A critique of the CFLinHalifax team name and uniform concepts

CFL Talk
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Moderator Edit: All of these designs can be viewed at https://cflinhalifax.com/ .

Poster edit: Fog ranking and score dropped. Marauders, Celtics, Leviathans, & Sea Serpents rank and scores adjusted up accordingly. Tritons critique & score added. Further edits likely as other concepts introduced.

PS to moderator, and anyone reading, the website did not have all concepts up last I saw. All concept art being discussed here is available through the twitter account @CFLinHalifax.

I now feel compelled to add the following disclaimer- I have no formal association whatsoever to the CFL, the prospective Maritime franchise ownership group, or the agency behind the CFLinHamilton twitter account and website. I'm just a CFL fan excited about the idea of our league finally expanding to the East Coast, that wants to discuss the "fan art" proposals published via the CFLinHalifax twitter account and website.

By now, we've probably all checked out the CFLinHalifax twitter account that has been posting team name and uniform ideas for the future Maritime CFL team. Some of the concepts are great, some, not so much. Here are my brief thoughts on each design, from worst to best:

Hellfish. They have admitted this was just for fun, just to see what this Simpsons- inspired uni would look like. No chance of it ever actually happening. 0.25/10.

Explosion. Colours suit the concept, but it's a bad concept in poor taste. The colours remind me of the 1980's Vancouver Canucks V's. Except I actually liked the V's. 0.5/10

Herd. Colour scheme is new to the league, but dull. "Halifax", not regional name, Strike 1. Singular team name, strike 2. Stylized moose antler logo and helmet art too simplified, strike 3, this concept is out. 0.625/10

Kraken. I'm not a fan of either colour scheme. I'm also not a fan of singular team names. Ok attempt at doing something other than the standard logo on either side of the helmet though. 0.75/10

Claws. Decent uniforms, except for the cooked lobster claw logo & team name. 1/10

Tidal Boars. A play on words that certainly looks fiercer than the actual spelling, bore. If the team is to be named after an imaginary creature, I'd rather the Leviathan. 1.5/10

Humpbacks. Good unis & logo for the name. Can't see that actually being the name, though. 2/10

Fog. Cool concept. As a minor and high school football official, the two not too far off from each other shades of grey fading into each other would drive me nuts! "What number was that?" Fans in the nosebleed section seats would probably have the same reaction. 2.5/10.

Marauders. I wanted to like this one more, since that was the name of my high school team. Colours too drab. Maybe better with red white and blue, the colours of the flags of Norway and Iceland, where the Vikings came from? Or pretty much anything more colourful? 3/10

Tritons. Initial impression positive, but compared to most of the rest, it doesn't measure up for me. I like the name and the trident logo. Dislike that green. Uni reminiscent of the Seahawks. 3.25/10

Celtics. Cool helmet. Team colours remind me of early "team Christmas" New Jersey Devils. Nope. 3.5/10

Leviathans- Sharp unis, ok logo. Highly doubtful that will be the team name, though. 4/10

Sea Serpents- Uni reminds me of both the Dolphins & Gators. Getting there. 4.5/10

Armada, Good logo, same colours as a warship makes sense. Singular team name is a big strike for me. 5/10

Sharks- the blood red is a nice sharp contrast to the black, grey and white. I like the helmet, another departure from the standard logos on the sides. 5.5/10

Icebergs. I like the logo. Well executed concept. 6/10.

Highlanders- Interesting, unique uniforms that I actually would like to see in real life. Plaid a bit too derivative of current Ottawa franchise, and helmet logo too close to Horn Chen era Ottawa team. 6.5/10

Citadels. Cool logo, sharp looking uniforms, Isn't there a hockey team with the same name? I firmly believe it needs to be the "Atlantic" or "Maritime" team, and not "Halifax", to foster the regional support the team will need. 7/10

Storm. Love the colours! Same colours as the Ukrainian flag, and I'm Ukrainian Canadian. Definitely a new colour combo for the CFL! Good logo. Still not a fan of singular team names. 7.5/10

Admirals. Sharp unis, simple easily identifiable logo. 8/10

Privateers. Badass pirate theme. Great looking logo and uniform. Make it a regional name instead of Halifax, and this is a strong contender. 8.5/10

Acadians. Name ties in to local history, which is good. Best non-traditional helmet design. A strong candidate. 9/10

Schooners. Great looking unis. Ok logo, but I'd rather see the original, maybe "tweaked" slightly. Most likely name for the franchise, since that's what it was supposed to be with the 1980's bid. 9.5/10. I thought this would be my #1 favourite, but...

