Solar Bears Tout Top-Selling Jerseys

Orlando's ECHL expansion team tops league jersey sales

The Orlando Solar Bears have a little something to be proud of. On Wednesday, the team announced it has the top-selling jerseys in the ECHL. The league recently informed the team of this impressive accomplishment.

Credits: Photo (left) from Solar Bears (official website); photo (right) by Stephen Sylvanie (via Facebook)

From the Solar Bears' press release:

"Here at the League Office, we have been very impressed with the support the great hockey fans in Orlando and the surrounding communities have shown for the Solar Bears," said Todd Merton, Director of Marketing and Licensing for the ECHL. "Team jersey sales are a great indicator of how well a team has been welcomed into a market. With the Solar Bears being at the top of the league in jerseys sold, it is clear that the team has been welcomed back in a big way."

If you don't live in Orlando, you can buy your Solar Bears jersey from the team's online shop.

Solar Bears to auction military-themed jerseys on Saturday

Photos from Solar Bears (via Facebook)

Last month, the Solar Bears wore the first in a series of specialty jerseys they'll don throughout the season. On Veterans' Day weekend, they celebrated military vets with these camouflage sweaters. During this Saturday's game, MeiGray will conduct an in-arena auction of those game worn jerseys.

Six specialty sweaters on the schedule for Orlando

While we're on the subject of Solar Bears jerseys, it's worth pointing out that the team has several more specialty designs scheduled to be worn as this season continues. Here's a look at them all:

• Camouflage Jersey: Nov. 10 and 11 (Military Appreciation Weekend)
• Scout Jersey: Dec. 8; March 2 (Scout Night)
• Pink Jersey: Jan. 17 and 19 (Hockey Fights Cancer Weekend)
• Vintage Jersey: Feb. 2 (2001 Championship Banner Raising)
• Old Time Jersey: Feb. 22 (Turn Back the Clock Night); March 24 (Fan Appreciation Night)
• Special Jersey: March 17 (St. Patrick's Day Theme Night)

We'll have to keep an eye on these theme nights in Orlando to see what the Solar Bears will be wearing. I'm particularly excited to see their "Vintage Jersey" on the night they raise their 2001 championship banner. The Solar Bears won the last Turner Cup championship as a member of the International Hockey League before it merged with the AHL.

I say "last" but technically the Fort Wayne Komets were the last to win the Turner Cup because the trophy was resurrected when the IHL was in 2007. But then the league shut down again for good in 2010. The Komets won the Turner Cup in all three seasons. They then joined the Central Hockey League and this season were admitted into the ECHL. Turner Cup champs together again. But I digress.

What do you think of the Solar Bears' jerseys? As the NHL slowly kills itself, do you imagine taking on a minor league team to cheer for? If so, would you buy that team's jersey?

Solar Bears Unveil Jerseys

The Orlando Solar Bears officially unveiled their home and road jerseys today. The Solar Bears are one of the ECHL's two expansion franchises for the 2012-13 season. The San Francisco Bulls, just unveiled theirs last month.

As you can see from the photo provided by the team, they are very brightly colored. But I think we probably could've assumed that when we first saw the logos back in January. There's lots of purple and teal and orange and yellow.

If it all feels like something from the '90s, well, it kind of is. The Solar Bears are a reincarnation of an International Hockey League team that existed from 1995 to 2001. The look is basically the same... just, you know, updated for 2012.

I have to say that, personally, I'm a fan. Would I want to see every hockey team start dressing this flamboyantly? Of course not. But it's a nice breath of fresh air in a sport that thinks black is cool. It isn't. Plus, it's ice hockey in Florida. You gotta stand out. So I applaud the Solar Bears for their efforts here.

The teams says the jerseys are designed and manufactured by SP Appareal in Quebec. As is standard practice in the ECHL, the white one will be worn at home for the first half of the season, then purple the rest of the way.

One debate I'm sure we'll see is over the team using two different crests on these jerseys. I know a lot of readers prefer the uniformity (pun) of using the same logo on both sweaters. I'm on the fence. But if I had to choose one or the other, go with the logo on the white jersey. No need for all that text.

