Red Wings restore popular ‘Hockeytown’ center ice logo at Little Caesars Arena

For the first time since the 2017-18 season, the Detroit Red Wings are embracing the city’s decades-old nickname of “Hockeytown.”

As the result of a fan vote ahead of the team’s centennial season, the Red Wings are reinstating the popular wordmark at center ice to accompany their 100th Anniversary logo, rendered in a red and vintage white color scheme. Fans had the option to choose between a design with and without the wordmark over the logo.

The Red Wings previously used the Hockeytown insignia over their standard Winged Wheel logo from 1996 to 2018, but ditched it in favor of a more traditional center ice design after their first season at Little Caesars Arena.

Since making that particular change, the Red Wings’ playoff drought has ballooned from just two seasons to nine, with the team never finishing higher than fifth in the Atlantic Division over that span.

The Red Wings have not announced whether the Hockeytown wordmark will remain alongside the team’s primary logo beyond the centennial season, although representatives from the team’s parent company acknowledged the rabid fan support for the change in a statement on Friday.

“The center ice fan vote, launched in partnership with Meijer, was a great way to get fans involved in Red Wings Centennial right from the start,” Illitch Sports and Entertainment marketing VP Asia Gholston said. “Through an incredible response to this vote, fans have made it clear they’re fired up for what’s to come in celebrating 100 years of Hockeytown, which is only possible due to their unwavering support for the Winged Wheel.”

The Red Wings won the Stanley Cup in their first season after introducing the Hockeytown logo and ultimately did so four times (1997, 1998, 2002, 2008) during its initial period of use at Joe Louis Arena.

According to Gholston, Red Wings fans cast more than 20,000 votes for their preferred center ice logos in the first 72 hours after the team opened the poll.