Two Impressive Logos

If you've been following The Hockey Show, you know that Jenna and I have been talking about all the new ECHL teams that are popping up across the continent. The Iowa Heartlanders, featured below, introduced everyone to their logo last week as they prepare for play in the 2021-22 ECHL season, and, yesterday, their expansion cousins in Trois-Rivières, Quebec introduced everyone to the face of their franchise above as they unveiled their new logo as the Trois-Rivières Lions will take the ice next season! If you like great logos, we have two today on the ol' blog!

We'll start in Trois-Rivières where Deacon Sports and Entertainment unveiled the new logo and team name. Mark Weightman, president and CEO of the team, began with the best place any team can start, and that the history of hockey in the community the team represents. Professional hockey in Trois-Rivières doesn't have a rich or storied past like Les Canadiens do in Quebec, but Weightman knew the significance of that history to Trois-Rivières while also knowing how fiercely proud Quebeckers are of their own French heritage.

The project for this design was led by Win X Two Branding Agency who worked with The Idea Factory and Quebec-based agencies Acolyte and Tungsten Studio to come up with the logo. If I'm being honest, I truly believe they knocked this one out of the park with all of the imagery they packed into the Lions' logo.

From the press release yesterday,

"First and foremost, the team will present an identity that is Québécois, as evidenced by the fleur-de-lys that constitutes the backdrop of the logo. The metal-plated lion is an homage to this key industry of the region. The torch, an important landmark in Trois-Rivières (le Flambeau) as well as a trademark symbol for the Montreal Canadiens is displayed in the lion's mane. The design of the logo all comes together around the strong, unbreakable, and determined spirit forged into the lion's piercing gaze, and its stylish moustache pays tribute to Sieur Laviolette, founder of the city in 1634. The logo features a dominant metal grey and an iconic Québec blue as its primary colours."

Honestly, that's one of the best explanations of any logo I've ever seen. It doesn't incorporate marketing buzzwords or jargon that make it sound more impressive than it actually is. Instead, the logo is clearly explained with the various pieces of the imagery defined in the explanation.

And the best part? It all comes together beautifully. There's no mistaking the fleur-de-lys image and the lion's face is clearly seen within the fleur-de-lys, so you already have a good idea that this is a Quebec-based team called "Lions" on a quick glance. While the torch imagery is a little harder to see at first glance, it also is present. And the mustache imagery paying tribute to Sieur Laviolette is so subtle, yet so well-incorporated that it has me smiling. This, readers, is a darn good logo!

It should be noted that the name also has historical ties as Trois-Rivières' only professional hockey team in the city's history was called the Lions. Those Lions played in the Quebec Hockey League from 1955 to 1959 against the likes of the Quebec Aces and the Montreal Royals before the QHL disbanded at the end of the 1959 season.

From there, the Lions went on to play one season in the Eastern Professional Hockey League before the team moved to Kitchener, Ontario in 1960. Since then, no other professional hockey teams have called Trois-Rivières home until now.

Personally, I love this logo. It has so many good elements that I really want to see it on a jersey now. It seems very likely that the colours of the new Trois-Rivières Lions will be blue and gray to some point, so I'm hopeful we see those jerseys soon. In the meantime, I am a fan of that amazing Lions logo.

If I'm being fully transparent, this is where I should point out that Deacon Sports and Entertainment and Win X Two Branding have worked on other projects together. Deacon Sports and Entertainment also owns both the Newfoundland Growlers and the Iowa Heartlanders franchises, and Win X Two Branding has worked on those logos and designs as well. With that being said, you now know the track record for Win X Two Branding when it comes to designing great logos, and I will admit that Iowa's new team fits that bill.

If there's one animal I don't normally associate with hockey, it might be a deer. I have flashbacks to seeing Bambi struggle to stand up on the slippery ice from Disney cartoons as a kid, so I don't really put deer into the same category as polar bears or penguins when it comes to their success on ice. However, there's no denying that deer live in wintery climates and seem to thrive in their abilities to navigate those winter months, so perhaps Disney led me astray with their portrayal of deer on ice. What should be apparent, though, is that the Iowa Heartlanders have a fantastic logo that was also designed by Win X Two Branding, so, as their branding suggests, it's time to "Run the Game".

Unfortunately for the Heartlanders, they don't have the imagery that Win X Two Branding drew upon for their logo. The explanation, featured here on the press release, is mostly marketing buzzwords and jargon, so there's less to be excited about when it comes to where they drew inspiration from in creating the logo. Explaining the use of the colour "yellow", for example, just feels like they're reaching on this one.

However, I do want to draw you attention to this note in the release.

"Iowa's state flower, the wild prairie rose, featuring heartshaped, coral pink petals and a shining sun, symbolizes everything worth playing for – the magnificent riches and traditions of our home, and the wild spirit of our fans that will continue to grow. The flower blooms every June, perfectly timed with the Kelly Cup. Our target is set, now its game on.

"The wild prairie rose will serve as our secondary logo and will be featured on the Iowa Heartlanders jersey in addition to the primary logo."

While I rolled my eyes at the marketing chatter regarding the meaning of the flower and the blooming of the flower being tied to the Kelly Cup Playoffs, the fact that the prairie rose will be featured as a secondary logo and will be on the jersey is pretty cool. I'm not certain there are any other teams who have a flower on their uniforms, so this is a cool addition to the Heartlanders' uniforms!

Marketing jargon aside, it's pretty clear that the partnership between Deacon Sports and Entertainment and Win X Two Branding is producing some excellent logos in the ECHL. These two new teams both have great looks in starting their franchises, and that goes a long way in helping to sell tickets, merchandise, and, more importantly, potential players on the professionalism and attitude of these franchises.

While we usually think of minor-pro hockey teams having goofy, cartoonish logos for their teams, it's pretty clear that the Trois-Rivières Lions and Iowa Heartlanders are going in the direction of sleek, sophisticated designs to sell their teams. That's the best way to sell your team if this writer's opinion carries any weight, and I'm excited to see both teams on the ice in the ECHL next season!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!