Although the Winnipeg Jets logo contains the symbol of an airplane, it currently has nothing to do with aviation, only sports. However, a tribute to history is preserved in a round sign as a puck because its central element is an ultra-fast fighter against a red maple leaf.
Winnipeg Jets: Brand overview
Founded: | 1999 |
Founder: | True North Sports & Entertainment |
Headquarters: |
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
Website: | nhl.com |
The Winnipeg Jets are an ice hockey team from Winnipeg, Canada. The club competes in the Central Division of the Western Conference of the NHL.
Two franchises bear the name “Winnipeg Jets”; however, they have different origins and sports glory stories.
The Winnipeg Jets were established in 1972 to play in the WHA. From 1979 to 1990, their official Winnipeg Jets logo looked like a blue circle with a red outline. It featured a jet taking off, white-scripted “Jets” and arched red-scripted “Winnipeg.” The letter “J” in “Jets” was made in a white hockey stick and stretched out to the logo’s entire height. In 1991-1996, the blue background was removed in favor of white. The words “Winnipeg” and “Jets” were written in blue. The hockey stick-shaped “J” went beyond the emblem Winnipeg Jets. The red jet was now simplified.
After the WHA was disbanded, the Winnipeg Jets joined the NHL. In 1996, due to mounting financial troubles, the team owner Barry Shenkarow was forced to sell the franchise to Steven Gluckstern and Richard Burke. They intended to move the team to Minneapolis, Minnesota. But something went wrong, and the club was relocated to Phoenix, Arizona. It was renamed “Phoenix Coyotes.” In 2009, the Phoenix Coyotes were declared bankrupt and became the property of the National Hockey League.
In 2004, a new Bell MTS Place indoor arena was opened in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada). It started the rumors of returning hockey to the city again. The leading candidates for coming back were the bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes. But the NHL that took ownership of the franchise refused to sell it to anyone and relocate it to Canada.
Here begins the second era in the history of the club. In 2010-2011, it was announced that the Atlanta Thrashers of the NHL were put up for sale and might move to Winnipeg. On May 31, 2011, Gary Bettman confirmed that the Atlanta Thrashers had been sold to True North Sports. The team got a new name, “Winnipeg Jets.”
The Atlanta Thrashers’ emblem was the Brown Thrasher bird. Mockingbird is a small, brown bird, completely harmless and has nothing to do with the muscle-bound pterodactyl depicted on the Atlanta Thrashers logo. However, it is the official state bird of Georgia. After moving to Canada, the ownership decided to hold a name-the-team contest. Fans voted on the Winnipeg Jets. There was no point in exploiting the old emblem. On July 22, 2011, the team introduced its new Winnipeg Jets logo based on the Royal Canadian Air Force symbol.
Meaning and History
The name “Winnipeg Jets” completely corresponds to the fighting mood of the young team. Initially, the United States team moved to Winnipeg, the capital city of the province of Manitoba, in Canada. In 2011, the Team Chairman Mark Chipman noted that the new name “Jets” was chosen as a tribute to the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Like the club itself, the Winnipeg Jets logo has undergone several transformations to get its current look and status. Previously, he had radically different personal identification signs. Following the Truth North Sports & Entertainment franchise’s acquisition, the Atlanta Thrashers team changed their name and redesigned the branding.
What is Winnipeg Jets?
This is the name of one of the National Hockey League teams. She made her debut in 1999, but she was known under a different name – Atlanta Thrashers. The renaming took place in 2011 after the franchise moved from the United States to the Canadian city of Winnipeg. The club currently participates in the Central Division and hosts home games at the Canada Life Center.
1999 – 2011
At the beginning of the 21st century, the Atlanta Thrashers team introduced its first logo. It depicted a Brown Thrasher bird, the official state bird of the team’s home state, Georgia. The bird inside a blue triangle held a golden hockey stick in its tail. The Thrasher bird was drawn in three shades of gold and brown. There was a yellow outline around the entire logo.
2011 – today
After moving to Canada, the club got a new name and a new Winnipeg Jets logo, developed in collaboration with the NHL. The logo is based on a McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet with its nose pointing up. It reflects the original roots of Winnipeg Jets – a reflection of the aviation theme, as the earliest version of the emblem used an airplane. Management brought it back in 2011, replacing the Brown Thrasher mockingbird with a fighter.
Reebok developed the new logo in conjunction with the NHL. Their cooperation was a round sign, in the center of which is a rapidly flying plane. The background is a red maple leaf turned in the opposite direction. At the top of the double ring, there is an acute-angled notch pointing north.
Font and Colors
The decision to update the outdated logo and add a personal identity to the administration seemed very appropriate. The club paid tribute to Wing Winnipeg, which is part of the Royal Canadian Air Force in its logo. This is what Mark Chipman, the team’s chairman, emphasized in his speech.
The original version consists of a mockingbird, the symbol of the state where the franchise is stationed. The anthropomorphic bird is depicted with a hockey stick in its hands and is placed on a blue triangular background, outlined by a yellow frame. Then it was changed to a more appropriate version, combining aviation and hockey signs. The developers also corrected the shape of the logo, making it round.
A separate inscription is located in two lines. The word “Jets” is in handwriting typeface, “Winnipeg” is in plain serrated type.
According to the PMS gradation, the emblem uses all the official colors of the franchise: white, burgundy 195 C, red 187 C, Cool Gray 11 C, silver 429 C, and two shades of blue – Aviator Blue 2945 C and Night Blue 282.
Winnipeg Jets color codes
Polar Night Blue | Hex color: | #041e42 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 4 30 66 | |
CMYK: | 100 90 13 68 | |
Pantone: | PMS 282 C |
Aviator Blue | Hex color: | #0060a5 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 0 96 165 | |
CMYK: | 99 48 1 14 | |
Pantone: | PMS 2384 C |
Silver | Hex color: | #a2aaad |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 162 170 173 | |
CMYK: | 21 11 9 23 | |
Pantone: | PMS 429 C |
Red | Hex color: | #a6192e |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 166 25 46 | |
CMYK: | 7 100 82 26 | |
Pantone: | PMS 187 C |
What does the Winnipeg Jets logo mean?
There are many symbols hidden in the Winnipeg Jets logo. It generally mimics the Royal Canadian Air Force medallion, which appears as a white circle with a red maple leaf in the center and a blue edging ring. At the same time, it features a fighter aircraft-inspired by military aircraft designs. This is a tribute to the RCAF pilots.
What plane is on the Winnipeg Jets logo?
The aircraft’s silhouette, which is depicted in the center of the Winnipeg Jets logo, was sketched from a McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet. This is a Royal Canadian Air Force military fighter.
Why are the Winnipeg Jets called the Jets?
The current Winnipeg Jets are named after the hockey club of the same name, which, after several moves, became known as the Arizona Coyotes. And that, in turn, was named after the New York Jets football franchise from the NFL.
When did the Winnipeg Jets change their logo?
The team changed the logo as part of a rebranding in 2011 after moving from Atlanta. It was then that she changed her name to Winnipeg Jets.