The National Hockey League has released the logo for the 2023 NHL All-Star Game, set to be held at FLA Live Arena, home of the Florida Panthers, in Sunrise, Florida, on February 4, 2023.
It’s the second All-Star Game hosted by the Panthers [previously, 20 years earlier in 2003] and the fourth All-Star Game in the State of Florida.
The logo shows a typical Florida sunset [though the sun only *rises* over the ocean on the side of Florida where the Panthers play]. The sky shows a Houston Astros-like transition from red to orange to yellow with “all-star” laid across it in a navy blue palm-tree style typeface. In the upper right are two blue seagulls, noting the two times the Panthers have hosted; below is a sandy Florida beach and the light blue of the Atlantic Ocean. The “it’s a roundel shape because hockey pucks” bit is a nice touch.
LINK: Complete history of NHL All-Star Game logos
It’s basically the logo version of this photo of my father enjoying a Florida sunset during our trip down to Spring Training near Tampa in 2008.
As with all branded event logos in the NHL, there are a few versions of the design; some intended only for on-ice use [such as those without the Honda logo] and, of course, a version en français for all of our friends east of the Ottawa River.
Let’s look back at some recent NHL All-Star Game logos and see how the new 2023 design sizes up. I learned that at least one palm tree has been featured in half of all the NHL All-Star Game logos since 2017… and that Florida’s two teams have hosted more All-Star Games than all of Canada in the last 24 years. Yeah, I know, it’s nice and warm there during All-Star Weekend; I understand the reasons.
As for the future, the league has yet to announce the host of any All-Star Games beyond 2023; four NHL teams have yet to host a game: the Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Seattle Kraken, and Winnipeg Jets. Yes, the Jets franchise hosted when their team played in Atlanta. Still, the City of Winnipeg has never hosted [with either version of the Jets], and the Coyotes were awarded the 2006 NHL All-Star Game but was cancelled due to the NHL’s participation in the 2006 Winter Olympics.