The fountain of life is back in the NHL, with a new name and logo, a new coach and a new team name.
The NHL announced Thursday that the new name, the Colorado Avalanche, will be announced as part of a two-day event at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, in advance of the season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday (8 p.m.
ET; NBCSN, CBC, TSN).
“We’ve taken the leap of faith and given our team a brand-new name to be unveiled at this moment,” said Avalanche President and General Manager Joe Sakic.
“We’re excited to announce the new logo, new name with a brand new look, and a brand brand new team.
We believe it will be a great addition to the franchise, and it is our hope that it will continue to serve as a symbol of our commitment to excellence.”
The Avalanche’s new logo is a mix of the colors of its new colors, including green, blue and orange, in addition to a green circle that will form the logo.
The new logo will also feature the words ‘Avalanche,’ and the word ‘Avenger,’ a reference to the Avalanche brand.
“The name of the team is not something we’re trying to reinvent, it’s something that we want to be familiar with,” Sakic said.
“I think that people are going to be able to recognize it immediately because it’s a familiar name.”
The Colorado Avalanche are going through a transition.
The team is going from the Colorado Sports and Entertainment Group (CSEG) to a new company called Avalanche Enterprises LLC, a Colorado corporation, which will become a majority owner in the new company, and that new entity will be called the Colorado NHL.
“We are proud to join forces with a company that we have been fans of for many years, that has a passion for hockey, and who has a vision of bringing the Avalanche back to the forefront of the league,” said CSEG President and CEO Paul Allen.
“Our goal is to be the best team in the world,” said Sakic, adding that “this is the beginning of the next phase of our hockey journey.”
Sakic said he and Allen believe the new team will bring “the best of both worlds” to the game.
“I know the fans will be excited about our new logo,” said Allen.
“The new logo looks great, it has a beautiful color palette, and I think we’ve really set out to do something special.”
“It’s going to look like a different team, and you’re going to see a new look for the fans, a brand that’s different from the ones we’ve seen before,” said Avs coach Patrick Roy.
“It looks like we’ve brought back a certain level of professionalism and a certain type of team spirit that has never been seen in the league before,” added Allen.
Avalanches fans will get the chance to vote on the name of their team when the league releases its fan guide in September.
The new team has been named the Colorado Thunderbirds.
The name is a play on the Thunderbird brand, a professional hockey franchise based in Colorado.
The Thunderbirds played their inaugural season in the Pacific Division in 2015-16, with the Avalanche.
The Colorado Thunderbird franchise was the NHL’s second franchise when it was established in 1892, joining the Montreal Canadiens.
The Avalanche and Thunderbird teams have played together in the Western Hockey League since the league merged in 2003.
Sakikas first season in Colorado was a success.
The Thunderbirds won the Calder Cup, the league’s top prize, in 2015.
He was named the league captain and captain of the NHL All-Star Team in 2017.
The Avalanche is in the midst of a transition period after spending a portion of the previous season in Denver.
Sakic replaced the veteran head coach of the franchise – Brian MacLellan – with Mike Yeo, who was hired on Oct. 15, 2017.
Sakikas will continue as head coach until the 2019-20 season, when the Avalanche begin the rebuilding process that will include the hiring of new general managers and the expansion of the city of Denver.