Coyotes bring back kachina logo to promote inclusivity
The Arizona Coyotes are going back to the past to address the future.
The club announced Monday it is rebranding with a focus on “our vision to become a longterm winning team in Arizona and our dedication to impact, inclusivity and innovation,” president and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez said in a statement.
The rebrand starts with the reintroduction of the popular kachina as its permanent logo. The team wore black kachina-logo jerseys for some home games last season, and now is extending it to the white jerseys — last worn by the team in 2003.
The team adopted the kachina logo in 1996 when it moved from Winnipeg. It represents the ancestral spirit of the Pueblo people, and the logo was a fan favourite. It was replaced in the 2003-04 season when the team moved to red as its primary colour and a coyote head as the logo on the sweater. That uniform will become an alternate, with the Coyotes wearing it eight times at home in the upcoming season.
The hope is the logo will help
the team reach the atypical hockey fan, bring the diverse Arizona community together and cultivate a new fan base, Gutierrez told ESPN.
“It represents a point of pride. It's something that says, `I may not be what you think is the traditional sports fan, but this speaks to me. I can identify in it,' ” he said.
“We not only want to focus on our fans, but also our fans in waiting. In our research, we found that the logo resonates with people who aren't hardcore Coyotes fans or hardcore hockey fans. That includes families and young females. It includes diverse communities, like Latina, African-american and Asian communities.”
The Coyotes will wear the white kachina jerseys for their season opener on Oct. 14 in Columbus against the Blue Jackets, and again on Oct. 18 for their home opener against the St. Louis Blues.
Meanwhile, the kachina logo will be featured at centre ice at Gila River Arena throughout the season.