My NHL Logo Rankings

Sportsnet recently published a list, ranking all 30 NHL logos.  I found it to be a complete joke at first.  Then, after much reflection, I realized that ranking logos is stupid.  It's all a matter of opinion.  People are biased because of loyalties to teams and hatred towards other teams.  Plus we are simply human.  We have different tastes in food, clothing, color preferences, recreational activities, etc.  So of course we are going to have different tastes in logos.

So now it's my turn to make a stupid rankings list.  IN MY OPINION, here is how the ranking of NHL logos should go.  And sorry, I'm not cool enough to put little pictures of the logos next to each one.  Actually, I'm probably cool enough.  I'm just too lazy.

...and I will try my best to not let my hatred for certain teams (I'm looking at you, Red Wings) affect my opinions about their logo.

30. Anaheim Ducks.  I don't mind the "D" logo.  But their official main logo is the one that actually says the word "ducks."  Dumb.  Put the "D" as the main crest for all the jerseys, not just the alternate and the ranking improves dramatically.

29. Carolina Hurricanes.  Perhaps I'm bitter because my beloved Whalers became the Hurricanes, but I can't help but be reminded of a flushing toilet when I see this logo.  Terrible.

28. Washington Capitals. I'm not a fan of wordmark logos I guess.  I really liked their eagle logo when they had it.

27. Ottawa Senators.  I just don't like that guy looking at me.

26. Buffalo Sabres.  Who thought of this?  Hey, we're the Sabres and we're from a city called Buffalo.  So let's put some sabres and a buffalo inside a circle.  Brilliant!  Better than the Buffaslug though.

25. Edmonton Oilers.  Not a big fan of circle logos, but the Oilers is okay, I guess.  I liked their modernized alternate from a few years back.

24. Toronto Maple Leafs.  I like the simplicity, but there's something about it that I just don't love.  It's a one-color Maple Leaf.  And it says, in boring letters, "Toronto Maple Leafs."  Don't give me that crap about the Original Six and traditions.  It's boring and you know it.  I like their old-school alternate better.

23. New York Islanders.  Lots of tradition behind this logo but I've never been a huge fan.  Looks better when viewed with the jersey.

22. New York Rangers.  I feel like I'm letting my family down ranking it so low, but I'm glad this logo is not used as the main jersey crest.

21. Pittsburgh Penguins. Prefer the majestic penguin on the 1990's logo to the dorky one.

20. Los Angeles Kings.  Not a bad logo, I just hate the "LA" part.  When I see that, I don't think Los Angeles.  I think "La" as in the musical note.

19. Tampa Bay Lightning.  Throw some black and/or silver in there and the ranking for this logo shoots right up.  I'm glad they got rid of the words used in the original logo, but they made it TOO simple.

18. Boston Bruins.  Believe it or not, this is actually much higher than it would have been several years ago.  As a Whalers fan, I learned to hate all things Bruins.  But now, my kids' youth hockey team is called the Bruins (plus the Whalers don't exist anymore) so I have warmed up a bit.

17. St. Louis Blues.  Similar to what I will write about the Coyotes below, when used in combination with the entire jersey, the Blues have one of my favorite looks.  But as a stand-alone logo, it's middle-of-the-pack.

16. Montreal Canadiens.  Completely ignoring the historical aspect here.  As a hockey logo, it is simple and the colors are good.

15. Philadelphia Flyers.  I hate the Flyers and I'm not a big fan of orange.  But I like the "P" with wings design.

14. Winnipeg Jets.  Still think they could have come up with something better, but this one is okay.

13. Nashville Predators.  I was going to rank them a bit lower, but I'll be nice to my brother.

12. Vancouver Canucks. Better than the skate, V, or hockey stick logos.

11. Phoenix Coyotes.  Overall, I think the Coyotes' uniforms are among the top 5 best in the league.  But since I'm just ranking logos, I'll put it here.  Good, but not great.

10. Florida Panthers.  Very complex logo, which normally I don't like.  But it works for the Panthers.

9. Dallas Stars.  Still too new to appropriately rank.  But I'll give them a top 10 rank simply because they use green (which only appears in a few logos).

8. Detroit Red Wings.  It kills me to rank this so high but I was trying to be honest an objective.  I just hate those guys with every tired muscle in my Italian body.  I like the wheel as the symbolic representation of the Motor City.

7. New Jersey Devils.  Love that they have never had any other logo (just a change from green to black).  No need to change such a cool thing.

6. Calgary Flames.  Simple yet cool.  Just looks like it belongs on the front of a hockey jersey.

5. Colorado Avalanche.  I hate the Avalanche.  And I think the Avalanche is a stupid name for a hockey team.  But as far as avalanche logos go, this is cool.

4. San Jose Sharks.  I don't have any data to back this up, but I'm confident it would be harder to find someone who didn't like the Sharks logo compared to finding someone who did.

3. Columbus Blue Jackets.  Yes, I'm biased.  Deal with it.

2. Chicago Blackhawks.  Maybe it's because I had the same logo on my jersey when I played youth hockey.  Whatever it is, it's just plain cool.  Thinking about it now and perhaps it should be #1 instead of the Wild.

1. Minnesota Wild.  Love this logo.  Whoever came up with it is a genius.  The animal is sweet but the fact that it is formed using symbols from the wilderness is just so cool.  Too bad Wild is a stupid name for a hockey team.