The Quebec Nordiques Rebrand That Never Was

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October 10, 2021

The Quebec Nordiques Rebrand That Never Was

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Rejected concept logos and never-worn jerseys are always fun to mull around in sports.

Many of these failed concepts and jerseys are interesting to look at, but they never got to the stage of what was coming for the Quebec Nordiques: formal approval.

In March 1995, Journal de Quebec revealed an image of a new Nordiques jersey and colors that were soon confirmed as legitimate by the franchise.

The image, revived earlier this week by sportslogos.net founder Chris Creamer, shows just how unique the rebrand would have been.

The igloo and stick imagery were gone and replaced with the head of a husky on a jersey that was heavy on the teal, dark blue, and black. In the late 1980s and 1990s, the usage of teal had exploded in the North American sports scene, so it’s no surprise that the Nordiques wanted to jump on the trend. The jerseys did retain an element of Quebec by having the fleur-de-lis shoulder patches, at least.

While the failure to secure a new arena in Quebec City and the move to Colorado for 1995-96 meant this would never happen, it still is interesting to see how drastic of a brand change the team was going to commit to.

Even though the jerseys were never formally worn, they’ve become something that has fascinated hockey fans ever since.

Numerous designers have taken a crack at their own concept jerseys using the husky logo and knock-off jerseys have been spotted on sites such as eBay (as far as we know, there are only two official jerseys to ever exist) and also been created inside the EA Sports NHL series.

While there’s modern interest in the jersey, it probably will never gain life as a regular jersey of the Colorado Avalanche, but it would be fun to see the franchise wear it for a Stadium Series game if the opportunity presented itself.

The Nordiques rebrand might be a part of one of the greatest what-if situations in hockey as yes, it would have been a part of the team going into a big 1990s logo trend but also on an alternate timeline that saw the Nordiques staying in Quebec.

How would the look have aged? The look would have almost certainly received some sort of element update in the 2000s or 2010s. Still, it would have been fun to follow, at least.

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