A New Non-Winnipeg Logo

Everyone is anticipating the announcement of the Winnipeg team name in the next few days before the NHL Entry Draft gets underway, and there is a groundswell of anticipation for Winnipeg's NHL merchandise emblazoned with the new logo on it. Today we have a logo, although it's not Winnipeg's logo. The Nashville Predators decided to get the jump on Winnipeg by unveiling their new logos today, and I have to say that Nashville is doing a fine job in becoming a more respectable-looking NHL team with their new logos.

We'll start with the Predators' new primary logo that they will wear on their chests. The old logo had a number of extra colours in it that weren't major colours in the Nashville colour scheme. While the logo itself was quite catchy, there had been a push to simplify the logo in terms of the number of colours used. The alternate jersey had eliminated the yellow almost altogether on the primary logo, so it appeared the Predators were already bleeding some colours out of their logos.

Today's unveiling of the new logo eliminates all the extraneous colours while putting the yellow back into the colour scheme. While it's certainly less flashy than the old logo, the new logo follows a theme that I believe should be a requirement when designing logos: keep it simple! The Predators have done that for their new look, and the logo still looks pretty good. In fact, I like the very large teeth much more on this new logo than I do on the old logo. This new logo is definitely GOOD.

We move to the secondary logo where the Predators always played up the fossil aspect on their uniforms. As good as that logo is, the gimmick always bothered me because a fossil is the remains of a dead animal. The Predators never seem to be dead in any game, and they proved that in the NHL Playoffs a couple of times this season. Thankfully, and excuse the pun, but the fossil logo is now dead on their upcoming re-designed home and road jerseys.

The new secondary logo works in a couple of great aspects: the three stars found on the Tennessee flag, and the shape of a guitar pick that represents "Music City", Nashville's nickname. Personally, I love this new secondary logo that the Predators will wear on their shoulders because it represents both the state of Tennessee and the city of Nashville, and representing the civic entity that the team calls home is what a sports logo should do first and foremost. Well done, Nashville - this secondary logo is definitely GOOD.

The Predators will be adding a new logo to their pants this year as well. The "NP" logo that the team wore last season will be replaced by an "NP" in the newly-chosen font for the team. It will also take the place of the old primary logo occasionally worn on the pants. Personally, this one is a PUSH simply because I wasn't against the old "NP" at all.

The Nashville wordmark on font changed a little as well. The old wordmark had the small slashes on each letter, and the font on the rear of the jersey for the numbers also had the same feature. The new wordmark is less aggressive in its depiction, but it certainly doesn't lose its effectiveness. I just hope that the rear number font doesn't change much because it was one of the things that made Nashville's jerseys unique. I feel this one is a PUSH as well.

From the Nashville Predators website, the English copy may be poor, but here's how the Predators came up with the changes: "This week's launch is the conclusion of a lengthy process which included fan focus group input, input from season ticket holders, meetings with the Reebok NHL design team, designed to showcase a more contemporary and aggressive look by streamlining the original logo with tweaks like shading on the teeth and adding a distinctive gold color band through the logo."

Overall, I think the Predators did a pretty good job in simplifying their logos, and they really brought the civic elements representing the city of Nashville and the state of Tennessee to life. I guess this means that I have another discontinued jersey in the my closet, however, since my Shea Weber was on the original jersey with the original logo.

What say you, readers: thumbs-up or thumbs-down to the Predators' re-design?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!