IF Björklöven is a Swedish professional ice hockey club based in Umeå, formed on 15 May 1970 through a merger of the ice hockey sections of IFK Umeå and Sandåkerns SK. The club’s name, meaning “the birch leaves,” was already in informal use for the IFK Umeå team, which had played with a birch leaf on its jerseys since 1956. The club’s visual identity centers on a birch leaf emblem, a direct reference to Umeå’s nickname as the “city of birch trees.”
Design and History
The original club emblem was drawn by Olle Rydfjäll, one of the founding figures of the club, who served in multiple roles including player, chairman and general all-around contributor. Rydfjäll later recalled that he sketched the mark during office hours, with the club facing a tight deadline of roughly four months to prepare materials before its first season. The Swedish Ice Hockey Association was pressing for artwork to print its own materials, and the club needed new jerseys for the premiere. Rydfjäll described the original design as featuring “Björklöven” in cursive script with “UMEÅ” in capital letters, in yellow and green, or as he preferred to call them, gold and green. [1]
The emblem has been modified several times over the years. At one point the club replaced the birch leaf with a lynx, before returning to the original birch leaf design. The current version differs from the original in one respect: the text “Björklöven UMEÅ” appears in white rather than the yellow of the original. [1]
The lynx period came in the late 1990s, when Björklöven, then under financial strain, followed a broader trend among Swedish hockey clubs of adopting animal names and logos. Bo Fritzson, who conceived the idea, said the club hoped to attract a major sponsor and that animal branding was fashionable at the time. The lynx was chosen partly because Lynx was then a major retailer, making the animal a natural fit for the club’s ambitions. [2]
Despite the temporary change, the birch leaf emblem has remained the club’s enduring mark. A 2026 report on Björklöven’s brand noted that the classic club emblem, apart from those years in the 1990s, has remained in continuous use throughout the club’s history. [3]
Meaning and Symbolism
The birch leaf is the central symbol of the club’s identity. The name Björklöven translates literally as “the birch leaves,” a tongue-in-cheek reference to Canadian hockey culture and to Umeå’s reputation as the “city of birch trees.” The IFK Umeå team had already been referred to informally as “björklöven” before the formal club name was adopted in 1970. [1] The club’s colors are green and yellow, as established in Rydfjäll’s original design specification. [1]
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