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?

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.

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 Saturday · Dec 1 · 2012 | 1:25 AM PST 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.

ECHL Unveils 2013 All-Star Jerseys

ECHL's 2013 All-Star Game jerseys unveiled Nov. 21

Last Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving in the U.S., the ECHL unveiled the uniforms that will be worn at the 2013 ECHL All-Star Game. The jerseys were revealed at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colo. — home of the host Colorado Eagles — during the first intermission of their game against the Florida Everblades.

Game features Colorado Eagles vs. ECHL All-Stars

The ECHL is continuing with a new format introduced at the last All-Star event in 2011 (the ECHL did not hold one in 2012), where the host team faces off against the top players from across the league. If that seems a little one-sided, you're not wrong.

The Bakersfield Condors lost to the All-Stars 9-3 in 2011. Currently, the Eagles are third in their division (of four teams) with a record of 8-7-1-2 — which is to say they're mediocre. So it's not like the league's best team is taking on the all-star roster. That said, it's easier to sell All-Star Game tickets in Loveland when the locals can cheer on their own team.

Photo by John Babitz

Four jerseys designed for All-Star Week events

Reebok has designed a total of four different sweaters for the ECHL's All-Star Week festivities, one set for the big game and another for the Skills Competition. The Eagles, who normally wear black, will sport a blue jersey with a few stars around the waist. The All-Stars will wear white with the event logo on the front. All jerseys will have the ECHL's 25th anniversary logo on one shoulder.

For the Skills Competition, the Eagles jersey will have the team name written diagonally down the front. The All-Stars will wear the same white jersey but with their own team's crest on the front. And if all these jerseys feel reminiscent of the NHL's old Colorado Rockies, that's sort of the point.

Uniform designs an homage to NHL's old Colorado Rockies

From the Eagles' press release:

With the strong Colorado theme, it made sense for the jerseys to also pay homage to Colorado's rich hockey history. As such, the jerseys worn by both teams will include the main colors from the state's flag (red, blue and yellow) and are strikingly similar to the jerseys worn by the National Hockey League's former Colorado Rockies franchise, which played in Denver from 1976 through 1982 (before moving to New Jersey as the current day Devils). The ECHL's championship trophy, the Kelly Cup, was named after Patrick Kelly, who coached the Colorado Rockies in 1977-78.

If you want to get your hands on one of the jerseys, here's how:

Replicas of each, except the All-Star team Skills event jerseys, will be available exclusively at the Eagles' holiday store in the Foothills Mall in Ft. Collins, Colo. through Dec. 30. After the new year, the aforementioned jerseys will be available online. Game-worn jerseys from both events will be available via auction from The MeiGray Group; details will be announced in January.

This news came just two days before the NHL announced the cancellation of its 2013 All-Star Game in Columbus. Seeing the unique format the ECHL uses, what do you think of the NHL doing something similar in the future? What sort of format would you like to see?

Road Warriors' New Third Mimics Rangers

Photo from Greenville Road Warriors (Facebook page)

The ECHL's Greenville Road Warriors unveiled their new third jersey earlier this month and it's practically identical to that of their NHL affiliate, the New York Rangers. The sweater debuted Sun., Nov. 4 to a 4-3 Warriors win over the Florida Everblades.

Here's what the team is saying about its new threads:

“We wanted these jerseys to reflect the strong partnership we’ve built with our NHL affiliate the New York Rangers. We’d like to thank the Rangers organization for their help and support in the development of these new jerseys,” said Chris Lewis, Road Warriors Executive Vice President and General Manager.

“The Rangers’ jersey has become iconic in the hockey world. It evokes a rich history of one of the NHL’s storied franchises and we are proud to celebrate our affiliation by wearing these jerseys this season.”

The alternate uniform will be used for each of Greenville's Sunday home games this season.

The Rangers and Road Warriors have had an affiliation agreement since the club's relocation to Greenville in 2010. (Until then, they had been the Johnstown Chiefs, a founding member of the ECHL in 1988.)

What do you think? Do you like when minor league teams emulate their NHL partners? Or is it like giving the players the chance to wear the big league's uniforms before they've earned it?