The 2022 NHL Heritage Classic mark is a departure from our previous iterations which all featured a large maple leaf as an anchor point to honor the heritage of Canadian teams; this year would be the first Heritage Classic to not feature a Canadian host team. To reflect this, we scaled down the leaf and focused more on the host location and team. The overall logo is designed to be a steel plate with stamped metal Heritage Classic typography and forged steel sticks to pay homage to Hamilton’s history in the steel industry. The blue hues are drawn from both the Leafs and Sabres identities, as well being an official color of the City of Hamilton.

Other references in the logo include the six rivets which marks this as the sixth Heritage Classic game, the horseshoe holding shape inspired by Hamilton’s city crest, and the leaf and hockey stick lockup which celebrates the heritage and history of hockey in Canada.

Later in the process, we brought in illustrator Dave Murray to create a series of player illustrations and skyline backgrounds that look as if they were crafted out of steel plates and rivets – right at home in Steeltown!

“We are excited to announce that we will be presenting another Tim Hortons Heritage Classic this season,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “When the Toronto Maple Leafs meet the Buffalo Sabres at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, we again will honor Canada’s preeminent role in the history of our game while renewing a great and longstanding NHL rivalry. In addition, by inviting the first U.S.-based team to a Heritage Classic, we will celebrate the greater Golden Horseshoe region as the home of so many fans of both the Leafs and Sabres.” — NHL Press Release