Montreal Canadiens: New centre ice logo for the 2018-19 season

MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 10: A general view shows the ice and tribunes of the Bell Centre prior to the match between the Montreal Canadiens and the Nashville Predators during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on February 10, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 10: A general view shows the ice and tribunes of the Bell Centre prior to the match between the Montreal Canadiens and the Nashville Predators during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on February 10, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

The Montreal Canadiens are getting things ready at the Bell Centre for the upcoming season, and there is going to be something new on the ice for fans.

Besides looking at a calendar and checking the date, there are a few ways to tell the NHL regular season is around the corner. Having the ice at each respective team’s arena going is one of them, and the Montreal Canadiens can check that off the checklist for the offseason. However, there’s something new about how the ice is going to look for the 2018-19 season.

Most teams have sported a landscape image of their logo at centre ice that spans the entirety of the faceoff circle. But the Habs have instead had images of the logo in both halves of the circle with ‘Centre Bell’ in each of the four corners.

Montreal has been the last team with that look in their arena and has decided to join the rest of the league on that front.

https://twitter.com/CanadiensMTL/status/1031977313104224256

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There’s nothing really to this change at all. It’s not as if going from two smaller logos to one large one is going to ensure the Montreal Canadiens have a much improved season. That’s going to come down to the new faces Marc Bergevin has brought to the team as well as better performances from those who had poor years in 2017. However, seeing how strongly the game is impacted by the power of the hockey gods, perhaps the Habs get a decent chunk of positive karma this upcoming season.

It could also be symbolic of a new era within the Canadiens history books after this past draft in Dallas. Jesperi Kotkaniemi is the clear future of the organization, and a number of those other skilled centres are more than likely going to join him on the long-term goal for a championship.

Then again, none of them are ready yet to have that kind of impact on the roster. Kotkaniemi may be the closest given his performances at the U20s and in the preseason for Ässät, but time for more development could be in store for him as well.

Change always takes getting used to, and sometimes it can be good. Whether it’s received well or not depends on your interpretation of it all. But some extra layers of good vibrations never hurt anyone.

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