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.