Unlike many sim leagues, the design of SHL and SMJHL logos and jerseys is simply amazing. For the league’s 75th anniversary, and for this Teams Appreciation Weeks initiative, I wanted to discuss, explore and even experiment with the signatures (logo, colors, jerseys) of SHL and SMJHL franchises and their history. I might even attempt to create, with my very limited artistic talent, secondary logos for SHL and SMJHL teams.

Disclaimer: I’m using AI image generators. So, no talent here, just prompts, prompts, and more prompts. That’s why I'm not submitting this as a graphic for grading, but rather as an article and as a discussion.

Consider this (first of many SHL?) article as a love letter to all the logos of the league and the talented artists behind those creations. While I'm proposing alternate logos, I want to emphasize that I don't believe AI-generated images should ever be used as the official signature of a team. This is all just for fun, and to explore the capabilities of tools like Midjourney and similar image generators.

Previous project:

Week 1 – Maine Timber



MANHATTAN RAGE

The franchise has retained its name since S2, but the logo has undergone significant evolution over the years. Initially, a logo featuring a black bull was used from S2 to S5. This was later replaced in S6 with a depiction of a polar bear protecting the city, somehow reminiscent of the Charlotte Checkers logo (and very reminiscent of a U18 AAA Saskatchewan team). In S21, the team adopted a simpler and brighter logo featuring just the polar bear, along with a new set of jerseys. This logo remained in use for 20 seasons until S42, when it was replaced by the current iteration. (Thanks to Luke’s https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/l...y/BoxPlots ).



There is another logo in the archives that could have been used as another concept but I cannot place it on the timeline. My guess is that the logo - a grey and red bear - was considered and rejected in S21.  In the old jersey design, we can find another secondary logo.  




There have been two variations featuring a bull prior to the current design. One of these, featuring red and black colors, served as a secondary logo. While the Rage has undergone several logo changes over the years, the team's colors have remained consistent since the league's second season: bright red, black, dark grey, and white. There were, to my knowledge, six logo concepts total: 3 bears, 3 bulls, a nod to the two animals associated with the NY stock exchange. 




It is very hard to convey a strong emotion such as rage, but the current logo does it perfectly. The bull, a symbol of Wall Street, is portrayed with a stylized Empire State Building and a M at the bottom. The logo incorporates two different shades of red. The bright red remains prominent, complemented for the first time by a barn red – or, ironically, in French, 'rouge sang de boeuf,' which translates to bull blood red. There's an obvious comparison to be made with the Chicago Bulls, but the SHL has absolutely nothing to envy from the NBA. Fun fact, the NBA logo uses a slightly more rosy red, called "Bulls Red," (#CE1141) while Manhattan adopts a much bolder red. 

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What I find remarkable about the logo is its efficiency. The image should convey a strong and violent emotion, but ultimately, the bull appears anything but enraged. The nuance lies in its latent power, in the potential to release its strength. The result is an intimidating, powerful, and strong logo. We understand that the rage the image should evoke is not there... yet, and it would be wise not to provoke it. This nuanced approach to the logo, quite different from the previous ones, makes it one of the most beautiful and brilliant in the league. As for the jerseys, their red, white, and black colors are in a design very (very) similar to those of the 2007-2017 New Jersey Devils. (The Rage would look great in a darker red New Jersey 2024 Stadium Series jersey).





The Rage does not have an official secondary logo right now. They used to have many (a bull, similar to the short-lived original logo, and a bear in S21), so I attempted to pitch something new. It wasn't obvious at first, as I didn't initially want to go with an animal. (After all, what would I choose other than the Wall Street bulls and bears? A pigeon? A rat? What other animals are iconic to Manhattan?!?). Choosing a concept was not easy.

The current Rage logo found its inspiration from its landmarks and cultural references, so I opted for that route: I tried to do something with King Kong and Lady Liberty.

For my first design, creating a design featuring both King Kong and the Empire State Building proved too complex for my capacities. Thus, I settled for simpler concepts: an enraged King Kong and an intimidating King Kong. While the results are mediocre at best, I must admit I love the idea. The concept of Rage + Manhattan = King Kong has the potential to create something powerful and a great alternate logo. 

   

For my second design, I loved the contrast of a strong, heartfelt emotion and an iconic statue. I know I know I know… the Statue of Liberty is NOT located in Manhattan, but it is facing the borough and is strongly associated with it. The Rangers also used Lady Liberty on their own secondary logos since 1996 and were used as an inspiration. Two versions of the logo were produced: one more realistic, and another with less defined features. The black usually associated with the franchise is replaced by a dark Broadway blue, currently used as an alternate jersey color by the Rangers.

   


But yeah, I prefer the bull.


[To graders: hey!  Please remove the introduction (subtract 175 words) from the word count. I used the same text in my first article of this series.]