Wranglers Wrap Up Movember

ECHL's Las Vegas club wore Movember jersey on Nov. 30

The ECHL's Las Vegas Wranglers suited up in their specially-designed Movember jerseys last Friday, Nov. 30. They lost in a shootout to the Orlando Solar Bears. But it was for a good cause, right?

The sweaters were unveiled on Nov. 16 and feature a comically large mustache tacked onto their standard crest. The jerseys were white and blue despite the team's red-and-black color scheme. (Must be the equivalent of pink for breast cancer nights.)

Photo by Stephen Sylvanie via Wranglers (official website)

Wranglers raised over $6,000 in Movember donations

According to an announcement made Thursday, the team raised $6,286 in donations as part of the month-long event. The money benefited the Nevada Cancer Coalition.

How do these Movember jerseys stack up against those of the AHL's Adirondack Phantoms?

Oil Kings Show Off Teddy Bear Jerseys

Oil Kings wearing Teddy Bear Toss jerseys on Dec. 7

The Teddy Bear Toss is a common promotional event in minor league hockey. What's less common is a jersey with teddy bears on it. But that's exactly what the WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings have planned this Friday. And these jerseys are something to see.

Photo from Edmonton Oil Kings (via Twitter)

Oil Kings wore Santa Claus jerseys for last year's event

Last year, the Oil Kings held their Teddy Bear Toss on Dec. 17 and sported Santa Claus-inspired jerseys. Which ones do you like better?

Photo from Edmonton Oil Kings (official website)

Thanks to Steve Malarsky for the tweet tip!

The Force Guides IceMen to Victory

Evansville IceMen wore Star Wars jersey on Dec. 1

The ECHL's Evansville IceMen used The Force over the weekend to defeat the Kalamazoo Wings. It was Star Wars Night at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind. on Saturday. And the IceMen were decked out in special sweaters to mark the occasion.

Game photo by Steinhaus Fotographie

The IceMen hold these Star Wars Nights each season, but don't always have a special uniform like they did over the weekend. You can find more photos from this game via Steinhaus Fotographie. (Too bad about the excessive watermark even if it is understandable.)

Thanks to Icethetics reader Jason Jones for the tip.

Seattle Arena Design Proposals

On Friday, the city of Seattle released three design proposals from 360 Architecture for the new arena to be built in the SoDo neighborhood. The building is being designed to house NHL and NBA games.

Option 1: Iconic and transparent

Seattle Arena design proposal by 360 Architecture

The first option is a unique building with lots of exterior glass. It's very cool look that I think would fit into Seattle rather nicely. The designers tout it's "landmark, iconic form" while recognizing that the "highly transparent façade may create challenges with [the] Seattle Energy Code."

Option 2: Simple and efficient

Seattle Arena design proposal by 360 Architecture

This design is a "cost effective building that maximizes function, architectural footprint, and street frontage," according to the architect. There isn't as much open space around the building as in the previous option, but maybe that's a good thing considering the weather around here during the hockey season. But aesthetically, this isn't my personal favorite.

Option 3: Front porch to downtown (preferred)

Seattle Arena design proposal by 360 Architecture

This final design was proposed as the "preferred option." Like the second one, it maximizes its architectural footprint, but it looks a little more modern. The entrance creates sort of a "front porch to downtown," according to the designer. However, it has a much "less iconic presence" than the first option.

I could certainly live with this design, but I think Option 1 is still my favorite. Then again, I'd be happy to walk into any building that has NHL hockey going on inside. Right now there's no city with that.

What do you think of these potential designs for the new Seattle Arena? Which one is your favorite? By the way, if you want to see the entire design proposal, there is a PDF available on the city's website.

Walleye Prep Scout Night Jersey

ECHL team set to wear, then auction special sweaters on Jan. 5

Toledo Walleye "Scout Night" jerseyThe ECHL's Toledo Walleye will sport special edition jerseys on their Scout Experience Night on Jan. 5 when they host the Orlando Solar Bears at the Huntington Center.

The sweater design (right) was unveiled via Twitter on Nov. 14. As you can see, it looks a bit like a Boy Scout uniform — for better or worse. But in my opinion, this is really not a brilliant idea for a hockey jersey. Maybe it's the khaki.

On their website, the Walleye note that this will be their first time suiting up in special uniforms to honor their scout guests. But they have held these Scout Experience nights in the past.

The game-worn jerseys will be auctioned off after the game, according to the team. Proceeds from this live auction will benefit the Boy Scouts of America — an organization that's been on the controversial side these days. But we'll leave that conversation for another time.

Let's stick to talking about the jersey. What do you think? And more importantly, if you'll be in Toledo, Ohio on Jan. 5, would you consider buying one? (Though I think I already know the answer to that question.)

Update on 2012-12-01 09:39 by Chris

Several of you had questions about the insignia featured on the Walleye's Scout Night jersey. Are they real badges? Are the just made to look real? So I decided to do a little research to offer you some answers. And most of what I found is rather interesting!

Right sleeve features Boy Scouts of America logo

This is the most obvious mark to use on this jersey. Boy Scouts of America is the main scouting organization in the United States. And the Walleye's Scout Night will presumably be made up mostly of this group. (Not to discount the Girl Scouts, but it's probably a fair bet the boys are more into hockey.)

British Cub scout badges displayed on right shoulder

Here's where the jersey gets interesting — and begins to take on an international flavor. It turns out the four badges found on the upper right shoulder of the jersey are not badges any American kid would be wearing — boy or girl. These badges represent Challenge Awards given to young scouts called Cubs in the United Kingdom.

Cubs are kids between the ages of 8 and 10, according to the Scouts' official website. (In the U.K. there's no gender separation like there is in the U.S.) Now I'm curious just how many British scouts plan to be in attendance at this game in Toledo, Ohio in January.

International Scouting symbolism used on left shoulder

To keep the global theme of this jersey going, the left shoulder features some marks inspired by International Scouting insignia. But the thing is, they're not accurate and they hide a hilarious easter egg. The round purple logo is supposed to be the World Crest, which all scouts may wear on their uniforms. It symbolizes recognition of the worldwide Scouting Movement.

However the rectangular green logo is an enigma. My research has turned up nothing about the origins of this design. And for what it's worth, CJ_FTW writes in the comments, "as someone who's a scouter ... I have no idea what that green flag patch is supposed to be." So I'm wondering if the designer of this jersey just made it up.

All right, now onto what makes the purple logo inaccurate and what makes both logos a treat for hardcore hockey logo geeks. Check this out...

On the left is what the World Crest patch is supposed to look like. On the right is the fleur-de-lis worn for many years by the Quebec Nordiques. Now take a closer look at the fleur-de-lis featured on this Walleye jersey. How about that! (And go back and look at the actual photo of the jersey if you need more proof.)

I think whoever designed this jersey wants to see the Nordiques return to the NHL. Either that or it's an enormous coincidence (so big, in fact, that I don't believe it). Finding that alone made this extra research totally worth the time and effort.

It's also worth noting that the photo above is the only one the Walleye have offered so far. We can't tell what's on the left sleeve or on top of the shoulders. (It appears there might be another patch on the right shoulder.) I'll keep an eye out for when these jerseys are used in January and maybe I'll be able to expand this post.