Arizona Coyotes Uniform History – Review
By Chris Reid
Mar 5, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Coyotes right wing Shane Doan (19) lines up for a faceoff against the Vancouver Canucks at Gila River Arena. The Coyotes won 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
THE ORIGINALS (1996-1998)
When the Winnipeg Jets left Manitoba and flew to the American Southwest the team’s’ braintrust knew they had to craft a new identity. Arizona was not known as a hockey-hotbed. The locals in their new home needed an identity, or idea, to stick their teeth into.
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A Name-The-Team contest was held to get a new moniker in place. Out of all the submissions the name Coyotes was chosen. Ironically, the old WHA Phoenix entry was named the Roadrunners and now they were followed by the Coyotes.
The new name, and the geographic location, helped give context to uniform and logo creation. A stylized hockey playing coyote was adopted. It was given the nickname of Kachina Coyote. David Haney, Creative Director for the NHL at that time, felt that it was an exciting design but very different.
"“It was hockey as interpreted with a Southwest feeling and the result was most intriguing. All of those different elements within that interpretation of the coyote on the skates with the stick were just fascinating to look at. It was a very complex logo, which was a good thing because it was giving you the opportunity to see something new every time you looked at it. Perhaps that’s why fans who fondly recall the logo gravitated to it. It was very engaging.”"
The new uniforms were unlike anything ever seen in the NHL. They were loud, brash, and uncompromising. The traditionalists did not care for the new identity at all. The look certainly screamed Arizona and Southwest as opposed to Original 6 Toronto or New York or even Winnipeg. The new look set the Coyotes apart. This created a theme that has carried through to today’s 2015 incarnation.
Next: The Kachina