BeerGuyJordan

On 8/8/2023 at 5:53 PM, CaptainBuzKill said:

TUCSON ROADRUNNERS

 

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LOVED looking up the old Roadrunners in previous leagues. There was a logo I would've rather used but I couldn't find a good enough quality one. That being said, I think this one came out really well!

 

These were fun to do!

 

I think I only have about 8 remaining! Maybe 10, can't remember with the weird Pacific Division! Haha!

Yes! Precisely the set I wish they'd move to.

3 hours ago, Unocal said:

 

Because many of us want mediocrity rewarded?

 

Diamondbacks, Heat, Panthers

 

2023- the year of the lowest seed. And god it sucks.

Strongly disagree, this is why we play the games. I love an upset. 

3 hours ago, SFGiants58 said:

Phoenix proper or the whole metro area?

The whole thing. I'm in Tucson and we hate going to Phoenix because of the heat.

3 hours ago, infrared41 said:

3. You'll get past it.

Bet you he won't

2 hours ago, Unocal said:

 

Because nothing screams 'Exciting' like Dallas' least popular team vs a team that basically had a worse run differential than the 06 Cardinals that literally would have missed the playoffs every year prior to last year

 

Why bust your butt to win your division when being barely mediocre is good enough to go to the World Series?

 

If a barely mediocre team is good enough to sweep two division winners and the team that beat the third one... well, you aren't making the point you think you are.

1 hour ago, Unocal said:

If you want to call me a troll, you can't call me a troll. I'm not stopping anyone from voicing their opinions about me. Opinions are opinions.

 

I just feel strongly that the 5 team MLB playoff format of 2012-2021 was perfectly fine and didn't need to be expanded on.

 

If they keep it at 6, they if nothing else should reseed highest to lowest seed in the event of upsets.

 

Like 6 didn't even have to play 1! Usually lowest seeds have to beat the highest seed on deep playoff runs.

 

There's an old saying- if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

And let's not forget the new best of 3 WC format created little drama compared to the 1-game WC showdown decade where we had a lot of memorable moments.

Jtfc, you griped about the pitching clock too, didn't you.

As someone who used to live in Clarksville, I could really see the locals getting behind this identity.

 

Great work!

23 hours ago, Sport said:

 

...teams aren't close to their final form right now. October and November are kind of the ramp up period and teams are gelling and figuring themselves out. The hockey season doesn't really start until December...

If we can tell what the broad strokes of the playoff picture will look like by late November then no, the season doesn't "really start until December."

 

I acknowledged that the wheels could fall off. I never said you didn't make some salient points in that take.

 

Say it's a long season, say there's plenty of time for them to run out of gas, or even that you don't think their play is sustainable.  Saying that nothing in Oct or Nov matters much is a bad take.

22 hours ago, Sport said:

 

Every season there's a few teams who jump out to surprising starts, but teams aren't close to their final form right now. October and November are kind of the ramp up period and teams are gelling and figuring themselves out. The hockey season doesn't really start until December so I'd pump the brakes on Sabres excitement for now. Obviously you'd rather start hot than not, but a few years ago the Sabres were 17-6-2 and in first place in the entire NHL at the end of November. That team only won 16 games the rest of the season and missed the playoffs by 22 points. 

 

 

 

Are Oct and Nov a guarantee of success by and in April through June? No, but most years, at the end of November, the media makes a big stinkabout how something like 80% of teams in a playoff spot at American Thanksgiving make the playoffs in the NHL.

 

This is a small sample size, sure, and the wheels could fall off, absolutely. Your overall take is still a bad one.

The Canucks say they'll be "bringing to life" their AHL affiliate on July 9th. The pic used has a green background, So I think it's likely to be the cornerstone color of the identity. I don't really have a reason for it, but I keep thinking they might go the Abbotsford Canucks route and give Johnny some love.
 

Source: Facebook

The Board approved the purchase of the IceHogs.

