A B-Side BY Armin

Hershey Bears

Founded in 1932, the Hershey Bears is a hockey team in the American Hockey League with 11 championships to their name and based in the chocolate-friendly city of Hershey, Pennsylvania. This week the Bears introduced a new identity, designed by Pottsville, PA-based The Joe Bosack Graphic Design Company. Press release here. Many more images and info at Chris Creamer’s Sports Logos.

Thanks to Steve Semanchik for the tip.

Opinion BY Armin

Winnipeg Hockey gets Bellicose

Set to begin play in the 2011/12 season of the NHL, the Winnipeg Jets are the result of the purchase of the Atlanta Thrashers (who joined the league as an expansion team in the 1999/2000 season) by True North Sports & Entertainment with the full intent of bringing the team to Canada, where they own the MTS Centre in downtown Winnipeg. If, to some, the Winnipeg Jets name sounds familiar it’s because it used to exist first as a World Hockey Association team from 1972 to 1979 and then as an NHL franchise from 1979 to 1996. Last week, the Jets unveiled their new identity designed by Reebok, that celebrates the city’s ties to the Canadian Air Force.

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Opinion BY Armin

What Big Teeth you Have

Established as an expansion team of the NHL in 1997 in Tennessee, the Nashville Predators first took to the ice in the 1998 – 99 season. They finished second last that year and the year after that. Since then they have made the playoff on and off. I don’t follow hockey but I’m generally aware of what cities have teams in which professional sports but I had no idea there was a hockey team in Nashville and once I knew that information I had no idea why it had a saber-toothed cat as a logo. Turns out in 1971, the skeleton of one of these was found during construction of the First American National Bank building in downtown Nashville. The Predators — or “Preds” as they are also known (really?!) — have been using the same logo since they joined the league and this week they unveiled an updated identity.

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Opinion BY Armin

Deutsche Eishockey Liga

Established in 1994, the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (German Ice Hockey League in English, DEL for short), is the professional Hockey league in Germany, featuring 14 teams and, apparently, the highest number of American and Canadian players outside the NHL. The new logo has been designed by buergerclever.

Thanks to Simon Vatareck for the tip.

Opinion BY Armin

The Tampa Bay Lightning Lack Voltage

The Tampa Bay Lightning — nickname: Bolts — joined the National Hockey League in the 1992 – 93 season along with the Ottawa Senators as expansion teams. The Lightning won the Stanley Cup in the 2004 – 05 season and in the following season, trying to defend their championship, they were eliminated by the Senators in the first round of the playoffs. I bet there is some poetic justice there for Senators fans. The Lightning have had two very crappy seasons after those glory days and now seem determined to get some thunder going behind them. Yesterday, they announced new uniforms, which will be used starting next season, and a new identity designed by SME Branding.

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