SPHL Logo Map


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As its name would suggest, the pint-sized, 8-team Southern Professional Hockey League lives entirely in the southeastern United States. And, if I may say, the SPHL has some of the most wretched nicknames and logos in all of pro and junior hockey. FireAntz? Havoc? And I've never felt so much contempt for a logo as I do for the Pensacola Ice Flyers.

But I digress.

The Augusta River Hawks are the newest addition to the league and will begin play in the fall. Their location made me take note of something. I don't know what it is about this league — perhaps the small market nature — but it seems none of the SPHL's cities are far from a state border. Both Augusta and Columbus sit right on the edge of Georgia. Pensacola is practically on the Alabama line while the Surge and IceGators are nearly in the Gulf of Mexico. Fayetteville, N.C. is actually the farthest from a state boundary. Just an odd observation.

Thinking the USHL probably set to go next. And at some point, maybe Heritage Maps for the old IHL and other minor leagues. Certainly the WHA.

The Minor League Report

Because I'm pretty awful at keeping up with minor league news, things tend to pile up. When that happens, I usually end up with a patchwork post featuring a wide variety of items. Such as this one.

Everblades jersey history on a poster

Everblades jersey history posterWhile working an event today at Germain Arena, home of the ECHL's Florida Everblades, I noticed the team was handing out a neat new poster (right).

It's the History of the Everblades Jersey — not that it's a very long one. The Blades hit the ice in 1998 and only changed their uniform once in their first decade, after a run to the Kelly Cup Finals in 2004. They wore special 10th anniversary sweaters throughout the 2007-08 season, my first year living in Southwest Florida.

Since then, I haven't seen this team wear the same uniform for more than a single season. So it makes me wonder whether they'll bring back last season's sweaters for 2010-11 or come up with something new again and end up expanding this poster. I guess I'll let you know in October.

Crunch unveil new uniforms

Syracuse Crunch get new sweatersIn case you missed the mention on Twitter this week, the AHL's Syracuse Crunch unveiled their new uniforms for 2010-11 on Thursday. They now feature the team's new colors — those of their NHL parent club, the Anaheim Ducks.

The Crunch were previously linked up with the Blue Jackets and as such, wore their colors. This season they'll be orange, bronze and black. And the sweaters are pretty sharp, considering. All right, in all fairness I never thought the Ducks had a bad color scheme, just a bad logo.

Which brings me to the shoulder patch on the new Crunch jerseys. It's just further evidence the webbed "D" is awesome on its own. No one likes the "UCKS" part anyway. Disney's out of the picture — no more "Mighty" — we get it!

Hopefully this is something the Ducks have realized and will take advantage of this season when they launch their new third jersey. Of course, it would also be nice to see an entirely new logo that a little more... ducky?

If you're craving more pictures of the new sweaters — including a juxtaposition with the Ducks' threads — and the ladies who modeled them, take a trip to the Crunch's Facebook page.

Fighting Falcons unveil new logo, take two

After enduring a haranguing from Icethetics readers, the NAHL's Port Huron Fighting Falcons thought it best to go in another direction with the branding of their team.

This new logo pays tribute more to the team's hometown than its moniker and is far more appropriate. It allows the nickname to be just that and instead celebrate Port Huron in its identity.

The mark appeared on the Fighting Falcons' website this week without a lot of fanfare. It doesn't specify who's behind the design. But it is a pretty solid one.

Thanks to Mike B. for the tip!

Remparts add third jersey?

Remparts add a black sweaterThis one must've slipped under my radar. Back in June, the QMJHL's Quebec Remparts handed out a new jersey to their newest player at the draft.

It's essentially a Chicago Blackhawks' alternate with the Remparts' logo. For the record, the team previously had two jerseys — one red and the other beige.

While there's been nothing posted on their website about adding a third jersey for 2010-11, it seems there is one on the way for the Remparts, as seen on draft day.

Thanks to those loyal Icethetics readers who emailed in this info! (And sorry for the delay in getting it posted.)

CHL Logo Map


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The Central Hockey League, the other CHL, grew this summer when it merged with the flailing International Hockey League. The CHL added five IHL teams while losing two of its own — in Amarillo and Corpus Christi. There will be 18 teams competing in the CHL in 2010-11, as seen in this map.

What's funny about this league is most obvious when you layer it with the ECHL map. (Save both to My Maps in your Google account to view them together.) The CHL perfectly fills in the ECHL's geographical gaps across the United States. It's actually quite something.

Compared with similar minor hockey leagues, the CHL is rather spread out. It's stretches from the Dakotas to the north all the way to the Mexican border, and from Arizona to Ohio. No wonder the league has been so unstable for years. Travel must be a nightmare.

I'm thinking the SPHL may be the next logo map. That or the USHL. Also have the NAHL and BCHL on the short list. Stay tuned.