The Stanley Cup Playoffs are getting a new look for the first time in 13 seasons.
The NHL revealed new branding for its playoffs on Monday, with the most realistic version of the Stanley Cup it has ever used in a logo.
It was time for a change. The time was right for the NHL to explore what a new, reimagined Stanley Cup could look like, as a result of COVID and two new broadcast partners.
The NHL logo has been the same for 13 seasons. It worked on a new logo for more than two years.
The redesign had three main components.
The design team wanted to create a new type that was based on the Cup's history. The NHL took inspiration from the 1925 Stanley Cup winning Victoria Cougars etching on the trophy, and created a second type that was inspired by the entrance to Montreal's Windsor Hotel. It was named Windsor Sans.
The Cup illustration for the logo is more realistic than before. The designers tried to mimic the reflective quality of it. Gary Bettman requested that the etchings on the trophy be highlighted, which they have done for the first time.
The Cup illustration was presented to Gary during the approval process. He thought it looked great, but he said it was missing the etchings. Every winner is etched on it. Why would you not tell that story?
The shape of the logo is similar to a championship banner, and it is framed by the wordmark and Stanley Cup.
The logo can be applied to colored background for all 32 NHL teams. The designers said they could create animations around the new logo.
It is every NHL team's mission to raise a championship banner, and all players dream of having their name engraved in immortality. The NHL wanted to visually capture and evoke the majesty of Lord Stanley in a way that both respects the history and represents of the future of the game.
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