Looking ahead to the 2023, we thought it would be fun to remix all 32 NHL center ice designs. The rules we will follow are simple: No matter how perfect the ice may be, there must be a change. This could be something as small as a red line change, or as large as a complete re-design. Today we will take a look at the Atlantic Division.
It would be hard to improve the Boston Bruins rink, but a subtle black circle around the logo might make it stand out slightly more. We also added a diamond pattern to the red line, though there is nothing wrong with their solid red line to complement their clean, iconic logo.
The Buffalo Sabres logo should really be full circle at center ice. Also, lose the center circle itself and let the logo do the job just like it already does in Boston. Yes, I know we just added the circle back for Boston, but hey, had to change something.
The Detroit Red Wings have one of the most "Hockey" logos we have ever seen, but when it comes to center ice, it always looks a bit off. We swapped the primary out for an alternate logo which really only adds a bold outline around it. Some fans miss the "Hockeytown" logo at center ice, so we brought it back. However, we think it might work better around the circle rather than over the top of their logo.
While the Florida Panthers shield logo has grown on us over the years, we still prefer their original 'leaping Panther' version. This concept combines their original logo with the current branding version and keeps their name front and center.
For the Montreal Canadiens, we could have just reposted their 2018 center ice design, but where is the fun in that. While many fans may want to go back to that dual logo design, we decided to just improve on their current layout by adding two more arena wordmarks around the circle like they used to have. Since the Habs' logo is much wider than it is tall, this just adds some balance to center ice.
The Ottawa Senators should go back to that smaller arena wordmark they used back in 2018. It gives a much cleaner look. As for the solid red line... let's add the pattern from their logo to make it look really sharp.
The Tampa Bay Lightning center ice is about as good as it gets. This concept is really just a "what if?" concept because it was hard to find anything to improve. So what if the logo was in white and their center circle color matched their home jerseys. The red line pattern could possibly be improved by ditching the slashes and just keep the lightning bolts.
Same idea for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Swapped the logo and background colors. Is it better? Not really, but it's different and that was the point of this series. Some teams just need to leave things alone in reality, and this is certainly a change I could never imagine happening.
We hope you enjoyed this series! Let us know what you thought and share any ideas you have for center ice changes in the comments below.