The Giant Pacific Octopus

Just a quick off-topic note here. Did you know before the Pittsburgh Penguins there was the Portland Penguins!!??

The team was originally called the Portland Eagles but changed their name to Penguins in 1949. It was so unpopular that after one season they reverted back to Eagles in 1950.

They played in the PCHL which was later reorganized into the WHL.

It was also in a video though. That documentary I mentioned had the logo of each team flash on the screen and for Pittsburgh it had that triangle up version.

But yeah an error whether its from the ad agency or from the documentary video editor does make sense.

Still Johnny Canuck has his stick up too.

I'm pretty sure the Penguins logo seen here was the prototype logo for 1967.

I first saw that logo waaaay back in the 1990s when I was watching a documentary about the 1967 expansion. They showed rare footage of the six expansion teams playing each other and then doing interviews for the press. It was in this video the Seals were still wearing their WHL uniforms. They then showed a graphic showing all the logos for the new teams. This logo flashed on the screen for the Penguins.

I always remembered that and spent years on the Internet trying to find it (thinking it was all my imagination). Until I stumbled across this ad from 1967.

I always remembered the triangle looking like a normal triangle in that the point was facing upwards and the Penguin was leaning back with his stick in the air.

Then they modified the logo before the season to this

Changing the triangles position and having the Penguins with his stick on the ice. As well as a roundel being added to the logo.

From Uni Watch Blog today

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Vintage MN Hockey‏@VintageMNHockey

This photo surfaced @UniWatch from a @9modano & Smith signing in 1989 (Never seen ☆ prototype jersey in background)?

I know I've never seen these jerseys before, has anyone else? There's some snazzy elements to them, but probably an overall mess. Thoughts?

If I recall this jersey was proposed for the North Stars because they played in the Norris Division which at the time was dubbed the Black and Blue division due to the fact that all the teams in that division played tough hard hitting hockey. The designer came up with a black jersey to reflect that and a corresponding white. The plan was to actually have it be an alternate uniform set to the classic green/gold set. But when they found out they couldn't use it without making it a full time home/away set, it was dropped.

The secondary logo on the arm was the inspiration for their uniform change 3 years later.

San Jose should put their team in Oakland. Its just up the street and it spreads hockey around the San Fransisco Bay rather than having both teams (the NHL and AHL) in the same city.

If they are going to have the team play in San Jose I hope they call them the San Jose Blades. I know its a lame name but that was the winning entry in the name the team contest back in 1990. Luckily the Gunds went with the runner up name of Sharks instead but it would be kinda cool if they honored that contest.

now the Toronto Police is completely taking the piss about it on Twitter.

And those guys should be charged and arrested.

Now if they committed murder or sold drugs then they should get a free pass.

But when you do something as evil and vile as throw a Leafs jersey on the ice then there should be no mercy whatsoever and they should be persecuted to the full extant of the law!!!!!!

I'd give those guys at least 80 years each and not be eligible for parole.

I miss that logo. The best logo the Tigers ever used.

I'm just adjusting the color on existing vector graphics. Why? Because I take so much time between updates? (!)

No it was just that I was going to ask you if you could modify a logo for me (changing the colors), that's why I wanted to know if it was easy, so it wouldn't be a bother to ask.

Hey colorwerx is it hard for you to design these logos? Does it take along time?

The Buffalo Sabres "Sabres only" variation of their logo that they wear on the back of the home and alternate helmets.

The Rangers roundel logo that is worn on the alternate helmet

The full body Johnny Canuck worn on Vancouver's alternate helmets.

Balsillie

Who's that?

Also, the White Sox and Cubs have coexisted in the city for 113 years. The Sox had a few ownership scares and "build me a new stadium or I'm leaving" moments, but they have never lacked fan support to the point where they'd have to move. And the situations aren't even comparable. The Lakers were an established, landmark franchise for the NBA, winning bunched of titles when the Clippers came in and said "Hey you guys, go Lakers! But if you can't get tickets to the Forum, come see the NBA stars at a discount here!" The Cubs are certainly a popular team now, but they are not at the level of the Lakers in LA, and the Sox didn't come to the city in the middle of the Cubs being a perenial winner (LOL). Besides, the whole "Chicago is and has always been a Cubs town" thing is a misnomer. Up until 1984, the more popular team was the one who was winning. And the Cubs' bumbling ways are well noted, but the White Sox have made several colossal mistakes that ceded the market to the Cubs and then refused to challenge to take it back.

I haven't followed baseball in eons. Are the St.Louis Brown Stockings still around?

Confused octopus is adorable.

Personally I find "Blushing octopus" even more adorable.

And don't get me started on "Sleepy octopus"

Half of the people posting their predictions aren't using the right playoff format...

It's really not that hard to get confused about:

As in the past, eight teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs, but not necessarily four per division.

The top three teams per division are seeded #1, #2 and #3 in their divisional brackets. So far, that is six teams of eight per conference.

Here's where all hell breaks loose: The last two teams are determined by sorting the remaining conference teams leftover, record-wise, and taking the two best teams from that pool. While the #2 and #3 divisional seeds meet each other, straight-wise, both these last two entrants become wildcard seeds and take on a #1 seed from each division, but one more thing clarifies which #1 does each of the last two entrants face.

Of the two teams from that pool, the one with the better record goes to the divisional bracket of the #1 seed with the inferior record compared to its counterpart #1 seed from the other division. Meanwhile, the one with the inferior record goes to the divisional bracket of the #1 seed with the better record compared to its counterpart #1 seed from the other division.

This raises the possibility of a conference bracket with divisions sending teams in an unbalanced way. For the Eastern Conference, there could be four entries from the Atlantic and four from the Metro, or three-and-five, or five-and-three. For the Western Conference, there could be four entries from the Central and four from the Pacific, or three-and-five, or five-and-three.

This can't be any more simple.*

*sarcasm; OITGDNHL

The funny thing is, is that the Winnipeg Jets of the WHA were essientally publiclly owned. When they entered the NHL in 1979, the NHL wouldn't allow public ownership so the ownership had to be transferred to an investor. I think it was Barry Shankenrow.

Where did my post about taking The Giant Pacific Octopus to a Wings game go? Was it actually construed as a death threat?

And for some reason my post (that you responded too) was edited when I talked about you being a Coyotes fan.

Are the moderators here that strict?

Its all in good fun.

I was kinda hoping that Seattle would get a team, but oh well.

It will never come back to Atlanta

Never say never. I wouldn't be surprised if within the next 10-20 years the NHL goes back there.

Seattle Totems would be cooler. That was going to the the 1976 expansion team.

Wouldn't it have been better if the NHL and a potential ownership group just spend some cash renovating the America West Arena in downtown Phoenix to make it hockey freindly so the team could have stayed in downtown Phoenix rather than dumping all this money trying to keep the team afloat in Glendale?

I suspect Hulsizer is walking away not because he's impatient, but because he wants the Blues. Ever since the Blues went up for sale (as well as the arena), Hulsizer's interest in the Coyotes began to dwindle. With St.Louis being much closer to his hometown of Chicago than Phoenix, and with the sweetheart deal of owning the team and the building, don't be surprised if Hulsizer is announced as the new Blues owner before September.