When the Arizona Coyotes said goodbye to Phoenix, we thought we would have to say goodbye to one of the NHL’s best and most unique logos with the Coyotes famous kachina inspired design.
The classic logo was used from 1996-2003 after the franchise first moved from Winnipeg. A 2020 survey named it the best sports logo in Arizona sports history.
It would return as an alternate jersey throwback in 2018 and fully reintroduced in a highly anticipated return for the 2021-2022 season. The return of the so-called peyote coyote wasn’t enough to save the franchise from moving to Utah after the 2023-24 NHL season. Now they're now known as the Utah Mammoth with a new, but unfortunately kachina-less, logo.
Their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, stayed behind in Arizona even if there was a little possible relocation controversy. For 2025-26, the Roadrunners have quietly changed their primary logo to a Kachina inspired redesign. The spirit of the kachina jerseys, which might be the most lasting legacy of the Coyotes aside from Shane Doan, lives on.
The Roadrunners take their name from a precious WHL and WHA team that played in Arizona from 1968-1997 with an IHL reincarnation from 1989-1997 and an ECHL team in Phoenix from 2005-2009. All versions of the team featured a similar looking cartoon roadrunner looking logo. Interestingly it looked more like Woody Woodpecker than the roadrunner chased by Wile Coyote.
When the Roadrunners returned as an AHL team in 2016 they used the same cartoon bird, since named “Dusty”, wearing a red jersey, borrowing their color scheme from the Coyotes. Previous franchises named the Roadrunners used a blue and goldish yellow color scheme. The shoulder patch from the Arizona Coyotes pre-revived Kachina jerseys is featured prominently. The Roadrunners have worn their own Kachina jerseys before but now they are making it their main one. Last season’s team pictures featured the players wearing their proudly.
The Roadrunners redesigned logo has two notable changes different from their famous counterpart, aside from the difference in animal. The Kachina roadrunner holds his hockey stick in opposite image of his coyote brethren. The Kachina roadrunner, much like the cartoon version, both hold their hockey stick left handed. Also the Roadrunner is wearing a purple jersey, reminiscent of the Coyotes “reverse retro 1.0” jerseys from the 2021 season while wearing black skates and hockey pants.
Hats and shirts with the updated logo are available online at the Tucson Roadrunners site, but interestingly they don’t have any jerseys listed for sale yet. The Roadrunners are still owned by former Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo. Last season Meruelo relinquished the right to “reactivate” the Coyotes franchise if certain conditions were met. This meant the Coyotes intellectual property, including the famous Kachina logo, are now owned by the NHL itself.