The current Ontario Hockey League logo seems to be dominated by two concepts: “speed” and “water.” Both of them give a symbolic clue to the essence of the league.
The idea of motion, which is reflected in the horizontal strokes, helps to recreate the dynamic and intense atmosphere of a hockey game. In fact, the large letters “OHL” appear to be moving at a high speed. The “water” concept also seems quite natural for an organization located in Ontario, Canada, which borders with so many large natural water bodies, from Hudson Bay to the Great Lakes. This emblem was adopted in 1981 when the current history of the Ontario Hockey League started.
We should point out, though, that an organization known by the same name existed earlier, too, and had logos of its own. For instance, you can find a black-and-white OHL logo from 1949. It featured the lettering “OHA” over a black circle with two crisscrossed hockey sticks on the background.
The emblem introduced in 1974 featured the old name of the organization and, therefore, comprised the words “Major” and “Junior.” This version of the logo had a shield shape and also featured two crisscrossed hockey sticks on the background. In addition to black and white, the palette included bright red.
