The National Hockey League unveiled the logo for its 2025 Stadium Series game, which will be played outdoors between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings at Ohio Stadium on March 1st.
The logo heavily uses the host Blue Jackets’ colour scheme of navy blue, red, grey, and white while also incorporating some nods to Ohio State.
The league didn’t really explain the logo much (I share their full breakdown of the logo from their press release a couple of paragraphs down), but we can make some educated assumptions here. The addition of the “The” pennant in the corner refers to the fanbase’s frequent emphasis on “*THE*” in the university’s name. We also see the top of Ohio Stadium’s scoreboard at the top of the logo and the stadium’s horseshoe-style shape (presented in the style of the Buckeyes’ primary logo and colours) included around the outside of the logo.
Here’s the NHL’s explanation of the logo, which looks like it was plucked directly from a ChatGPT prompt for “write a paragraph about this logo”:
“The logo invokes a celebratory tone that resonates with the NHL’s future forward vision. Taking inspiration from the Columbus Blue Jackets’ branding in the selection of the color palette of red, white, and blue as the primary colors for the logo, the 2025 NHL Stadium Series logo invokes elements that give a nod to The Ohio State University as the backdrop for this exciting event.”
Looking back at how this logo compares with past Stadium Series logos, we can certainly see the vast improvement in the event’s logos over time and the league’s willingness to move away from the templated “every year, event, and fan base is exactly the same” style we’ve seen other leagues roll with recently.
The 2025 Stadium Series will be the first time the Columbus Blue Jackets will compete in an outdoor NHL game; meanwhile, the Detroit Red Wings will be playing their fifth.
The 2025 Stadium Series will be the 43rd outdoor game played in NHL regular season history. The first was in 2003 when the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens faced off in the 2003 Heritage Classic at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium. Once the league’s guinea pigs up north showed them money could be made, they took the game south, starting with the 2008 Winter Classic in Buffalo. One more outdoor game will be played during the 2024-25 season as the St. Louis Blues face the Chicago Blackhawks at Wrigley Field for the Winter Classic on December 31st.