User:Alaney2k/Logos and jerseys of the Ottawa Senators (since 1992)

The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL). The team's hockey equipment and jersey use the team colours of black, red, white and gold and have used those colours since its initial season of play in 1992–93. The team's logo is that of a Roman General and Roman Senator. The team has used several variations of that logo, as well as 'throw-back' logos and shields similar to that of the original Ottawa Senators. The jersey and equipment design has changed several times over the years, sometimes as a 'third jersey' for use during a particular season, and several times as the 'current' regular design. In 2020, the team introduced its current kit, which is similar to the team's original jerseys.

Team colours and logos
The team colours are red, black and white, with added trim of gold. The colours are like the original era Senators, and like other Ottawa sports teams (such as the Ottawa Renegades, Rough Riders and 67s). The colours are attributed to the colours of the defunct Ottawa Amateur Athletic Association, the Ottawa Hockey Club (aka the 'original Senators') being a member club. Except for the gold, the colours match the colours of the original Senators. The team's current home jersey is black with red trim, while the away jersey is white with black and red trim.

The club's logo is the head of a Roman general, a member of the Senate of the Roman Republic in a gold semi-circle. The original logo, unveiled on May 23, 1991, described the general as a "centurion figure, strong and prominent" according to its designer, Tony Milchard. The club logo is officially the head of a Roman general, a member of the Senate of the Roman Empire, projecting from a gold circle. There have been several versions of the team logo. The original, unveiled on May 23, 1991, described the general as a "centurion figure, strong and prominent" according to its designer, Tony Milchard. Milchard intended the logo to be similar to that of the Chicago Blackhawks head logo. Leaked before its unveiling, the logo design was unpopular with fans, being compared unfavourably to the American Express card, the USC Trojans and the Trojan condom. The original had the words "Ottawa Senators" within the circle. This logo was slightly revised in 1996 to remove the team name from the gold circle and replace it with laurels. The team made that logo its 'secondary' logo in 1997 and rotated the Centurion so that it was forward-facing. The forward-facing centurion was modified slightly the following season, revising the depiction of the eyes. The team returned to the 1997 logo in 2020, with a change to the colour of the 'wings' to gold from red.

On the third jerseys, the Senators have use a variation of the 'O' present on the original Senators jersey as the front logo on the jersey. The 'O' logo was used on two separate jerseys, one dark and one light.

Regular jerseys
The Senators' first logo was never used in play. Using a depiction of the Parliament Hill Peace Tower and stylized Ottawa wording, and designed by David O'Malley of Ottawa, it was used in the "Bring Back The Senators' campaign. Original Senators player Frank Finnigan wore it during his presentation for the expansion application. Eventually, the NHL turned down the design. The symbol of the Peace Tower would eventually be used in a patch on a third jersey.

1992–1998
The original home jersey was white with black and red stripes. The original "away" jersey was black, with white and red trim. Shoulder patches used a winged "S" in "established MDCCCXCIV" (1894) logo. The league changed its policies on coloured and white jerseys and the white jersey became the away jersey. The club would use the white jersey with the original logo (and later the updated 1997 logo) until the end of the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals.

From 1992 to 1995, the Senators' primary road jerseys were black with red stripes. The numbers were red for the first season but switched to white afterwards. White stripes were added to the uniform in 1995. The white uniforms, which were worn on home games until 2003 and on road games until 2007, featured black sleeves and tail stripes with red accents, and black lettering. In 1997, the Senators unveiled a red third jersey. It featured the first iteration of the "forward-facing" centurion logo, designed by Kevin Caradonna, head of the team's graphic design department, who also designed the mascot "Spartacat". The jersey became the team's primary dark jersey starting in 1999. From 2000 to 2007, the Senators also wore a black alternate jersey with gold, red and white accents.

In 1998, the Senators unveiled a new logo, taking the head, which had been in profile, and rotating it so that it was face-first. The new logo was unveiled with a new red "third" jersey, prominently using "curved" or "swoosh" stripes. On the shoulder, the original logo was used as a shoulder patch. The original dark jersey, (then the "away" jersey) which was mostly black, was retired after the season. The red jersey became the home jersey and it remained in use until the end of the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals.

Starting in July 2000, the Senators reused the alternate logo on another third jersey, designed by Ottawa firm Hoselton Brunet, this one black with red and gold sleeves and a gold stripe with laurel leaves along the bottom of the jersey. On the shoulders, was a modified version of the original Peace Tower logo of the expansion campaign, which the management liked. Like the original logo, this design was leaked onto the Internet. This jersey was in use until the end of the 2006–07 season.

2007 update
On August 22, 2007, the Senators unveiled a set of new jerseys, which have a more refined, streamlined look to them,. The team retired all three previous jerseys and did not have a third jersey for the 2007–08 season. The updated look came in conjunction with the launch of the new Rbk EDGE jerseys by Reebok, adopted league-wide for the 2007–08 season.

At the same time, the team updated its logos, designed by local firm Acart Communications. The new primary logo is an update of the old secondary logo, which according to team owner Eugene Melnyk, "represents strength and determination." The logo was modified in several ways, updating the facial features, removing facial colouring, reducing size of the gold semicircle and updating the cape of the warrior. The new secondary logo is an update of the old primary logo. Only the primary logo will appear on the jerseys, as the secondary logo will be on Sens' merchandise. The new shoulder patch 'O' logo replaces the winged 'S' shoulder patch with the jersey logo of the original Ottawa Senators club.