AHL Board approves Blackhawks’ purchase of IceHogs franchise | TheAHL.com | The American Hockey League

While discussing the Seattle expansion draft, my girlfriend (a Coyotes fan) and I (Preds) were looking back at the 2017 one, and she mentioned that she could only remember like three or four of the guys her team had protected. When looking it up, I was shocked to find out that Arizona still only had 2 of the players they'd protected, since Nashville still had 8 of our 9. Arizona's seemed outrageously low, but I wondered how both of our teams stacked up against the rest of the league.

While not a direct barometer for success, I still found it interesting. It turns out that my view was skewed, as Nashville still has more of their protected players than any other team, with 8 (despite having only protected 9). Here's the breakdown:

 

8 Players:

Predators (protected 9): Arvidsson, Forsberg, Jarnkrok, Johansen, Ekholm, Ellis, Josi, Rinne

 

7 Players:

Canadiens (protected 11): Byron, Danault, Drouin, Gallagher, Petry, Weber, Price

Capitals (protected 11): Backstrom, Eller, Kuznetsov, Ovechkin, Wilson, Carlson, Orlov

Ducks (protected 11): Getzlaf, Kesler, Rakell, Silfverberg, Fowler, Lindholm, Gibson

Jets (protected 11): Copp, Little, Lowry, Perreault, Scheifele, Wheeler, Hellebuyck

Lightning (protected 11): Stamkos, Johnson, Killorn, Kucherov, Palat, Hedman, Vasilevsky

Stars (protected 11): Benn, Faksa, Seguin, Johns, Klingberg, Lindell, Bishop

6 Players:

Bruins (protected 11): Bergeron, Krejci, Marchand, Pastrnak, Miller, Rask

 

5 Players:

Canucks (protected 11): Baertschi, Eriksson, Horvat, Sutter, Edler

Flyers (protected 11): Giroux, Couturier, Laughton, Voracek, Gostisbehere

Islanders (protected 9): Ladd, Lee, Leddy, Pelech, Pulock

Oilers (protected 11): Draisaitl, Kassian, Nugent-Hopkins, Klefbom, Larsson

Sharks (protected 11): Couture, Hertl, Burns, Vlasic, Jones

 

4 Players:

Blue Jackets (protected 11): Atkinson, Dubinsky, Jenner, Jones

Flames (protected 11): Backlund, Gaudreau, Monahan, Giordano

Panthers (protected 9): Barkov, Huberdeau, Ekblad, Yandle

Penguins (protected 9): Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Dumoulin

Sabres (protected 11): Okposo, Girgensons, McCabe, Ristolainen

Wild (protected 11): Parise, Suter, Brodin, Spurgeon

 

3 Players:

Avalanche (prtected 11): Landeskog, MacKinnon, Johnson

Blackhawks (protected 11): Kane, Toews, Keith

Hurricanes (protected 11): McGinn, Staal, Teravainen

Kings (protected 9): Kopitar, Doughty, Quick

 

2 Players:

Coyotes (protected 9): Goligoski, Ekman-Larsson

Blues (protected 11): Schwartz, Tarasenko

Maple Leafs (protected 11): Rielly, Andersen

Rangers (protected 11): Kreider, Zibanejad

Red Wings (protected 11): Nielsen, DeKeyser

 

1 Player:

Devils (protected 9): Severson

Senators (protected 11): Dzingel

As an aside, the Vegas Golden Knights still only have 6 of the players they drafted in the 2017 expansion draft.

2 hours ago, NYRFan said:

Love the jersey, in a vacuum. I'm just hoping they look unique on the ice and not like a pseudo-Jets.

 

Similar to the VGK going gold, it seems obvious this team will eventually go with the pale seafoam/blue over the dark navy. Wonder if thought was given to going that route.

 

I agree that it does look pretty good, in a vacuum. My main gripe is that there's enough blue in this league. I would have preferred to see them be a bit more adventurous, avoiding primaries that leaned too heavily into blue, red, or black.
 

Nine teams have home jerseys in some shade of blue (BUF, CBJ, NYI, NYR, STL, TBL, TOR, VAN, WPG). Depending on how close you consider teal, maybe you can lump SJS in there.
Three more have an alt (COL, EDM, WSH)

If you want to throw the RRs onto the pile, we can add FLA and MTL.

