The Edmonton Elks will be wearing the classic EE logo on their helmets when the 2022 CFL season starts later this year.
“The Double E represents our club’s tradition of excellence both on and off the field. It’s an Edmonton icon and we’re thrilled to have a fresh version on our new helmet,” Elks president and CEO Victor Cui said in a news release Thursday.
Variations of the EE logo had been on the team’s helmet from 1965 to 2019. The CFL season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but in 2021 the team played with the elks antlers logo on their helmets.
“This helmet bridges the past with the present and is symbolic of our commitment to connecting our tradition with a bright future. One look at our new helmet and you know who we are and what we stand for,” Cui said.
“We’ve listened to our fans and can’t wait to proudly wear this new helmet at The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium.”
Click here to see more photos of the helmet.
Cui said the return to the familiar logo was a top priority, adding even he wanted to see it back.
“When I took the job (as president and CEO), I had no idea how to make that happen. One of the first meeting I had was with Dan (Rosnau), our equipment manager and he said let me show what we can do. We just started brain storming about the possibilities of how we can make it happen. I said okay, there’s an oppourtunity here.”
Cui said going back to the EE logo is more about just a logo: it’s the meaning behind it.
“To me, the magical part about it’s not about this crazy, green and white vinyl sticker on a helmet. It’s really just a sticker,” he said. “It’s, ‘What does the double E represent? How does it make you feel? How does it make you think about coming to a game?’ Excited or filled with hope and inspiration and all those kinds of things that represent the Elks way. That to me is what I was excited to share about with the community.”
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Cui said he consulted with the EE alumni about the helmet, including former receiver Derrell “Mookie” Mitchell. Mitchell played in Edmonton from 2004 to 2006 helping Edmonton to a Grey Cup title in 2005.
Mitchell said the logo is different from when he played and even from the five-in-a-row championship teams in the 70s and 80s. Mitchell said the EE logo brings every generation together.
“The EE from the 70’s is different from the era from when I played in the early-2000’s,” Mitchell said. “This generation of players led by (Elks head coach and G.M.) Chris Jones this season — these guys get to write their own stories. We’re all under the same brotherhood of the EE, so no matter how the logo looks, we’re family.”
When the team announced it would be changing its name in 2020, it promised the classic EE look would remain with the new name. Variations of the new logo were unveiled in June 2021 when the team announced its new name.
Some of the logos included the EE and others included the antler design.
The new helmet will also include a helmet stripe — a feature the team called “a staple of Edmonton helmets since the 1960s.”
The players’ numbers will also be in bold on the back, flanked by the Canadian flag and the CFL logo. The rear bumper will read “EDMONTON” while the front bumper reads “ELKS.”
“There are few things in sports as powerful as the logo on a football helmet,” EE Football Alumni president Mookie Mitchell said. “The new Double E connects generations of players who have proudly worn the green and gold.”
Fans will get their first look at the helmet in person on June 3 when the Elks host the Calgary Stampeders in the pre-season home opener.
–with files from Dave Campbell, 630 CHED