It’s not easy to modernize a franchise that has been around forever and is the oldest team in the NHL. If the Montreal Canadiens were to try to revamp their jersey or alter their logo, there would likely be protests in town, as their jersey has almost become sacred. It’s therefore not all that surprising that the team opted to revamp the logo at center ice instead.
In the past, the face-off dot at the Bell Center featured one oversized Canadiens logo. There was nothing wrong with the classic look, but it didn’t exactly pop out, and owner Geoff Molson requested a change.
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The task fell to the Canadiens’ art director for the last three years, Antonin Brault Guilleaume. According to The Gazette’s Stu Cowan, Guilleaume tried to introduce a bit more blue to the design. Still, the team owner, president, and chief executive officer was adamant about wanting the circle to be red.
This season, at center ice, there will be one big Canadiens logo, and the whole face-off circle will be painted in solid red. Aside from the logo itself, the words “Canadiens de Montreal” and 1909, the year of the team’s inception, will be featured.
The team didn’t just settle on a simple paint job, though; the logo is 3D-styled, and alongside the circle, there are 24 grooves representing the team’s 24 Stanley Cup conquests. On its website, the organization explains that it has chosen to have its name written in French because it’s the province’s official language and it underscores its unique NHL roots.
Chances are that if they didn’t decide to use the French name, the Office de la Langue Française, Quebec’s language watchdog, would have objected, just like it did to the STM allowing its drivers to put the “Go Habs Go!” message on their bus during the last playoffs, claiming the message should have included the word “Allez” instead of “Go”. The watchdog backed down after the prime minister’s intervention, but the damage was done.
Fans will be able to admire the new logo next weekend, on September 13 and 14, when the Canadiens will host a prospect showcase at the Bell Centre, featuring its own prospects, those of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and Winnipeg Jets.
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