Have You Seen Los IceHogs?
Images from Rockford IceHogs (official website)
Novelty promotions are commonplace in the minor leagues. But sometimes you just have to shake your head. And the AHL's Rockford IceHogs are really standing out right now.
Over the weekend, the team gave away bobbleheads bearing that looked like to the two dudes at the center of last night's onslaught of news coverage. (Was there an election or something?) Then later this month, the one and only IceHogs will transform into Los IceHogs. (The same, right, but more... Mexican-ish.)
These were two things that deserved some blog time. I couldn't resist. Especially the specialty jersey, which will be worn next Friday, Nov. 16. And get this, the first 2,500 fans are getting free maracas. How much do you not want to be at that game? Ah, but you might change your mind when you learn who's making a special visit.
Dora the Explorer. The celebrity from whom every hockey fan dreams of getting a visit.
Anyway, this gave me a good laugh and I hope it'll do the same for you. Tell me. What do you think of Los IceHogs? And what other cultural stereotypes could these guys use to mask their big pig of a mascot?
Chris
Photos from Rockford IceHogs (Facebook page)
This morning the IceHogs revealed some actual photos of this unbelievable jersey. Words just escape me. (The photo from the back I came across on Puck Daddy.)
Reader Comments (21)
I am surprised that Dora's head is not one of the shoulder patches on the jersey
Although hideous, the jerseys get people talking about them. That's the goal of minor league sports promotions. Lol, I like them.
As a Hispanic hockey player, NHL fan, and icethetics reader... this jersey/promo by Rockford is ridiculous. The zarape style jersey is absolutely ridiculous. If they wanted to honor some kind of Hispanic heritage, as is being done in baseball and basketball, there's a certain way to do it. You can be classy about it, and not dress up like piñatas. It's almost like poking fun at it, than celebrating. And to have brands like Corona, and Dora jump on board are disappointing. I just don't get. The AHL, and other minor league's, like to have fun with uniqure jerseys, but this one is just ridiculous. And Chris, I love what you do here at Icethetics, but not everything Latino or Hispanic is "Mexican." Most of the Western Hemisphere is Hispanic, but not all are Mexican. Thanks. That's my .02
EA: Gee, thanks for the geography lesson, but are serapes and sombreros not Mexican? And at what point did I say that everything Latino or Hispanic was Mexican? I must've missed that. You can have your .02 back.
I'm ashamed of my Icehogs
Chris: Not a geography lesson, or an attack. My sincerest apologies if it came off that way. Let's just agree that the jersey's are hideous, shall we? And my .02 was for my opinion not for my personal comments. I truely enjoy this site, and if it weren't for you and what you do here I never would have seen this in the first place.
EA: That's fair. I didn't see it as an attack, but rather an appalling accusation that I don't know the difference between Mexican culture and the larger Hispanic culture. I appreciate the compliments on the site. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't being misrepresented. And yes, that it one awful hockey sweater! It's so bad I can't wait to see it in action next week.
Maybe if I was Latino /Hispanic I would be offended.
But since I'm not, it has a shot to be so "awful" that it goes all the way back around to being "good." Maybe that's the IceHogs thinking.
I hope this doesn't come across wrong, but why is it when I see that logo, the first thing I think of is Jeff Dunham's puppet Jose Jalapeño (on a stick!)? Ole!
Living in the Chicago northern burbs and being a Hawks fan for 30 years, going to games in Rockford are extremely fun (and unlike their NHL counterpart, tickets are still easy to obtain) and they really do a wonderful job of promoting/marketing at the games and treating their fans to some great night (and good hockey too). I am all for these fun promotions. Especially for the kid geared stuff. Kudos to the Rockford Icehogs and the Blackhawks. The Chicago Wolves also run a great ship in terms of making the fans have a good time.
To build off what ADD said, I think that the idea of having Dora at the game is to promote a family-friendly atmosphere. Be honest, how many NHL games are really a family event? The minor leagues provide a more kid-friendly game, because the people going (especially in cities so close to a major league team) are usually the true fans of the game, and not drunken hooligans out for a night of carousing.
Now, the jerseys on the other hand, are big time misses. I think while you can have these nights to build a younger fan base, you should build up the brand you have. Putting on slightly modified jerseys can work to add to the atmosphere of a night, but when you go full on "Nacho Libre" you've gone too far. Any new, young fans you get will be lost (even if it's only temporary) when they come to a game and don't see the jerseys they saw last time.
When I went to sporting events as a kid, be they hockey, indoor soccer (NPSL!), indoor lacrosse, or college basketball; or watched them on tv (football) one of the things that made me love or hate a team was the jersey they wore. And when a team I had gotten to know had new jerseys, I usually disliked them. I remember when I was about 6 or 7 going to a Buffalo Blizzard game (indoor soccer) and they came out in their road jerseys for the second half of a game. I had a hard time remembering who was my team! As crazy as it sounds, kids identify with what they see and need a consistant image. I think a one off jersey like this damages your younger fan base, even if it is just for one night.
Sorry for the long post, I guess I had more to talk about then I thought. Love the site though!
Those diamond patterns remind me of the Tackla logo. Makes me want to throw on an old 1980s international team jersey!
Sombreros are on the numbers, too.....
.... I'm not going to lie, I might just got to the game to see those atrocities on ice....
If they're using Dora to encourage the family crowd then isn't it counter-productive to have a beer sponsor? Wouldn't something like Taco Bell be more appropriate?
Here's a pic of this monstrocity: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/pass-fail-ahl-rockford-icehogs-mexican-fiesta-los-155933995--nhl.html
Where can I buy an Ice Hog special jersey? I think they are great - the're fun, and that' s what it's all about.
Maybe this will attract more Mexican fans to games. Do they even know what hockey is? LMAO
Move over Islanders third jersey we have a new leader in the WORSE JERSEY EVER category.
:O woah.
Hockey fans might appreciate this Dora the Explorer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnpTcrtsN3U
I case anyone was wondering, if nothing else, the numbers were near impossible to see, even while on the glass. For that reason alone, this was a bad idea. If you're trying to develop a new fan base, maybe make it so that they can recognize who scored or who fought. And the easiest way to do that (at least, starting off) is by recognizing their numbers.