NHL Logo PNG
The NHL logo demonstrates readiness to defend the country’s honor and dignity in the arena. The emblem combines ice, courage, pressure, and sharp struggle. The sign represents leaders in their field, strong in spirit and invincible.
NHL: Brand overview
Meaning and History
The history of the NHL logo dates back to 1917, when four Canadian teams joined forces to form a new league to replace the National Hockey Association. The NHA has been suspended due to a disagreement with the owner of the Toronto Blueshirts. The National Hockey League ranked the NHA on par with other professional sports organizations. Over time, the rest of the teams joined in, so by 1926, only the NHL teams fought for the Stanley Cup. By then, the league had already included teams from the United States, although most of the players were Canadian. This ratio has persisted for many years, but the number of Europeans and Americans has increased recently.
Since the 1960s, the NHL has been actively expanding to avoid potential competition from the Western Hockey League. Later, it absorbed the Western Hockey Association and entered into a merger agreement. The NHL now has over 20 franchises in the US and only 7 in Canada. In the season 2021-2022. Another team from Seattle was expected to debut and join the league, as decided at the end of 2018.
The rapid compositional changes in sports organizations and the emergence of new franchises had almost no effect on their identities. Even if the logos changed, they always remained recognizable and looked the same. The same form unites them with the Baroque coat of arms (16-18 centuries), called the “stretched skin.” This heraldic element has a curly top and a slightly elongated teardrop-shaped bottom.
What is NHL?
It is the professional hockey organization in the United States, the fifth-largest in the world by income. It unites 32 teams: 25 American and 7 Canadian, among which the Stanley Cup is played at the end of each season. The prize goes to the playoff league champion. The NHL was formed in late 1917 and replaced the NHA.
1917 – 1946
In its early years, the league used an emblem with a smoother shield. Its protrusions were not as noticeable as they are now. Inside was a yellow “NHL” sign running diagonally from top to bottom. The designers emphasized it on both sides with wide parallel lines of the same color. These lines merged with the yellow stripe drawn along the shield’s border. Then, a thin black outline followed. A white frame with another dark line along the outer edge surrounded it.
The letters were written in bold, sans-serif capital type. The logo’s creators had to tilt strongly to the left to balance their uneven positioning inside the shield. At the same time, the black background behind the text made the league’s name immediately evident.
1946 – 2005
In 1946, the developers simplified the frame, leaving only two wide stripes: orange on the inside and black on the outside. The word “NHL” and the diagonal lines that frame the lettering have turned orange. After the redesign, the shield’s shape changed: it acquired sharp-angled protrusions and was compressed at the edges, so its elements moved slightly up to the left corner.
2005 – today
The designers kept the shield’s shape because it looked elegant anyway. However, they made it more difficult to frame by increasing the number of stripes to four. Black remained the primary color, while orange was replaced by silver. Moreover, this version’s frame has a gradient resembling a metallic sheen.
The word “NHL” has changed position: it is now written from top to bottom. The two parallel lines also have a new direction. The letters are slanted to the right and decorated with short triangular serifs.
The logo used in Canada looks the same, but has a different abbreviation: “LNH.” As for the symbol, created in honor of the league’s 100th anniversary, it also featured a shield and a stylized number “100” entwined with a ribbon bearing the inscription “1917 2017”.
Font and Colors
Like many professional sports organizations, the National Hockey League uses the shield emblem. This is a tribute to heraldic traditions originating from national symbols. Apart from minor adjustments, the shape of the crest has never changed. This consistency has made the NHL logo famous: it is easily recognizable even by its outline.
The league’s sign is distinguished by non-standard typography because the designers opted for an individual font, adapting it to the shape of the shield. All three letters are bold, capitalized, and have one short serif in the upper left corner.
The emblem’s main colors are black and silver, but the palette is not limited to them, as the gradient includes shades of white, dark gray, and light gray.