The Saskatchewan Rush are embarking on a new chapter.
On Wednesday, the National Lacrosse League franchise unveiled a completely new look, with a new logo and new jersey designs.
“One thing that stood out was our logo and how it didn’t really reflect our province and our home,” Tyler Wawryk, the VP of business operations, said in a press release.
The new primary logo features a bison head, an animal strongly rooted in Saskatchewan.
“First Nations culture has long revered the stately creatures as sacred with important gifts and teachings” the Rush’s website read.
The bison head is in the shape of a lacrosse stick, while the hexagon is a reference to Treaty 6 territory, where the team was founded.
“We feel our new logo is a strong representation of who we are as a team and also who we are,” Wawryk said.
“We’ve been working on this for over a year now. It kind of stemmed from trying to bring Saskatchewan to the brand itself and to the look and the logo.”
The Rush consulted with the Saskatoon Tribal Council early on in the design process wanting to honor the logo’s Indigenous roots.
As for the adjoining wordmark, it pays tribute to the old Saskatchewan Wheat Pool logo and the agricultural background of the province.
The rebrand comes amid a summer of change for the Rush saying goodbye to veterans of their 2015 to 2018 dynasty teams including Mark Matthews, Kyle Rubisch and Ryan Dilks.
According to general manager Derek Keenan, the organizational refresh comes at a perfect time.
“I think the timing is really good,” said Keenan. “This is kind of a new beginning for our franchise with the turnover and going a lot younger, bringing in new, young, exciting players in.”
The full transition means the old logos will be semi-retired, with brand-new home and away jerseys for the upcoming 2023-24 NLL season.
“As our team on the field grows into it’s next phase we felt the timing was right to introduce a new look to coincide with a new era of Rush lacrosse, and most importantly to reflect our home here in Saskatchewan and on Treaty Six Territory,” Wawryk added.
Fully redesigned Saskatchewan Rush merchandise is now available.
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