The Ottawa Citizen May 18th 1991

One fan said it looked like a U.S. football team emblem. Another suggested it was a high school design project. And many said it could be the symbol for Trojan condoms.

And while some thought the emblem was just plain ugly, others deplored the fact that their Senators paraphernalia is now outdated, and called it a ''cheap stunt'' to try to seduce fans to buy more.

''It was a scam,'' said Dean Vasilas, 25, who has Senators season tickets. ''We're being used. We're proud we got the team, and every time we turn around they always get more money out of our pockets.''

The new Ottawa Senators emblem features a Roman centurion wearing a gold helmet, surrounded by a larger red helmet with three wings attached. The old logo was green, black and red, with a Canadian flag flying from the Peace Tower of the Parliament buildings.

An NHL spokesman said the league didn't like the Peace Tower logo because it was too local to Ottawa and didn't emphasize sports. They indicated this at a meeting with Senators officials, said the spokesman, who asked not to be identified. The logo must get NHL approval.

Senators communications director Randy Burgess refused to reveal the significance behind the new emblem, which was leaked to the public prematurely, because the details will be revealed at a press conference next Thursday.

While profits from the sale of NHL merchandise usually go into a pool to be distributed equally by all member teams, NHL retail licensing manager Fred Scalera said the Senators have an ''interim arrangement'' with the league. Because the team won't be a full member until December, they can draw profits directly on the sale of their merchandise.

But Ottawa 67's coach Brian Kilrea said the Senators may anger fans by changing the logo mid-stream.

''I feel badly for the people who have gone out there and bought Senators stuff,'' said Kilrea. ''They'll just alienate some of the fans.''

Some fans interviewed Thursday said many team emblems symbolize the cities they come from: the Edmonton Oilers have a drop of oil on the crest, a wheel adorns the jerseys of the Motor City Detroit Red Wings, and the Calgary Flames' emblem features a C.

''This new logo doesn't say Ottawa,'' said Tom Varvaresos, 28.

Former 67's goalkeeper Jim Ralph agreed.

''The (new) emblem doesn't seem to identify with the product,'' Ralph said. ''They should have kept the original, or just sharpened it up a bit. Everyone got caught up in the fever and bought the sweaters. I don't know how people will react to this.''

Patrice Giroux, 22, liked the new emblem and said the Parliament buildings were ''too political.''

Burgess said the first emblem was never the official logo, but the ''official logo of the campaign to bring back the Senators.'' Yet some say the Senators marketed the first logo as their official emblem.

''I think there was an expectation that that would be their logo,'' said Bob Osborn, 40. ''If the organization feels it's important enough to change, then they should have some kind of exchange program for the new merchandise.''

Chris Hort, 29, said he doesn't recognize the new emblem as official.

''If I went to the game I would wear the old stuff before I'd wear that,'' said Hort. ''To me that was what the team was marketed as, and that's the right emblem.''

Sports stores said they expect increased demand for merchandise with the Peace Tower logo.

''It's a collectors' item,'' said Murray Sutherland, assistant manager of Champs Sports in Orleans. ''And if their reactions to the new logo are anything like mine, they'll stick with the old logo for a while.''