You knew his work with Silvertips, but likely didn’t know him

The name Keith Flynn probably doesn’t resonate with Everett Silvertips fans. But every day, from the player’s sweaters to the merchandise at the team store, his impact is ubiquitous at Angel of the Winds Arena.

Flynn, the designer of the initial Everett Silvertips logo and jersey, as well as the subsequent redesigns, passed away on Oct. 9, according to Chris Creamer of SportsLogos.net. He was 58.

Flynn owned and operated “Flynnagain Productions” and consulted with several sports franchises in Canada and the United States with brand designs and redesigns. He conceived several logos for minor-league baseball clubs, NBA G-League teams and even designed the Western Hockey League’s league logo.

“You take a look at all of the logos that he has done, it’s just incredible work,” said Zoran Rajcic, the chief operating officer of Consolidated Sports Holdings (CSH), the group that owns the Silvertips.

The Ontario, Canada, native was the natural choice for the inception of the Silvertips logo after completing some designs for CSH franchises prior to the Silvertips’ inception in 2003-04.

Rajcic said Bill Yuill, the chairman and CEO at CSH, was fixated on the Silvertips name, as well as the green, silver and white color scheme, despite some local pressure to pay homage to the area’s rich Naval history. Flynn eventually put Yuill’s vision into the team’s inaugural logo, with the bear holding the hockey stick in front of the Everett Silvertips script, but also devised alternate trademarks, such as the “Everett Fleet,” the “Golden Eagles,” the “SeaDogs,” and the “Bombers,” in case the team wanted to pivot from the Silvertips brand.

His genesis of the Silvertips logo and corresponding sweater design was so strong there was no need to consider the other options.

“We wanted something more on the aggressive side, but something that had zest and appeal,” Rajcic said. “He put it all together and it was amazing. I don’t know how he does it.”

Flynn spearheaded the team’s 10th and 15th anniversary rebrands, that included the bear shield — which remains the Silvertips’ primary logo — and the Old English “E.”

With Flynn’s passing, Rajcic said it’s unclear if there will be a new logo for the 20th anniversary season in 2022-2023.

“Moving forward, I’m not sure what we are going to do,” Rajcic said. “I’m going to get my guys to see who else is out there in that realm of work.”

Rajcic and the Silvertips brass never interacted with Flynn face-to-face, only through phone calls, emails and faxes — at least in the early days. But his impact on the Silvertips organization is recognized and appreciated.

“That’s the thing, his legacy will live on forever,” Rajcic said. “People may not know who he is, but his work is so recognizable.”

Dewar, Sutter to represent Team WHL in Canada/Russia series

The Canadian Hockey League announced Wednesday that Everett forwards Connor Dewar and Riley Sutter were selected to Team WHL for the CIBC Canada/Russia series.

The series is intended to be an evaluation process for the selection of Canada’s team for the 2019 world junior championships. Team WHL takes on the Russian National junior team in Kamloops on Nov. 5 and in Vancouver on Nov. 6.

Dewar and Sutter are the third and fourth Silvertips to represent Team WHL at the event. Defenseman Noah Juulsen (2015-2016) and goaltender Carter Hart (2015-2017) were the others.

One of the nicknames considered for Everett’s expansion hockey team was the “Admirals.” This logo and color scheme were created by Keith Flynn. (Courtesy of Everett Silvertips)

Another nickname considered for Everett’s expansion hockey team was the “Boomers.” This logo and color scheme were created by Keith Flynn. (Courtesy of Everett Silvertips)

One of several nicknames considered for Everett’s expansion hockey team was the “Fleet.” The logo and color scheme were created by Keith Flynn. (Courtesy of Everett Silvertips)

One of the nicknames suggested for Everett’s expansion hockey team was “Seadogs.” The logo and color scheme were created by Keith Flynn. (Courtesy of Everett Silvertips)

At one point, officials of Everett’s expansion hockey franchise considered naming the team the “Golden Eagles.” The logo and color scheme were created by Keith Flynn. (Courtesy of Everett Silvertips)