Coyotes' rebrand to include larger community presence, return of white Kachina jersey

The Arizona Coyotes' Kachina logo is officially back.

Though the team wore its black Kachina logo jerseys at home often last season and will continue to do so, it will reintroduce that same popular logo on white away game jerseys as it becomes the team's primary insignia.

The Coyotes have received permission from the NHL to wear the white Kachina jerseys, which haven't been worn since the 2002-2003 season, at their home opener on Oct. 18 against the St. Louis Blues. Those white jerseys will actually debut in the Coyotes' season opener on Oct. 14 at Columbus.

The logo is part of a rebrand and business transformation that the Coyotes intend to be focused on their commitment to impact, inclusivity and innovation, which the team will announce on Monday.

Coyotes President and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez said the Coyotes' vision is to become a long-term winning team in Arizona, and as such, the team took input from fans, who overwhelmingly supported the return of the Kachina logo full-time.

"Embracing the Kachina was an easy decision for us, and we are very proud to have one of the best logos and uniforms in the entire NHL," Gutierrez said.

The Coyotes will continue to use the red Coyotes head jerseys, which debuted in the 2003-2004 season and were later updated. Those will be worn for eight games this season.

The rebrand seeks to embrace the entire region and highlight the Coyotes' emphasis on reaching out to communities that have not traditionally been home to hockey fans. In July, the team named MullenLowe, based in Los Angeles, as the agency leading the rebrand in an effort to "transform the Coyotes into more than a hockey team, highlighting the team’s multicultural approach and their commitment to leading and impacting their community," according to a statement announcing that the agency had re-imagined the Coyotes' brand.

"We chose MullenLowe LA to help us with our mission to break NHL team stereotypes and present our club in a cool and edgy way," Gutierrez said at the time. "We want to change the way we showcase our players and incorporate the fashion and lifestyle world in our branding."

Tania Moreno, Coyotes Senior Vice President of Marketing, worked with MullenLowe on the project and was the point person, along with her team, in the rebrand.

“The opportunity to help strengthen and elevate the brand is a big reason I accepted this role," she said in a statement from the Coyotes. "I was impressed by MullenLowe’s ability to craft a brand platform and design architecture that encompasses all of the elements this organization stands for and what we want people to appreciate us for.”

Gutierrez said the rebrand is comprehensive and anchored by the Kachina logo.

"It's not just a logo, it's a real transformation of saying this is what we stand for, this is what we're about, and how we're going to reflect that is in a number of areas," Gutierrez said. "It's going to be in our merchandising, it's going to be in our content, it's going to be in our branding, it's going to be in our in-game experience, in the arena."

A marketing campaign to promote the Coyotes with billboard, TV, radio, digital and print advertising will run throughout the season. The Coyotes at some point would also like to hold team practice sessions open to the community at ice rinks around the Valley, which could include hockey clinics or coaches clinics.

The Coyotes plan to continue acknowledging the 25th anniversary season, but without as much fanfare as what was originally planned because of the ongoing pandemic.

"It really starts with the owner, Alex Meruelo, and his family and their commitment, not only financially but saying 'This is important, we're going to go do this, and this is what we're going to be about,'" Gutierrez said of the rebrand and all of the team's work in different communities.

He acknowledged the cooperation of the business side and the hockey development side of the organization in the rebrand.

"It's a full embrace, comprehensively. This isn't just me, this isn't just Alex. That's what's so exciting to me," Gutierrez said. "Even on the hockey side, it's about saying we are one organization, we have one (set of) ideals of what we want to be, and we're in this together."

Get in touch with Jose Romero at Jose.Romero@gannett.com. Find him on Twitter at @RomeroJoseM.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Coyotes' rebrand led by return of Kachina logo on jerseys