Hockey fans had LOTS to say about the Abbotsford Canucks' new look

Jul 14 2021, 10:47 pm

We areĀ alsoĀ Canucks.

Don’t know if that’ll be the new team’s slogan or not, but today qualified as an interesting day for the Vancouver Canucks. The team unveiled the new name, logo, and jerseys for their AHL affiliate, which is moving to Abbotsford after eight years in Utica.

It’s the first time in the Canucks’ 51-year history that their farm team will be close to home, so fan interest was high. For months, fans have been spitballing creative names and concepts, though the most obvious choice did fly a little under the radar.

After a 20-minute delay this morning, it was revealed that the AHL team will be known as the Abbotsford Canucks and will use Johnny Canuck as its logo. Johnny Canuck was the primary logo used by the Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks, a franchise that was in existence from 1945 until Vancouver entered the NHL in 1970. The NHL Canucks bought the rights to the logo more than a decade ago, but have used it sparingly since.

The traditional Johnny Canuck design has been used in merchandise sold by the team, and a stylized Johnny was used as a patch on their alternate uniforms from 2008 to 2017.

These new Canucks will wear the same colours as the team that plays at Rogers Arena, though green, not blue, will be the primary colour for Abbotsford’s home uniforms. Other subtleties with the new jerseys include retro-inspired laces around the collar and an A on the sleeves, which is a nod to the 1970’s Canucks uniforms which had Vs on the sleeves.

So was this a great move or a terrible one? If you ask Canucks fans, the answer is… both.

The Canucks have never had universal approval for any logo or jersey redesign, so why start now, right? Here’s a look at some of the highly entertaining reactions from fans today.

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