The Springfield Thunderbirds are an American Hockey League franchise based in Springfield, Massachusetts, that began play in the 2016-17 season. The team’s primary logo, unveiled on June 15, 2016, features a bird’s head in bright blue with a curved beak against a background of red and yellow, with the team’s name picked out in yellow and white.[1]
Design and History
The Thunderbirds identity was created by designer Matt McElroy, who was approached by Springfield Hockey, LLC in May 2016 after the ownership group acquired and relocated the Portland Pirates franchise to Springfield.[2] McElroy, a longtime contributor to the hockey design site Icethetics, was recruited specifically because of a Seattle Thunderbirds concept he had submitted to the site nearly three years earlier.[2]
The name and logo were designed to honor Springfield’s hockey history, particularly the city’s two most recent AHL franchises, the Falcons and the Indians. McElroy noted that the logo faces to the left “because the original Indians and Falcons logos faced to the left.”[2] The thunderbird name also references a Native American legend in which the bird creates thunder and lightning by flapping its massive wings.[3]
The logo also drew inspiration from the military-themed identity of the team’s then-NHL affiliate, the Florida Panthers. “Thunderbirds” is a famous aircraft of the U.S. Air Force and a reference to two nearby Air Force bases.[4] McElroy confirmed that the design used military insignia as inspiration, and that he and the team debated whether to incorporate the Panthers’ gold into the Thunderbirds’ color palette.[2]
The logo has remained consistent since the team’s inaugural season. For the 2025-26 season, the team’s 10th in the AHL, the Thunderbirds introduced a 10th anniversary logo featuring a thunderbird silhouette inside the zero of a stylized numeral 10, with wings spreading out on either side.[5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The logo’s bird imagery was intended to bridge Springfield’s hockey past and present. As one local report noted, “The logo has the falcon in it and we also believe pays homage to the Springfield Indians as the Thunderbird is an American Indian legend.”[6] The lightning bolt at the bottom of the logo was designed to suggest the letter “S,” though McElroy noted it was originally much more prominent in early sketches.[2]
The team’s official colors are red, navy blue, sky blue, white, and gold.[7]
Typography and Design
The Thunderbirds’ wordmark lettering has been described as “T-Birds inspired font,” a style that carried over into the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic logo, which McElroy also helped design in its early stages.[8] The team’s 2025-26 white jersey features an arched “THUNDERBIRDS” script in navy blue with metallic gold outlines.[5]
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