: 1
Franchise date: 1991
Uniform colors: violet-blue, silver, and black
First impression: “Lightning” suites the team very well. It’s like the whole team got struck with lightning cause’ they haven’t done anything since they joined the league. Hmm. That was lame.
Thumbs Up: I guess the lettering is sort of cool, but that’s about it.
Thumbs Down: Another stupid circle design. Tsk tsk Tampa Bay, haven’t you learned from the others?
28. Detroit Red Wings
Judges?: 1
Franchise Date: 1926
Uniform Colors: Red and White
First impression: Umm, why does the wheel have wings?
Thumbs Up: Their goalie doubles as Santa Clause.
Thumbs Down: Would somebody please explain to me why a wheel would need wings?!
——————————————————————————–
And the 2 ugliest logos in the NHL are:
29. Ottawa Senators
Judges?: A bagel, 0
Franchise Date: 1991
Uniform colors: Black and red
First impression: U-G-L-Y
Thumbs Up: If anybody finds anything appealing about this logo please e-mail me!
Thumbs Down: It’s just plain ugly. Ugh. Nothing more to be said!
30. Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
Judges?: A goose egg, 0
Franchise Date: 1993
Uniform colors: Teal, purple, silver, and gold
First impression: Quack Quack.
Thumbs Up: Well, I had to think really hard about this one and I still haven’t thought of anything.
Thumbs Down: An easy part finally, Ok here I go….circles, triangles, hockey sticks, teal, they like look like Barney, who uses purple as a primary colour? The duck hidden in the goalie mask is umm well that’s just plain *coughstupidcough* shall I go on?
There you have it, all the NHL Logos criticed. Some good some bad. Next I plan to critic the secondary logos of the NHL when I have the time.