IceHL Rebranding Project 2013
Monday · Apr 8 · 2013 | 7:34 PM PDTI hope you don't think of 13 as an unlucky number. Because it's going to be central to The IceHL Project this summer. Today, I'm announcing the launch of the next phase of Icethetics' user-driven fantasy hockey league project. And 13 has a lot to do with it.
The infographic above is a quick breakdown of what you can expect over the next 13 weeks. Read on for the full explanation of what we're about to embark upon.
13 Weeks of R&R in 2013
It may sound like we're taking a vacation, 13 Weeks of R&R. In fact, it's the opposite. Starting April 13, we're going to work. And in this case, the two Rs stand for "Rebranding" and "Relocation." Based on your vote, as many as 13 IceHL franchises will get a branding refresh this offseason.
13 out of 32 teams eligible
In an effort to make it all easy to remember and to stick to our new favorite number, I'm making 13 of our 32 teams to be eligible for a redesign. It's one of the few executive decisions I make in this league. Some of my selections are based on duplicate color schemes, naming concepts. Some are cases of poor logo design. Others were more random.
Think I'm wrong? Change my mind!
That said, you know I'm all for the democratic process. So if you think I'm making a mistake and there's a team I should add or remove from my list, make your voice heard. If there's enough of an outcry, I can be convinced to change my mind. But it has to be done by the end of this week — before April 13.
7 of 13 teams eligible for relocation too
You'll note in the graphic above that 7 of the 13 teams are marked as eligible for relocation as well. Another executive call. In some cases, I want to separate teams. Others are somewhat random. All 13 are elgibile to be rebranded. Only these 7 may be relocated as well.
60% majority required for relocation
Relocating an IceHL franchise is a big decision, not to be taken lightly. In order to be certain that the community as a whole is resolved to moving a team, a vote of at least 60% (not rounded) will be necessary to move forward. This vote will take place during Week 1 of the project.
51% majority required for rebranding
Rebranding a team will need just 51% (not rounded) of the vote to move forward. Any team selected for relocation in Week 1 will automatically move to the rebranding phase as it will obviously require a new name and logo to go with its new city.
Some side notes to consider
Since you're probably a bit curious, I do have some notes on eligibility to share. For one thing, any team that's been a league champion is exempted. That goes for the Huskies, Nighthawks and Beasts. There are also some teams that are simply in need of an overhaul.
The Colonials logo designer has already submitted an updated version of the team's marks for consideration. Plus, I'm no longer willing to allow the Renegades and Outlaws to coexist. They're too similar both in name and logos. At least one of them will have to change. Also, I want to give voters a second chance at the Calgary Cavalry (awful name) and the Hamilton Steelcats (should probably be renamed for Toronto).
The IceHL has always been intended as a project where a popular vote makes all the branding decisions. That will continue to be true. However, as commissioner, I feel the need to make rare executive decisions to improve our league.
The big one this year is the Outlaws/Renegades situation. If the voters decide to relocate/rebrand one or both, that's great. If, however, voters decide to do neither, I will step in. The team with the higher percentage of R&R vote will be moving on. So no matter how the vote goes, at least one of those two teams will endure big changes. That's the only big caveat of this summer's proceedings.
At the end of the 13 weeks, specifically on July 13, the rebranding efforts will be complete. But by no means will we be finished with the IceHL.
13 Third Jerseys in 2013
The next phase of our summerlong project starts immediately after the last — July 13. It'll be another jersey design contest just like the one we had last year, but with a few new twists. The 13 Third Jerseys project will last just four weeks, ending on August 13. In the first week, a series of polls will determine which 13 teams will get new alternate uniforms going into the 2013-14 season.
Most teams will be eligible for third jersey
Most but not all IceHL teams will be eligible to get an alternate sweater this year. Any team that was relocated or rebranded this year along with our two expansion clubs from last year will NOT be eligible for third jerseys. At least not in 2013. There's always 2014 and beyond.
Quite simply, all eligible teams (at least 17 of them) will have a poll asking whether a third jersey should be added. The 13 teams with the highest "yes" percentage will move forward this summer. The rest will have to wait and try again next year. (There must be 13 teams chosen so this means it's possible a team could have more "no" votes and still get a third jersey.)
Three teams will "hire" dedicated designers
You read that right. The twist. Unlike in past design competitions, it will be open season on just 10 of the 13 teams. The three teams with the highest "yes" percentage will not be taken lightly. They'll get special treatment. As a group, we're going to "hire" three dedicated designers to create unique third jerseys.
The idea is that we'll choose artists whose work is so respected that it will not have to be subject to a popular vote. So you'll be voting for the artist, rather than the art. These designers will also be given an extra week to hone their work.
