NHL unveils new design for Stanley Cup logo

The Stanley Cup brand is entering its "next era."

The NHL unveiled Monday a new logo and microsite for the Stanley Cup, one that embodies the Stanley Cup Playoffs and NHL championship.
"We're ready for the next era," said Greg Mueller, NHL senior design director, creative services. "Not a new era, the next one."
Mueller, along with Paul Conway, group VP, NHL creative, and Louis Gentile, NHL senior digital designer, under the direction of NHL Chief Brand Officer Brian Jennings, spent more than two years coming up with the new logo system, navigating several twists, detours and obstacles brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. The NHL Creative team collaborated with outside agency Fandbrandz, to spearhead the extensive redesign process.
It was a labor of love dedicated to the greatest trophy in sports.
The group said the timing was perfect for a change to a system in place for 13 seasons, one they called "evolutions, not revolutions," a chance to reinterpret what's rooted in tradition with a fresh perspective.
And though the logo system is for the next phase of the NHL, the designers drew from the rich history of the League and Cup itself.
The new identity introduces two newly-crafted fonts. Windsor Sands font used in "Playoffs" and "Final" was inspired by the Windsor Hotel in Montreal, where the NHL was founded on Nov. 26, 1917, nine years before the Stanley Cup became the championship trophy of the NHL. The Victoria SC Serif font was born from the original engravings found in the bowl of the Stanley Cup when it was first awarded and make it unique to championship trophies in pro and amateur sports. Early logo designs of the illustrated Stanley Cup didn't include the etchings but were added at the suggestion of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

The finishing touch is the shape of a championship banner celebrating a symbol of excellence.
"We had a wealth of resources to pull inspiration from," Conway said. "The etchings add another level of photorealism to the look and feel of the illustration."
Conway said the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season is the perfect time to use the new logo with new broadcast partners ESPN and TNT set to cover the postseason.
"We're excited to see how all these applications come to life," Conway said. "We're entering into a new era with our broadcast partners, so let's take this historic and storied brand and then present it in a new and interesting way that's relevant to all of us.'
A
microsite
provides fans with a digital history of the story behind winning the Stanley Cup and the past 2 1/2 years of work devoted to reshaping what's iconic.
"It's a reinvigoration," Mueller said. "While the Stanley Cup is an established brand that everyone knows well, we think this breathes new life into it."