There is so much history behind the NHL logo. There’s so much history behind the NHL in general. While hockey has been around for centuries, even dating back to Egypt almost 4000 years ago, the NHL was only founded in 1917 to replace a falling-apart organization.
Thanks to the four members creating it, so many of us are now able to enjoy one of the best sports in the world. The league has been going strong for over 100 years and is not slowing down. The violence and intensity of the sport have drawn in fans from everywhere, and it’s also one of the many reasons people join the sport as well.
But while there are so many great things about the NHL, it’s important to learn about its history and creation, such as the NHL logo history.
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Story Behind the NHL Logo
The NHL logo’s history dates back to the early 1900s when four Canadian teams formed a new league to replace the National Hockey Association. When the NHA was suspended due to a disagreement with the owner of the Toronto Blueshirts, the NHL took over, and eventually other teams started to join in.
In 1926, no one but the NHL fought for the Stanley Cup, and by that time, teams from the United States were even included. More and more teams began to form around the world, like in Europe, and since the 1960s, the NHL has been actively expanding and even absorbed the West Hockey Association.
But even with all of the growth, its identity has stayed the same, as seen in the logos. The logo has changed a bit over time, but it’s been very minute until the most recent logo.
The first logo was unveiled in 1917 and featured the shape of a shield drawn in black and a yellowish-orange, but the current logo was introduced in 2005 and closely resembles the original with a few tweaks. The logo is said to show the readiness to defend the honor and dignity of the country in the arena. The logo is inspired by the Baroque coat of arms, called the “stretched skin”.
History of the NHL Logo
The NHL is one of the many recognizable and well-known logos in sports, alongside NBA, NFL, and MLB. While the basic idea of the logo has stayed true, there have been several tweaks and altercations that have brought out the best of the league.
From its first creation, the NHL has pushed to create a spot for themselves and defend their title. The shield shows off courage and bravery and also highlights the fact that they will battle on the ice if they need to, which sums up the NHL’s mindset.
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History of the NHL Logo: Through the Years
Unlike several other sports organizations, the NHL hasn’t had many logo changes over the years, making for a pretty simple history. However, the minor changes that have been made are significant. For any true fan of the NHL, it’s important to know what these changes were, and why they were done. Here is the NHL logo history throughout the years.
1917-1946
The very first logo was seen in 1917 and was a sleek black shield with a yellow, black, and white outline as well as a yellow wordmark, placed diagonally against the black background. What’s interesting is in this first edition, the wordmark starts on the top left and moves towards the bottom right.
It has a classic but solid sans-serif font with straight lines, depicting a sense of stability and seriousness. The contrasting black and yellow made the name incredibly evident and the first thing that you notice, and the black created a dramatic shadow that was simple and brilliant.
1946-2005
The second logo design wasn’t so different from the first, as it was pretty much the same with bolder lines and a deeper yellow, orange coloring. In 1946, the developers worked to simplify the frame, leaving only two wide stripes on the outside.
The NHL and diagonal lines were even thicker and bolder. This is also where you can see a decent difference in the frame shape itself with more harsh, dramatic edges and protrusions.
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2005-Present
Now for the design, everyone knows and loves today. This redesign happened in 2005 and has been the NHL logo since. The designers kept the shield shape to keep the culture and history but made it look a bit more elegant.
Going back to their roots, they added some more stripes, adding one around the frame that isn’t white, but more of a steel look. While black is the primary color, the contrasting silver and white is a sleeker style.
Another drastic change besides the coloring is the position of the NHL, which now starts on the bottom left and goes to the top right. The font is even different, with the letters slanted to the right and decorated with short triangular serifs. Not only does it resemble a coat of arms, but creates a more realistic shield design that has been hardened and ready for battle even after so many years.
Variations
The logo that is used in Canada looks the same but has a different abbreviation: “LNH”. As for the shield for the 100th anniversary, it also contains a stylized number “100” entwined with a ribbon with an inscription of “1917 2017”.
Conclusion
While several other sports organizations have a lot of logo changes throughout their run, the NHL is one league that keeps to its roots and stays true to who they are.
While of course minor changes over the years will happen, they never really strayed from their path and made changes that were for the betterment of the franchise. From minor cleaning of lines and shaping in 1946, to a drastic color and framing shape change in 2005, the NHL logo history is not only incredibly interesting but very important for those who are fans of the league.
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