What do you think of the set?

Solar Bears Prep Jersey Unveiling

The ECHL's Orlando Solar Bears recently announced they will officially unveil their uniforms on Tuesday, April 10 — six months before they take the ice for the first time.

This announcement was made a week ago but I kept forgetting to get it on the blog. It was made as part of a contest the team is referring to as a local "star search." They're launching a marketing campaign for their inaugural season that centers on the tag line "I am a Solar Bear" and they want about a dozen fans to be the faces of it.

That event is being held on Monday at the RDV Sportsplex in Orlando, Fla. (The Solar Bears will play their home games at the Amway Center, home of the NBA's Magic.) The winners of the "star search" will be the first to see the new Solar Bears jerseys as they'll be photographed wearing them. Presumably, the campaign will be ready to launch the following week when the jersey is shown publicly for the first time.

I would ask that, if there are any Icethetics readers in Orlando planning to take part, you clue us in on some of the design features of the new sweaters. But more than likely, if you got the chance to see it early, you'd be required to sign an agreement that would restrict you from sharing details with a blog like this one.

Once upon a time, this is what was worn by a team called the Orlando Solar Bears.

These Solar Bears played in the International Hockey League for six seasons and won the last Turner Cup championship before the IHL disappeared in 2001.

Orlando Solar Bears Logos Unveiled

ECHL's Orlando Solar BearsSo... happy new year! And the ECHL's incarnation of the Orlando Solar Bears have officially unveiled their new logos. You can see them now on the team's website.

It's a very sharp look but the folks at Joe Bosack always do outstanding work so that's no surprise. It's certainly an improvement on the previous version of the logo from the 90s.

Quick bit of a housekeeping. Obviously, the updates have been few and far between. Part of that is lack of news. Part of it is lack of time on my part. So it goes.

Anyway, I'm taking a short vacation back to Florida for a few days — where I plan to take in a Lightning game or two — but when I get back I hope to be able to make a little more time for the blog.

In the next few weeks, we should start getting information about logo and uniform changes for the 2012-13 — and there will be a few. 

For those of you following the IceHL Project, I have an update over there for you.

It's Official: Solar Bears are Back!

Photo by @Kaleta_DiceRoll via TwitterThe Orlando Solar Bears are making their return to pro hockey next fall, this time in the ECHL.

The announcement was made today at the home of the new franchise, the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla, in front of media and fans — one of which was kind enough to share this photo with us (right).

Whie the club is sticking with the name that brought the city hockey success during its brief existence in the International Hockey League, which folded in 2001, there will be a new logo and uniforms.

The team will unveil its team logos and jersey designs, announce its NHL and AHL affiliations, and introduce its coaching staff over the next 6-8 months.

The team has retained The Joe Bosack Graphic Design Company (joebosack.com) to design its primary and secondary logos along with new jersey designs and wordmarks. Joe Bosack designed the Colorado Avalanche logo and a number of current ECHL team marks.

Good news there because I don't think Joe Bosack's company has ever produced a bad logo. Can't wait to see what they come up with for the Solar Bears.

Orlando won't join the ECHL until next year, but they're getting a jump on marketing — with the slogan "Out of Hibernation!" — in order to sell season tickets and create awareness. They don't want to catch central Florida hockey fans by surprise when the team hits the ice in October 2012.

RIP old logo 1995—2001The Solar Bears will be the first in-state rival for the Florida Everblades since the Pensacola Ice Pilots went away a few years ago. (They have since been replaced by the semi-pro Ice Flyers of the SPHL.)

The Solar Bears will share their home with the Orlando Magic, and given the current state of the NBA, it's a shame they couldn't start play sooner. The Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League, also call the Amway Center home — which accounts for the gridiron in the above photo.

What do you think of today's announcement? Happy to see the Solar Bears name coming back? Sad to see that the rather colorful logo (left) is not?

And northerners, before you bemoan the addition of another hockey team to the south, remember that your retired parents live in Florida and still like hockey too.