The rest will be subject to normal rules
For the other 10 teams, all designers will have two weeks to create and enter their jersey designs. They'll be free to design new alternate logos or stick with existing ones (even altering existing ones will be acceptable). They'll also be free to add a new color if they can make it work.
Designers will have a lot of latitude with these third jerseys. But ultimately, voters will choose their favorite looks in the final week of the project. This will be the additional week that the "hired" artists will have to work on their designs since they won't be subject to a vote. By August 13, we'll have our winning designs.
IceHL 2013 Yearbook: Coming in September
After all the rebranding, relocating and third jersey voting, we'll take a short break before the hockey season resumes. I'll use that time to finish up the IceHL 2013 Yearbook, which I hope to release on — you guessed it — September 13, 2013. I'm hoping to make it available to purchase in print as well as the standard free download from Icethetics.
By the way, you can still download the IceHL 2012 Yearbook for more information about the league.
I sincerely hope you guys are as excited as I am about the next phase of The IceHL Project! Leave a comment and let us know what you think.
Reader Comments (34)
I follow the logic regarding the Outlaws/Renegades identity overlap and would argue that the Regina Renegades also overlap geographically with the Saskatoon Sharpshooters. Saskatchewan needs to be represented but two teams there seems excessive when there are no IceHL teams in the maritime provinces or Ohio, Pennsylvania, even Maine, the Dakotas, Vegas, or KC in the US. There's plenty of areas not represented in the IceHL, I think it ought to be Regina that finds themselves in one.
Super excited for all of this, although I've really grown attached to all of these teams over the last two seasons, I'll hate to see some of them go. I also love the idea of being able to purchase a print version of the IceHL Yearbook!
Noooo! I may never get to own a Hamilton SteelCats jersey!
I really don't want to see any of these teams (Boston Colonials, Vancouver Lumberjacks, and New York Guardians) get rebranded. The Colonials logo is one of my top favorites out of the entire league. I think as a collective, we should vote on how many out of the 32 teams and which ones get rebranded and relocated. Other than that, I like the rebrand/relocation project idea.
I 100% agree with BLUECITYNOTES, Saskatoon should stay and Regina should go. These are my picks for relocation cities:
East: 1. Syracuse 2. Philly (Liberty would be an awesome name) 3. Halifax 4. Chattanooga (Love the name) 5. Norfolk
West: 1. Las Vegas 2. Kelowna (Okanagan) 3. San Fran 4. KC 5. Austin, TX (Dallas please move here)
I think Alberta has had enough time with two teams in both the NHL and IceHL. Though Calgary has my fav logo, move them to Kelowna to give BC a shot with two teams for once. Move Dallas to Austin, Atlanta to anywhere but Atlanta, and someone to Syracuse just because it has an awesome name. Though I don't really like Boston's logo, I think the updated logos would just be fine for them. Rebrand Lumberjacks, Sentinels, Mammoths, and Motorheads, and keep the Steelcats the same as well as the Guardians and Olympiques.
Oh , and also Baltimore needs to relocate or rebrand. They have a terrible logo.
Excited at the opportunity of a third jersey program, especially for the Hellcats!
Personally out of all these teams I think Vancouver and Detroit deserve it the most. And that Edmonton and Chicago need to be on this list and that the Nighthawks and Beast should not be exempt from this proses for as great as the hawks colors and jerseys are the logo just doesn't seem to fit to me.
Please rebrand Atlanta. It's not a very good concept or logo, IMHO, and there are too many green teams in the league. But whatever you do, despite what some of these commenters have opined, please DO NOT MOVE THEM. This city has lost two NHL teams. I have strong opinions on whether it is deserved or not, but that's not what this post is about. If now even our IceHL team gets relocated, then I just might have to move to a more traditional, hockey-friendly market... like Los Angeles.
When you say "rebranding" of a team, do you mean that the name and city stay but everything else can change? OR Do you mean that the city is the only thing that stays and everything else can change?
Hamilton - I think they're fine, but if its the only way there is a Toronto team, then move to Toronto. I'd rather another team did though and see the local rivalry. The market can fit both, and the cities are not that close, really.
Toronto is 51 miles away from Hamilton.
Buffalo New York is 65 miles away from Hamilton. They could easily go that way too.
Washinton DC and Baltimore, MD who both have IceHL teams are 55 miles apart. Not much different than Hamilton and Toronto.
Vancouver - Change the colors so they're different from the Canucks.
New locations - Bay area in Northern California, Philadelphia, A larger Ohio city, a second Ontario team (Toronto or Ottawa), a second New York team in Buffalo, Long Island or in NYC, or possibly in New Jersey too.
My collective thoughts on the 13:
Atlanta--Relocate and rebrand. But, I like the color scheme, so if that could stay...
Boston--I'm certain the refreshed marks will be more than enough, and they should be.
Calgary--Rebrand, but not relocate. Calgary is a fine city for a team, keep them there.
