This week, the Professional Women’s Hockey League unveiled a special Pride Unity Game logo designed by Eli, a Hamilton-based artist, to celebrate LGBTQ+ pride and inclusion.
Eli, a queer and transgender creative whose art focuses heavily on identity, resilience, and self-expression, incorporated several meaningful elements into the logo. Central to the design is a hockey stick featuring the colours black and brown from the Progress Pride Flag, honouring queer and trans people of colour as well as those affected by HIV/AIDS.
“My goal was to create a playful, bold image for the LGBTQ+ community rather than about us,” Eli explained in the league’s announcement. “I aimed to bring something we’ve never seen before in a typical flag Pride logo, taking inspiration from different aspects of the queer/trans experience. The bright and bold nature of the design reflect the brightness and boldness found within the queer and trans community.”
Surrounding the hockey stick are several symbolic items, each representing significant aspects of LGBTQ+ history and identity. A broken chain symbolizes defying societal norms and breaking free from imposed limitations. Lavender flowers pay tribute to the historical association between queerness and the colour lavender, emphasizing the natural beauty of LGBTQ+ identities. Buttons and a carabiner represent personal identity and outward expression, while a brick serves as a reminder of the Stonewall Riots and the fearless activists who laid the foundation for LGBTQ+ rights.
The logo will be featured prominently across all six PWHL teams’ Pride Unity Games during the 2025 season. The 2025 PWHL Pride Unity Game schedule is as follows:
- New York Sirens – March 22 vs. Ottawa (Prudential Center)
- Minnesota Frost – March 30 vs. Toronto (Xcel Energy Center)
- Montréal Victoire – Apr. 1 vs. New York (Place Bell)
- Boston Fleet – April 2 vs. Ottawa (Tsongas Center)
- Ottawa Charge – April 26 vs. Montréal (TD Place)
- Toronto Sceptres – Apr. 29 vs. New York (Coca-Cola Coliseum)
PWHL Pride Unity Game merchandise featuring Eli’s logo, including commemorative shirts, will be available at each arena and through PWHL’s Official Canada Shop and Official US Shop.
In conjunction with these events, the league will contribute to the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center, which opened in June 2024. The SNMVC, operated by Pride Live, is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Stonewall Rebellion and offering education about the LGBTQ+ rights movement. SNMVC founders Diana Rodriguez and Ann Marie Gothard will participate in the honourary puck drop at the New York Sirens’ Pride Game against Ottawa on March 22.
