A pro hockey team in the UK has a logo nearly identical to the Calgary Flames
If you’ve ever tuned into the Elite Ice Hockey League, you may have noticed a team with a logo very similar to the Calgary Flames.
The EIHL, which is the top ice-hockey league in the UK, boasts 10 teams, including the Guildford Flames.
This version of the Flames first formed back in 1992, competing in the British National League until 2004. They then moved to the English Premier Ice Hockey League before making the transition to the EIHL ahead of the 2017-18 season.
As it turns out, the Guildford Flames have a very similar jersey concept as far as the logo is concerned to the Calgary Flames. The one difference is that instead of it being a Flaming C, they went with a G. Here’s a look at just how identical the logos are.
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Interestingly enough, the Guildford Flames’ jerseys are similar colours to what the Atlanta Thrashers wore during their 11 seasons in the NHL. Prior to the Thrashers, there was the Atlanta Flames, who were in the NHL from 1972 to 1980 before relocating to Calgary.
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As it turns out, the Guildford Flames were able to get in touch with the Calgary Flames ahead of their debut season in 1992-93 to get permission for their logo. Calgary ownership obliged, and Guildford has continued to use the logo ever since.
It doesn’t sound as though this is a rarity for professional hockey teams in the UK, either.
“Back in the day, a whole heap of British teams copied logos/jerseys from NHL teams,” a user wrote on Reddit. “Probably because we didn’t have anything homegrown to model on, bare-bones budgets etc.”
There also happens to be a player on the Guildford Flames’ roster for the upcoming 2026-27 season that has a connection to the Calgary Flames organization.
Brad Arvanitis, a goalie who has spent several seasons in the ECHL, had a brief stint with the Rapid City Rush during the 2022-23 campaign. The Rush have served as the Flames’ ECHL affiliate since 2022-23.
So, there you have it, Flames fans. If you’re looking for another hockey team in a different league to start supporting, there may be no better option than Guildford.