Carolyn Wong’s Lunar New Year Design Gallops into the Year of the Horse

In the Chinese calendar, 2026 is the year of the Fire Horse – a symbol of ambition, passion, and unrelenting drive. To celebrate Lunar New Year, the Vancouver Canucks turned to a local illustrator and mural artist, Carolyn Wong, to create a logo that honours tradition while capturing the spirit of the organization and its community.

Wong, a Vancouver-based artist, incorporated the horse seamlessly into the Canucks orca emblem, blending cultural symbolism with team identity.

“These cultural traditions are very important and also very personal. So, for this design to be shared with the community at this level and at the scale is just absolutely surreal, and I'm beyond thrilled to have participated in this collaboration,” Wong said.

In Chinese culture, the horse represents independence, freedom, and momentum, while fire symbolizes transformative energy, intensity, and passion. Wong wove those elements into the design using the traditional red and gold colours associated with Lunar New Year to reinforce themes of luck and prosperity.

Using the familiar structure of the Canucks’ orca logo, Wong inset the horse within the design, with its flowing mane blending into the orca’s fins, which she said was a visual representation of unity. The horse and orca exist in harmony, symbolizing cultural connection and shared strength. Even the shape of the horse’s mouth mirrors the original orca logo, preserving the recognizable imprint and energy.

Flames surround the horse, representing the energy, momentum, and fearlessness. The movement of the fire suggests the horse galloping forward into the wind with passion and grit as it charges toward the year ahead.

“I think that this is a really exciting opportunity to highlight the Asian community as well,” Wong said. “As a Chinese Canadian artist, this opportunity to collaborate with the Canucks is so significant because hockey is at the center of the Canadian identity. So especially in Vancouver, that makes the Canucks at the center of Vancouver's culture.”

This project celebrates the diversity of the Lower Mainland, and Wong is honoured to have had a hand in bringing it to life. Through tradition and teamwork, she hopes everyone can move forward together with strength and purpose in the Year of the Fire Horse.