Dallas--Rebrand and relocate. As much as I like the Outlaws logo, I know there needs to be a change. Same colors as Houston. Outlaws don't really fit outside of Texas as a team name.
Detroit--I actually like the way the logo looks and am fine with a team in Detroit, so don't change 'em.
Hamilton--Rebrand, make them a Toronto team. Never really liked the set of the Steelcats.
Minnesota--Tricky, because if there were a logo refresh, I think that would be sufficient.
Montreal--I like their logo and such, so I'd like them to stay the same.
New York--I can see a change working, but if it doesn't happen I would not be upset.
Regina--Rebrand and relocate. The rebranding is something that needs to happen. Relocation of one of REG/SSK should probably happen, and well, I'd like to stay where we are.
Saskatoon--I'd like to keep our team right where it is. Not opposed to a rebrand. But, to be honest, if we were relocated, I would push for our team to go to Halifax.
Vancouver--Rebrand for sure. Echoes the Canucks' set too much for my tastes.
Washington--One of my favorite logos and names in the league. Definitely want no changes. Keep 'em there, too.
Andy P: Good question. Here's how I'd break it down...
REBRANDING will mean changing team name, logos and/or uniforms. Or we could keep the name and change the logos and jerseys. Rebranding does not permit changing the geography, but does allow changing how it's referred to. For example, the Calgary could be renamed for Alberta. Or the Hamilton team renamed for Toronto. But those teams would still be "based" in Calgary and the Toronto area.
RELOCATION is the whole shebang — changing the team's city, name, logos AND uniforms. All of it. However, when I say changing the name, it's possible only the city would change. For example, the Saskatoon Sharpshooters could move and become the San Francisco Sharpshooters. In that case, I'd allow voters to keep the existing logos and uniforms as well but more than likely, they would choose to make changes if they relocated a team.
Let me know if you guys have any other questions. I'll put together an FAQ for later in the week.
Atlanta- Move to Buffalo!!!
Boston- I love at most change it from boston to New england
Calgary- Rebrand but stay
Dallas- I like the look new jerseys at most
Detroit- Rebrand
Hamilton- Good city..good name.. But go black and yellow!!!
Minnesota-Fine tune but stay the same
Montreal-Rebrand
New York-brooklyn ny??
Regina- new logo
Saskatoon- Move to Toronto and rebrand
Vancouver--Rebrand !! something no canuckish
Washington- re fresh
i believe the guardians should keep the name but relocate to the washington dc area, that being our nations capitol and all.
Chris, I was just wondering, is there somewhere on this site where people can look at the uniforms of all the IceHL teams?
R: Yes, download the yearbook (FREE) to find all of the logos and uniforms for all 32 teams.
Download IceHL 2012 Yearbook
Thanks a lot. :D
I noticed that people have been suggesting West teams relocating to the East, but wouldn't West teams stay in the West and the same for the East? Ex. @Tony P I don't think that Saskatoon could move to Halifax, It would be a team from the East.
Austin E: Not necessarily true. The league will be realigned if needed after the summer. Could make keeper situations tricky with the fantasy league but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Love this.
Potential Good's
1. We can finally fix Vancouver so it's not a Canucks third jersey.
2. Dallas can stop sharing the same color scheme as Houston (Hellcats look better too).
3. Hamilton can finally rebrand to Toronto so people can stop complaining about no Toronto team.
4. Maybe California (Los Angeles) can get a northern rival in the Bay Area.
5. We can get rid of some of the redundancy (Outlaws/Renegades, Guardians/Sentinels)
Potential Bad's
1. I may not get a chance to buy a jersey I created (Montreal).
2. I like the Renegades logo/scheme. Don't care if they move, but I like the name and simplicity of logo.
3. I love the Mammoths. Underused name and color scheme. Helps set IceHL apart.
I kind of wish we could see the Colonials update before we voted on whether to rebrand or not.
Are there any available slots to play in next years league??? If so, how do I sign up?
I know the cities for the ICEHL were voted on a long time ago, but here is my two cents. We already have NHL teams to root for in Calgary, Dallas, Detroit and Washington. Just for the sake of variety it would be nice to have the ICEHL teams in different cities, so it feels like a different league. San Diego, San Juan, Riverside/San Bernadino, Las Vegas/Henderson, Cleveland, San Antonio, Sacramento, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Orlando, Indianapolis, Virgina Beach, Austin, Providence, Jacksonville and Memphis are the US urban areas with populations over 1,000,000 without NHL or ICEHL representation.
As for Atlanta, with two failed teams there, my personal fantasy would be that the ICEHL had a team called the Flames or Thrashers there, or similarly named teams, with updated non-infinging logos and uniforms.
Regina and Saskatoon are troubling for me, because a quick search of Canada reveals that Kitchener, London, Victoria and St. Catharines/Niagra are all larger metropolitan areas without NHL or ICEHL teams.