In my opinion, the best of all of the concepts shared so far is the Atlantic Ospreys! Unique name, great logo, sharp colours totally different from anything in the current CFL. Darker helmet looks better than the white one. If it's not Schooners, then GO OSPREYS GO! 9.75/10

What do you think?

Edit 2- Bolding added to team names added for clarity. Herd critique added.

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By now, we've probably all checked out the CFLinHalifax twitter account that has been posting team name and uniform ideas for the future Maritime CFL team. Some of the concepts are great, some, not so much. Here are my brief thoughts on each design, from worst to best:

Hellfish. They have admitted this was just for fun, just to see what this Simpsons- inspired uni would look like. No chance of it ever actually happening. 0.25/10.

Explosion. Colours suit the concept, but it's a bad concept in poor taste. The colours remind me of the 1980's Vancouver Canucks V's. Except I actually liked the V's. 0.5/10

Kraken. I'm not a fan of either colour scheme. I'm also not a fan of singular team names. Ok attempt at doing something other than the standard logo on either side of the helmet though. 0.75/10

Claws. Decent uniforms, except for the cooked lobster claw logo & team name. 1/10

Tidal Boars. A play on words that certainly looks fiercer than the actual spelling, bore. If the team is to be named after an imaginary creature, I'd rather the Leviathan. 1.5/10

Humpbacks. Good unis & logo for the name. Can't see that actually being the name, though. 2/10

Marauders. I wanted to like this one more, since that was the name of my high school team. Colours too drab. Maybe better with red white and blue, the colours of the flags of Norway and Iceland, where the Vikings came from? Or pretty much anything more colourful? 2.5/10

Celtics. Cool helmet. Team colours remind me of early "team Christmas" New Jersey Devils. Nope. 3/10

Leviathans- Sharp unis, ok logo. Highly doubtful that will be the team name, though. 3.5/10

Sea Serpents- Uni reminds me of both the Dolphins & Gators. Getting there. 4/10

Fog. Cool concept. As a minor and high school football official, the two not too far off from each other shades of grey fading into each other would drive me nuts! "What number was that?" Fans in the nosebleed section seats would probably have the same reaction. 4,5/10

Armada, Good logo, same colours as a warship makes sense. Singular team name is a big strike for me. 5/10

Sharks- the blood red is a nice sharp contrast to the black, grey and white. I like the helmet, another departure from the standard logos on the sides. 5.5/10

Icebergs. I like the logo. Well executed concept. 6/10.

Highlanders- Interesting, unique uniforms that I actually would like to see in real life. Plaid a bit too derivative of current Ottawa franchise, and helmet logo too close to Horn Chen era Ottawa team. 6.5/10

Citadels. Cool logo, sharp looking uniforms, Isn't there a hockey team with the same name? I firmly believe it needs to be the "Atlantic" or "Maritime" team, and not "Halifax", to foster the regional support the team will need. 7/10

Storm. Love the colours! Same colours as the Ukrainian flag, and I'm Ukrainian Canadian. Definitely a new colour combo for the CFL! Good logo. Still not a fan of singular team names. 7.5/10

Admirals. Sharp unis, simple easily identifiable logo. 8/10

Privateers. Badass pirate theme. Great looking logo and uniform. Make it a regional name instead of Halifax, and this is a strong contender. 8.5/10

Acadians. Name ties in to local history, which is good. Best non-traditional helmet design. A strong candidate. 9/10

Schooners. Great looking unis. Ok logo, but I'd rather see the original, maybe "tweaked" slightly. Most likely name for the franchise, since that's what it was supposed to be with the 1980's bid. 9.5/10. I thought this would be my #1 favourite, but...

In my opinion, the best of all of the concepts shared so far is the Atlantic Ospreys! Unique name, great logo, sharp colours totally different from anything in the current CFL. Darker helmet looks better than the white one. If it's not Schooners, then GO OSPREYS GO! 9.75/10

What do you think?


A lot of cool concepts, if anything its exposed the Schooners as a boring concept. I like the Highlander team but the plaid scheme is wrong. There are many tartan patterns to choose from that could fit just about any colour pattern.

They could even make their own using the official colours of the province.

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I haven't seen some of the concepts listed; thought I had seen them all. Icebergs sound interesting, and I liked the lobster claw more that I thought I would. Kraken and Fog was ok too.

Still like the original Schooners the best, followed by Explosion (different colour schemeand anchor logo).

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Yeah, there were far more than I had realized.

I like a lot of those designs, with my faves being the Armada, Citadels, Leviathans, Icebergs, Celtics.

If there ever is a team, I hope they come up with a unique (to the CFL) colour scheme.

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Good to see I am not the only one who likes the name Explosion.It is soccer-ish.. If the team was based in Moncton or PEI, I would still like the name. Logo and helmet example are comic book.
Fog leaves too many derogatory options open if the team falters. Fog also kills people on the road and at sea. Can't have that can we ?

