When the Canucks entered the National Hockey League in 1970, although they weren't the best team on the ice they were certainly one of the best dressed teams. Unlike other expansion teams (for example the Los Angeles Kings, or the Philadelphia Flyers) which wore bright colour schemes which were decidedly different from the colour palates which hockey fans had come to expect, the Canucks brought a unique colour set different from anything else in the league, yet still in line with the classic uniform stylings of the original six, and representative of their hometown. Blue to represent the ocean, green for the trees, and white for the snow-capped mountains. These original canucks uniforms from 1970 were ripe with staying power, and were poised to become timeless classics.
Beyond the blue, white, green colour scheme these sweaters had other key elements which built a strong identity for the Canucks. A simple crest, the stick in the rink, was something any child could draw, was instantly identifiable with hockey. The crest also acted as a modified "C" for Canucks. However, the most brilliant aspect of this jersey is the "V" hidden on the arm stripes. On this simple jersey, a complete identity was established.
Unfortunately everything went downhill from there. A more complicated striping pattern was introduced in 1972, which eliminated the "V" in the arm stripes completely. By 1978 the Canucks were wearing the "Flying V" jerseys (perhaps the ugliest sweaters the NHL has ever seen) and their identity which started strong was scrapped within 8 years in favour of a gaudy look which was never accepted by hockey fans.
Throughout the Canucks' tumultuous uniform history, they have gone through numerous jersey changes. They have worn 6 separate primary logos, and 5 different colour schemes. The Canucks have never truly found an identity, nor have they ever allowed enough time for one to develop.
Attempts have been made at rekindling their original identity with the most recent modifications to the uniforms and the introduction of the latest alternate jersey, however, the Canucks seem unwilling to fully commit to this identity, and still wear the orca whale jersey at home and on the road, and in the playoffs. Canucks are not whales. The alternate jersey employs Johnny Canuck a Paul Bunyan-esque character from Canadian folklore on the shoulder patch and in doing so, has for the first time in the history of the NHL Vancouver Canucks drawn this important link between the club and its namesake.
With all this being said, I make it to the point of this blog.
The Canucks are in desperate need of a solid identity. Throughout their history, elements which could function to create this identity have been employed.
I have identified these elements as:
- the blue, white, green colour scheme
- the stick in the rink logo
- the letter V, or a "V" shape
- the character of Johnny Canuck
This is a design blog, and what I will be doing is employing these elements to create a solid uniform set for the Vancouver Canucks. As well, I will be using these key elements of the Canucks' identity to reclaim some of the most horrendous sweaters from the past.
I am not a logo designer, so I will not be designing new logos. I may edit old ones, but will not be creating new ones. Also, I want to be original in what I create, so I will not simply be creating EDGEified versions of old sweaters. I want to create a solid modern identity for the Canucks, as if the uniforms evolved organically from the original Canucks sweaters.
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