A new jersey design was unveiled on August 22, 2007, in conjunction with the league-wide adoption of the Rbk EDGE jerseys by Reebok for the 2007–08 season. The jersey incorporates the original Senators' 'O' logo as a shoulder patch. At the same time, the team updated its logos and switched its usage. The primary logo, which according to team owner Eugene Melnyk, "represents strength and determination" is an update of the old secondary logo.

2017 update
The move to Adidas as the NHL's uniform provider necessitated some slight changes in the Senators uniforms. While the overall design was carried over from the Reebok Edge look, the fonts now use the style that was found on the barber-pole third jerseys they wore from 2011–17.

In 2017, the Senators' jerseys received a slight makeover when Adidas replaced Reebok as the NHL's uniform provider. The number font was changed to match those of their recent third jerseys, which were retired after the 2016–17 season.

2020 update
In 2020, the Senators reintroduced its 1997–2007 logo with the jersey set used from 1993 to 1995. The only difference between the current logo and the 1997 version, is that the updated logo uses a gold outline for the 'wings' as opposed to red previously.

The new uniforms, while largely resembling the originals from the 1990s, retained the lettering font used since the Adidas takeover. In contrast, the white uniforms retained only the black and red stripes along the upper arm sleeves. Both the home and away uniforms include a red band across the very bottom of the jerseys. The 1993 kit had the red stripe located a few inches above the hem of the jersey, while the new jersey moved the red stripe to the bottom of the jersey.

'Third' and special event jerseys
Prior to the 2018–19 season, the Senators brought back the red jerseys worn during the NHL 100 Classic as a third jersey. The design featured a silver "O" in front with black trim amid horizontal black, silver and white stripes.

2008 and 2011 third jerseys
On November 22, 2008, the Senators unveiled a new third jersey in a game versus the New York Rangers. Marketed with the slogan 'Back in Black' in reference to the black "away" jerseys the team wore during its first several seasons, the jersey is primarily black, while the team's other traditional colors of white and red are also integrated. The Senators' primary "centurion figure" logo moved to the shoulders. The jersey featured a shortened "SENS" moniker in front. The centurion logo adorns the shoulders and the striping was inspired by the team's original black jerseys.

On January 20, 2011, the Ottawa Sun reported that the Senators organization was studying designs for a new third jersey to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the current franchise. The Senators announced to season ticket holders on March 2, 2011, that the new third jersey is a 'heritage design' based on the early-era Senators jersey. The new third jersey was to be unveiled officially on October 1, 2011, however was mistakenly leaked after being discovered in a souvenir store at First Niagara Center. The jersey had a 'barber-pole' design with a large 'O' on the front, and shield-shaped badges on each shoulder. One shoulder badge has the words "Ottawa Senators", the other has the words "Sénateurs d'Ottawa".

Mostly black, the third jersey incorporates horizontal striping intended to be reminiscent of the original Senators' 'barber-pole' designs, and the large letter O used in Ottawa jersey designs going back to the 1890s. The new jersey, while an entirely new creation, most resembles the look of the 1926–27 Senators, when the franchise won its last Stanley Cup. Shield-type patches were added to the shoulders. The design of the shield-type patches was intended to be similar to the shield patches that the original Senators added to their jerseys after each Stanley Cup championship win. The patches spell the team name, one in English, and one in French. Jacob Barrette, a local Gatineau, Quebec fan had posted a similar design on the internet since 2009. The Senators worked with Barrette to develop the jersey design in time for the 20th anniversary season.

In 2011, the Senators introduced a throwback-inspired third jersey design. Mostly black, the jersey incorporated horizontal striping intended to be reminiscent of the original Senators' 'barber-pole' designs. Shield-type patches were added to the shoulders. The design of the shield-type patches was intended to be similar to the shield patches that the original Senators added to their jerseys after each Stanley Cup championship win. The patches spell the team name, one in English, and one in French. The design was a collaborative effort between the Senators and a fan in Gatineau, Quebec who had been circulating a version of it on the internet since 2009. The black third jerseys served as the basis of the Senators' 2014 Heritage Classic jerseys, which used cream as the base colour.

2014 Heritage Classic jersey
A special edition jersey was used for the 2014 Heritage Classic against the Vancouver Canucks on March 2, 2014. The jersey shared virtually the same characteristics as their then-current third jersey, albeit reversed so that cream is the primary colour.

2020s 'Reverse Retro' jerseys
For the 2020–21 season, in addition to changing the regular jersey, the Senators unveiled a "Reverse Retro" alternate uniform; the design was of the original 1992–93 uniform but with red as the base colour and slight differences in the 2D logo colours. Specific to the 2022–23 season, the Senators wore "Reverse Retro" uniforms based on the alternates they wore from 1997 to 2007, but with the current 2-D logo in front, black as the base colour and less white elements.

Jersey patches
The team has used several patches on their jerseys. The first was for Brian Smith, nicknamed "Smitty", a former hockey player, who was one of the Senators' first broadcasters, after he was murdered.

The first use of sponsors' patches came in the 2022–23 season, when the NHL started allowing sponsor's patches on all teams. The team also sold space for a sponsor's name on the team helmets.