Gladiators Mark 10 Years in Georgia
Before we dive in, two things: 1) I'm back. The The IceHL 2012 Yearbook — a labor of love and some intense work over the last few months — is finished! And 2) that means I'm getting back to the blog. And even though it's been a quiet year, I'm determined to find ways of keeping Icethetics interesting. Even if I have to make up news.
For today, however, I don't have to make anything up.
The ECHL's Gwinnett Gladiators unveiled their 10th anniversary logos last Thursday. During the 2012-13 season, they'll be celebrating "A Decade of Excellence and Achievement," as they put it. Of course that's ignoring the eight previous years the club spent in Alabama as the Mobile Mysticks.
The Gladiators primary 10th Anniversary Season Logo is a stylized number ten with the distinctive Gladiators head profile logo incorporated into the zero. It also features roman numerals along the side denoting the years of operation, 2003 to 2013. The Gladiators will also utilize a secondary logo that features a roman numeral "X" incorporating the classic "G" shield/sword logo version and stylized banner indicating the team’s tenure.
The Gladiators are affiliated with the Phoenix Coyotes. And most of the people at their games used to be Thrashers fans, right? There's gotta be a joke in there somewhere about fans getting shafted. I'm just not clever enough to find it.
Guys, the IceHL Yearbook was a huge weight off my shoulders and I'm tired of seeing this page so static. There's been a lot of news I haven't covered over the last month or so and it's my goal to put it here with new posts every day or at least every other day for the next several weeks.
After that? I don't know. Maybe we get some Top 10 lists going. We all like lists, right?
And let there be NHL hockey before 2013... please!
Chris
So about that joke I was looking for... Zack M. emailed in to let me know the Gladiators have been selling this T-shirt.
Ouch. That's just salt in the wound.
But it is funny. (Sorry Thrashers fans. You deserved better.)
Chris
Last update, I promise. Just saw that the Gladiators tweeted a photo last week of some new pucks with one of their 10th anniversary logos on them. They also feature the ECHL's 25th anniversary logo.
Reader Comments (3)
I disagree about the "old thrashers fans" comment. Most of the fans at Glads games were there before, though there was some overlapping fans in both arenas. The fans there have been loyal to the Gladiators while many Thrashers fans, I guess, kinda gave up. If you look at the attendance records (http://www.echl.com/stats/schedule.php?view=attendance&season_id=17), the Gladiators had a season total of 184596 (avg 5128 per game) in 2010-11, the last year of the Thrashers. The first year without the Thrashers saw 185794 (avg 5161 per game) in 2011-12. Both were 5th in the Attendance Rankings for the ECHL. So it would appear that Glads fans are Glads fans and Thrashers fans were Thrashers fans.
With regards to the logos, I like them, especially compared to some other anniversary logos (like the Thrashers' tenth with the swirling bird head). I wish the X banner was complete and not missing a connecting piece between the date and the material behind it. I also think the Roman numerals on the "10" logo would look better under the 10 rather than to the left. Otherwise, pretty sharp looking for an anniversary logo.
I am curious on how many teams have used 2 anniversary logos and how the Glads will encorporate both. One on the whites the other on the blacks? One on the jerseys, the other at center ice? We'll see. With the ECHL also celebrating their 25th, there could be a lot of patches on the Glads uni's. I hope it doesn't look like some European League jersey with all the other stuff on it.
I've only been in the Gwinnet Arena once, and that was for a concert in 2007. I was introduced to hockey in 1999 when the Thrashers came to town, I was 11 years old. Of course I have played hockey games on the N64 and Sega Saturn prior to this, but never really became interested in the sport until the Thrashers arrived. Me first game, Thrashers - Bruins... 9 seconds into the game a brawl erupts on the ice. I don't recall the score, or the players names... I just remember being hooked and wanting to go to another game as soon as possible. the 06-07 season was when I became truly interested in the sport and could actually call myself a fan of, what I've come to know, as the greatest sport in the world.
Long of the short, I was happy and sad and angry to see my team go. Happy they get to play in front of a true home audience (something Atlanta could never give under the worst marketing team and ownership group ever!), sad because no more NHL in my city, and angry because the ASG could have actually accomplished something if they tried, but they didn't... For 2 years I sent them continuous emails on things they could do -informed them there's a University with a student body that could fill their arena twice over less than a mile from Phillips Arena! I explained, that as a fan, their billboards don't make sense to me -they need to be less cluttered. Finally, I received a none-automated response, "We put up a billboard near the airport that we think will draw in a lot of new fans." ...
I cheer on the Jets now because that's still my core roster. Little, Toby, Bogie, Kane, Burmie, Pavs... I was at each of their NHL debuts. Was at the Chicago boys first Thrashers appearance. I've witnessed a Kovalchuk and Heatley line. I remember game 4 against the Rangers and just hoping for a miracle to stay in the Playoffs... Being the butt-end of every joke in the NHL, but still holding onto my team. In my mind that's dedication. That's being a true, honest fan of the sport... of that team, that franchise. It's easy to cheer and Original 6 or a SC winner, but grinding it out and always cheering, always hoping for the best (not accepting loss after loss); standing and cheering the boys as they grind out the final minute of a 1-3 L at home. That's being a fan.
Anyway, I apologize for my rant. Just Like Winnipeg, QC, Hartford... I'm apart of that unique club that knows the feeling of having a team taken from you. The League turning it's back, the Owner's just not caring... The fans, always the fans getting hurt in the end.
I love how the pucks are sponsored by Suwanee Dental Care. Very appropriate.