Most of the non-relocation, rebranding only cities are already NHL cities with the exception of Hamilton. Boring. But if we must have ICEHL-NHL overlap, doesn't everone who comes to this cite have an interest in NHL team history sufficient to inject some history into the league? That's what the day to day concepts page seems to indicate. Why not call the team the Hamilton Tigers and see what the decades have done to their uniforms or at least the Hamilton Cats and skirt up against the history. Montreal could be an updated Maroons or Wanderers (though I admit I do like the Olympiques design). We could get the Brookly Americans back (and frankly the guardians seem like a perfect update on that anyway).
I just think of the ICEHL as a cool opportunity to renew discarded NHL franchises, show what teams would look like in cities that the NHL hasn't explored (balancing that with population concerns for demographic interest), with only a couple teams in NHL cities or small cities.
No! Hamilton should NOT move to Toronto. Let Toronto have their Maple Leafs. The IceHL is a completely different league than the NHL. I look at it almost like the WHA. The IceHL should be serving the markets that don't have NHL teams.
Just my .02
Keep the Hamilton team in Hamilton! People have been talking about a professional hockey team there for decades and it's an hour away from Toronto. Having a team there keeps this from just being the NHL v2.
I think Boston should get special consideration regarding this process, given that the original designer has offered up some logo tweaks. I'd propose letting readers get to vote on either using the new logo or doing a complete rebrand process - perhaps a with 60% percent majority needed for a complete rebrand (although IMHO the jersey needs to be something other than a navy Bruins sweater). I feel that the designer had earner that privilege - it sets a precedent for rewarding good designers and keeps them involved with the league.
Guardians are one of, if not, THE best looking team in the league. Why on earth would it be up for rebranding?
Like Jon W said, the Renegades have a really great look. I'd also hate to see that design/scheme go. Between them and Dallas, I think Dallas warrants a total rebrand more so. More importantly in my opinion than an overlap in geography, they have an overlap in identity with their similar logo and concept as the Renegades, and their similar color scheme with the local rival Houston team.
I also really like the Cavalry look/logo. I think a name like Alberta Cavalry makes more sense than Calgary Cavalry. Historically, Cavalries have been named after states and provinces more so than cities.
Between the Sentinels and the Guardians, I'd rather see the Sentinels rebrand. The logo and name is fine and all, but I think they need to lose anything resembling a star in their concept due to the similarities with the IceHL Guardians and the NHL Washington Capitals. I think it is only in the wordscript of the team name now. I also think the Washington DC patriotic concept is very cliche and boring, and it would be nice to see them detache from that.
I believe New York, Minnesota, Detroit, Montreal and Boston are fine the way they are in brand and location. I would update Boston's color scheme though to distinguish them from Hartford.
Vancouver - must be re-branded. Bad name, horrible colour scheme.
Keep Hamilton in Hamilton. If TO needs a team, maybe they get lucky with a relocation.
I agree Saskatchewan needs only 1 market. Someone else needs a turn!
Some suggested alternatives - Victoria - Toronto - Kansas City - Louisville - Yellowknife - I'm game for pretty much anywhere.
Teams in existing NHL cities up for re brand should be prohibited from using a colors in their NHL cities scheme. No red for Calgary - No Green or Blue for Vancouver.
Very excited about this R and R project, since we should be getting some beautiful designs no matter which teams move/get rebranded. Love the Calgary Cavalry name, though, so hopefully that'll stick around.
Also interesting to see that there will be three set designers for third jerseys. If the Nighthawks end up being one of those teams, I think we know who the designer should be :)
Edmonton needs a rebrand, expected much much more. Something fresh would be nice
hamiltonians can't even catch a break in fantasy hockey leagues! i agree w BryanDyck good city, good name, but make it black and yellow. MANDATE black and yellow. chris smith is is an amazing artist and logo designer, but i think the current steelcats logo looks like a cat with a fez. but i'm biased cuz i lost that one to him.
boo toronto
I live in Vancouver.
I love Vancouver.
Vancouver needs a rebrand.
Honestly the current logo and look as a straight up mashing of the Canucks and the WHL Giants, even the name Lumberjacks (while appropriate) is just riffing on Johnny Canuck.
Lets give the Vancouver franchise it's own true identity and look, rather than having a spin on what we already have.
As I'll refrain from commenting on the East, the only relocation that is truly needed is one of the Saskatchewan teams. Both are great citys but that market only needs one team. Rebrand the Saskatoon to the Saskatchewan Sharpshooters and move Regina to Victoria/Kelowna in BC or (in irony to the current NBA situation) send them down to Sacramento.
I really think the Aviators should be up for rebranding, if not relocation. Seattle needs a team, but their color scheme and logos just simply do not look good.