Now to Highlanders. Shouldn't I feel offended because my ancestors were Highlanders and they were forced off their land, killed, raped, pillaged and many were sold into slavery. That is the true history of the Highlanders..You can hide behind the military aspect if you want but read some history and see the real reason the Highland Regiments were formed.... I'm not that sensitive so I will not protest many because it happened a long time ago and I am able to forgive. It is a great name though. They definitely have to create their own tartan. It should be unique, not a copy of anything already existing. Too many clan battles will ensue. ;D

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Nova Scotia does have it's own tartan and probably should have been used for the Highlanders . Need a better logo .

Maybe a better name would be Nova Scotia Highlanders than Halifax .

Thought I would hate the use of East Coast don't hate it as much but I think they could do better . Sounds like a restaurant the East Coast Grill .

Don't like the name Atlantic . Like the use of Maritime if they want regional .

Okay with Nova Scotia and wish they used this in their mock ups and went with a more teal or aqua colour scheme for many of the uniforms .

The TidalBoar name would be used as boring many times as headlines in the papers or heading on the net . I would stay away . It actually sounds like total bore .

Like the Privateers with a better logo than the one shown .

Many logos now are basic and spartan in design because they work . Simple designs seem to appeal more . Stay away from faces or complicated designs .

Like the names Kraken , Citadels and Celtic . The last one maybe stolen from Boston .

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How about the Halifax “No Stadiums?.

The logo can be an empty field

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I feel we need all the Atlantic provinces behind the team therefore NS or even Halifax should not be used. Also, Halifax was established by the English, not the Scottish. Using NS's tartan isolates the team from the other three prov. even further. There is also a large contingent of French speaking people in the Maritimes. I really feel they need to be included. The one common theme to all four Atlantic Prov. is fishing. The only fish name that I can come up with is THRESHER, as in shark. All the rest are used or sound goofy....Boats would work too. How about CLIPPERS. I also like CORVETTES. I don't think anyone else has come up with that. I may be wrong.

The reason i am so interested in this topic is because I have somewhere around 100 first cousins and most of them live in NS. There is at least one in every province in Canada and down east including NB, PEI and NFLD. I talk and meet and still party with the ones down east and we talk sports quite often. Some are very interested, others don't care but they all have an opinion and I listen.

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I like your idea.

The team slogan would be :

" Bring your own lawn chairs "

They could also park their cars in a circle with the lights on for night games.

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...the Halifax Fo'c'sles...

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Way to much room for profanity insults. ;D

Also, if you lived in Bathurst NB. you may just be of French heritage and what's to invite you to travel that far to see an Anglais team in an Anglais city. If you travel west from Bathurst you only have to go 150 miles further, than east to Halifax, to see the Als play in Mont. There has to be an incentive for all fans. If we are just going to recognize Halifax and/or NS, we will be ignoring many in the other 3 provinces. I think we HAVE to include all 4 Atlantic Provs in this endeavour.

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...my second choice was the Poop Decks

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Someone should whip up a Schooners version of those awful Mascot Jerseys that the CFL used to sport in the 90s.

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Actually, somebody shouldn’t. Those jerseys were horrible

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Not to worry, Dan. There are many sensitive, well-educated, elitists to protest for you, since you clearly don't fully grasp the implications of how Anglo-colonial privilege is oppressing you and your people. :stuck_out_tongue:

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My top three:

  1. Fog
  2. Admirals
  3. Highlanders

The worst ones were Kraken, Tidalboars & Celtics

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Fish sticks could be a name.

They could be sponsored by Highliner Foods.

The captain could be the mascot

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You're right, it could be a name. Will it be? No.

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Reposting my own edit here, in case you missed it at the top of the article:

Poster edit:Fog ranking and score dropped. Marauders, Celtics, Leviathans, & Sea Serpents rank and scores adjusted up accordingly. Tritons critique & score added. Further edits likely as other concepts introduced.

PS to moderator, and anyone reading, the website did not have all concepts up last I saw. All concept art being discussed here is available through the twitter account @CFLinHalifax.

I now feel compelled to add the following disclaimer- I have no formal association whatsoever to the CFL, the prospective Maritime franchise ownership group, or the agency behind the CFLinHamilton twitter account and website. I'm just a CFL fan excited about the idea of our league finally expanding to the East Coast, that wants to discuss the "fan art" proposals published via the CFLinHalifax twitter account and website.

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I think it would look cool for a new team to try a new concept.

I like the idea of no logos on helmets, but the logo on the front jersey.

The for the helmet go old school with just numbers on the helmet.