The Winnipeg Jets finally unveiled their new logo on Friday afternoon, releasing three crests for the reborn NHL franchise at 5 p.m. ET on their website.
According to the team, the new main logo of a sleek fighter jet over top of a red maple leaf "was inspired by the logo of the Royal Canadian Air Force."
"True North Sports and Entertainment felt it was important for the new Winnipeg Jets to develop a strong new identity," Jets owner Mark Chipman said in a statement.
"We felt it was important to authenticate the name Jets and we believe the new logo does that through its connection to our country's remarkable Air Force heritage, including the rich history and relationship that our city and province have enjoyed with the Canadian Forces."
The design was put together by True North, the NHL and Reebok and kept the team's navy blue and red colour scheme that was used between 1972 and 1996. The circular design mimics the roundel that has appeared on Canadian planes in various forms since the First World War.
The team said it will reveal its jerseys at a later date, which will come in time for a rookie tournament in early September.
Also unveiled were two secondary logos, including one that features military-style wings over two hockey sticks and a maple leaf, with the team name around it. The secondary logos are likely to be shoulder patches on the new jersey.
Hats, T-shirts and kids wear with the logos are now available at the team's official store in downtown Winnipeg, and the lineups for the apparel were staggering from the moment it went on sale.
The reaction to the new logo has been mixed online, although some high profile members of the hockey world gave it a thumbs up.
"That Jets logo is very well done," Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman wrote on Twitter. "Nice work."
Others criticized the design for being too militaristic.
"New Jets logo looks like a Canadian military medal," Los Angeles Times sportswriter Helene Elliott tweeted.
The Jets will begin play in October for the first time since leaving Winnipeg in 1996, when the team relocated to Phoenix. The financially troubled Atlanta Thrashers were bought by True North on May 31 and relocated to the Manitoba capital.
The team has already sold 13,000 season's tickets for each of the next three years and have capped a waiting list at 8,000.
Chipman said Friday that the Jets will not have a third jersey in 2011-12, but the team could add one that reflects its historical look in the future.
Below are the four main logos that have been used in Winnipeg Jets history, dating back to their first season in the World Hockey Association in 1972: