Calgary Flames Logo PNG
The Calgary Flames hockey club uses a fiery emblem. The Calgary Flames emblem has several meanings: it refers to the team’s origins, symbolizes its inner energy, and represents burning oil. The flaming letter perfectly combines all three concepts and represents the sports organization’s name. The emblem style is abstract.
The Calgary Flames trace back to 1972, when the NHL expanded in response to the WHA and placed a franchise in Atlanta. The team was named for the 1864 burning of the city during the Civil War. As the Atlanta Flames, they reached the playoffs early but never advanced past the first round.
In 1980, financial losses forced a sale. Nelson Skalbania acquired the club and quickly resold it to a Calgary group led by Harley Hotchkiss. The team relocated to Canada and became the Calgary Flames for the 1980–1981 season.
The move brought results. Playing first at Stampede Corral and later at the Olympic Saddledome, the team won its first playoff series in 1981 and reached the semifinals against the Minnesota North Stars. Lanny McDonald joined in 1981, followed by Al MacInnis in 1982.
A rivalry with the Edmonton Oilers defined the decade. In 1986, Calgary defeated Edmonton in the playoffs but lost the Final to the Montreal Canadiens.
The peak came in 1988–1989 with 117 points and the Presidents’ Trophy. Calgary beat the Vancouver Canucks, the Los Angeles Kings, and the Chicago Blackhawks, then defeated Montreal in six games to win the Stanley Cup. MacInnis led playoff scoring and earned the Conn Smythe Trophy.
In the 1990s, results declined. The team missed the playoffs in 1992 and again from 1996–1997 to 2002–2003, despite Jarome Iginla becoming the franchise’s leading scorer.
In 2003–2004, Calgary returned to the Final, defeating three division champions before facing the Tampa Bay Lightning. The series went to seven games, with Tampa Bay winning 2:1. The run sparked the “Red Mile” phenomenon in the city.
Meaning and History
Despite logo changes, the Calgary Flames have never deviated from the original concept. It continues the line that started in Atlanta, so the design of its old and new signs doesn’t differ much, except for radical experiments with black color.
What is Calgary Flames?
This is the name of an NHL hockey club previously known as “Atlanta Flames.” It moved to Calgary in 1980 and has since won two Presidents’ Trophies, one Stanley Cup, and three conference championships. Since 1983, its home arena has been the Scotiabank Saddledome.
1972 – 1980
For eight seasons, the hockey club was called the “Atlanta Flames” and featured an unusual emblem: a blazing letter “A.” The inner part of the letter was white, and the main part was dark red. The flame was centered and stretched upward. At the same time, the left diagonal stroke of “A” looked like an arrow pointing downward.
1980 – 1994
After moving to Calgary, the team kept the nickname Flames, which was now associated with oil extracted in Alberta. The emblem’s style was preserved but adapted to the new city by replacing “A” with “C.”
The color palette turned out quite bright: the orange center of the letter combined with a yellow border, which looked more interesting than in the monochrome version. The flame on the left added dynamism to the image. This logo, widely known as Flaming “C,” was created by graphic designer Patricia Redditt.
1994 – 2020
The Calgary Flames emblem has a thin black line around the edges. It was adopted in the mid-1990s, when a trend toward dark uniforms and black logos emerged in sports. It was believed they scared off opponents, so the team projected a daunting image without hesitation.
At the same time, another version of the stylized letter “C” appeared – this time entirely black, with a wide white outline and a barely noticeable yellow stroke on the outer edge. It adorned the red jerseys of the hockey players and became one of the most global changes in the history of the “Flames.”
2020 – today
With the players transitioning to a full retro in the 2020-2021 season, the team’s management revisited the emblem, returning to the original 1980 version. As a result of the redesign, the emblem received minor changes that did not affect its concept and structure. It remained the same: thanks to the red color and flames, it conveyed powerful dynamics and an oil-mining theme. The main changes were to the color and borders. The developers removed the thin black line around the flaming letter “C,” kept the orange, and changed the dark red color to pale scarlet. They did not use saturated colors, as in the debut logo, opting for an alternative between the old and the new.
Font and Colors
The Calgary Flames have a simple but memorable red-orange “C” icon with a yellow border and a thin black outline. However, the letter without the dark border is considered traditional: many fans are accustomed to it. The black version has deviated further from the classic, so the unique multicolored “C,” outlined in black, seems closest to the original.
Regardless of the modification, the team’s logo reflects its history. It has a bit of Atlanta Flames: the owners tried to preserve the old concept in the new design. And it’s obvious because the logo, as before, depicts the first letter of the city’s name engulfed in flames. The only difference is that with “A,” the fire is inside and stretches upwards, while with “C,” it’s on the side and directed left.
The font doesn’t exist because it’s not written but drawn. Artists thoroughly worked on the “C,” making it unique and recognizable. The standard italic sans serif was used as the basis.
The color palette is much more complicated. Officially, there are two versions of the Calgary Flames emblem: regular and dark. The first is used on a light background and is as close to the classic as possible. The second adorns the hockey players’ red jerseys, so the usual red color is completely replaced by black.
The only thing that remains unchanged is the yellow frame around the letter. It can be considered one of the main distinctions of the “Calgary Flames,” as teams in professional sports are not too keen to use yellow in their logos.
FAQ
What does the Calgary Flames team logo represent?
The Calgary Flames logo features a tortured letter C that appears to continue the fire. This symbol is called Flaming C. The red letter C is slightly tilted to the right. Flames are depicted on the left side. The outline is traced with a thick orange stripe.
Where did the Calgary Flames team come from?
The Calgary Flames were originally located in Atlanta, Georgia. The team appeared there in 1972, and eight years later, it moved to Calgary, Canada. It is one of Alberta’s two National Hockey League franchises.
Who owns the “Calgary Flames”?
The Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation owns the hockey club. This private organization, based in Alberta, manages four sports franchises in Calgary. Its chairman is Canadian financier and billionaire Norman Murray Edwards.
When was the Calgary Flames team founded?
The Calgary Flames were founded in 1972 as the Atlanta Flames. It got its current name in 1980.