The horrid Flyers rebrand that almost saw the light of day
The Philadelphia Flyers logo is one of the most iconic logos in the history of the NHL. Almost virtually untouched since the team’s introduction to the league in 1967, the winged P sits in the middle of every Flyers sweater to ever exist. Back in 1995, the historic logo was almost tarnished forever, but luckily, it never saw the light of day.
During the mid-90s, several teams across the NHL were ditching their traditional uniforms for edgier, more modern looks. The Pittsburgh Penguins introduced their Robo-Pen uniforms, and the LA Kings went from Gold and Purple to Black and White. During the 1995-1996 season, the Flyers were set to unveil a new alternate uniform alongside their burnt orange jerseys. While the uniform and alternate logo never saw the ice, let’s be thankful they didn’t.
These designs were created by Ken Loh, known for creating the Patriots “Flying Elvis” logo they currently use. I don’t even know where to begin with this logo. First off, it is such a 90s design that it isn’t surprising that it was a possibility. The wings returned but in the back of the logo while introducing the Liberty Bell and a hockey puck. Despite those additions, the most significant addition was teal into the Flyers’ color scheme.
It looks as though the Flyers’ AHL franchise took inspiration from the alternate logo when designing theirs when the Philadelphia Phantoms debuted in 1996. While the logo isn’t bad for the circumstances despite the questionable teal, the uniforms are just downright embarrassing.
Why does teal need to become a secondary color for the Flyers? During the late 90s, several Philadelphia sports franchises decided to overhaul their color scheme. The Eagles went from kelly green to midnight green, and the Sixers ditched red and blue for black and gold.
Thankfully the rebrand was shot down because it looks so out of place with their color scheme. Like I said earlier, this design seems almost exactly what I’d expect a 90s rebrand to look like, but that doesn’t excuse it. Even with teal taken out of the equation, the logo placement and piping are clunky, and the Flyers are a team that is better off with a basic design. Eventually the Flyers would go on to introduce their black alternates a few seasons later and the team would continue their simplistic uniforms.
Mandatory Credit: NHL
Wow, that is bad. I really like the idea of the liberty bell though. It is unique to Philly and it should be on a third jersey, kind of like the bear head is on the Bruins third jersey a few years ago. Although the trim of that jersey was ugly.
[…] The horrid Flyers rebrand that almost saw the light of day […]
Kings changed colors to black and white in 1988.
I think Icethetics deserves a credit for at least the graphics here
https://www.icethetics.co/blog/2014/7/13/designing-the-90s-nhl-part-1-unfamiliar-flyers
I had an idea that involved an airplane. You know, something that actually flies.
[…] will likely return into the fold as soon as 2022. This discovery also comes on the heels of the Flyers’ own scrapped rebrand, which introduced teal and a new […]
[…] to look at and imagine what might’ve been. Over the last year, we have seen multiple scrapped Flyers and Eagles uniforms, and hopefully, more will continue to come out of the […]