There's just nothing about them that sets them apart from the pack. For all their other issues, Vegas knows how to stand out and their home set is sharp.

 

3 hours ago, Ridleylash said:

The Utica team is remaining the Comets, actually, per the Devils' press release;

 

My understanding is that Vancouver is moving the AHL franchise, which they own. Local interests in Utica hold the rights to the team name, so it is staying. New Jersey is relocating the AHL franchise it owns, and is assuming the identity, as it reached a deal with the Comets.

It's all convoluted, in any case. I could be wrong, but that's the way it all reads to me.

Edit: It just dawned on me that you may have thought I meant that the teams would be the Abbotsford Canucks and the Utica Devils. Those were just placeholder terms since I hadn't seen anything more specific. Though I did expect Jersey to revive the Utica Devils.

Board of Governors approves franchise relocations | TheAHL.com | The American Hockey League

Abbotsford Canucks and Utica Devils were approved by the board.

I'd assume this means Colorado shifts over to the Central Division. When Palm Springs joins (barring no other relocations), I'd say we're looking at new divisions for Tucson and Grand Rapids.

AHL announces plans for 2021 playoffs, 21-22 calendar | TheAHL.com | The American Hockey League

No Calder Cup, regular season division champs will be awarded trophies for all but the Pacific Division, who will have some sort of mini tournament to declare their winner.

On 4/11/2021 at 9:56 AM, Geoff said:

No update on the name right now but the arena is on pace to start construction next month as planned.

Pretty much this. I made friends with a former low-level Tucson Roadrunners employee who managed to get on with the Kraken's business side of the house. He said that he's low enough that he doesn't know what it is, but he has been told that the final name and color scheme has been selected.

On 4/11/2021 at 9:10 AM, the admiral said:

 

There wasn't really a kerfuffle, the organ-eye-zation basically shook it off, and kudos to them for that. 

 

A Rockford Blackhawks team that goes by "RockHawks" would be nice, kind of in the spirit of the I-Cubs or the old PawSox. Trying to brand a team around a Japanese garden or Cheap Trick is something I have no appetite for (unlike Beef-a-Roo, which I always have an appetite for). 

While I don't have any issues with Rockford Blackhawks as an identity (or Chicago, for that matter), I think the more prudent move would be to not add a new (albeit smaller) facet to any potential identity issues. Without getting into the weeds with how the Blackhawks aren't Cleveland baseball or DC football, there are still those who take issue with the identity. I think it's just safer to avoid, in case it becomes a more prominent outcry in the future.

Chicago has done a good job of handling those voices without making things worse for themselves, from a business and PR standpoint. I think an org that has been that savvy would see that longevity, history, and identity origins have served them well so far. Creating the RockHawks would undermine that defense; the degree which it does is hard to pinpoint, it being the AHL.

27 minutes ago, Corvus said:

 

 

Back to Abbotsford?

Minor-league hockey will always struggle in Canada, especially in markets that already have a Junior A team. The only way Abbotsford AHL works is if it's the Canucks doing it. Even then, I'm only about 85% sure it'll work. Since the Canucks seem happy with Utica, I'd say it's a no-go.

On 10/15/2019 at 10:07 AM, MBurmy said:

Well, what else did you expect from an AHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames, Stockton?

Unless they move back to the East, I'm not sure what recourse they have. I can't think of anywhere in California they can go, and since the Flames own them, they'll have to eat the extra travel costs involved in relocation.

 

I mean, what are they going to do, revive the Sundogs?

54 minutes ago, sc49erfan15 said:

"Trash Pandas" is literally named after a meme. It's a meme that got an extra boost thanks to Guardians of the Galaxy, but it's still a meme.

 

Memes are almost universally short-term phenomena. That's kind of the point.

 

It'll last 10 years, max. How long would have teams called the LOLcats or Dancing Babies or All Your Base Belong To Uses lasted? Not long. This isn't too different.

 

That said, they did a great job with the logos.

Not invalid points, but Trash Pandas has more staying power than the Dancing Baby. Yes, it started as a comment on a Reddit thread and grew into a meme, but it's become a commonly-referenced term for the animal. It can easily make it a decade, especially with quality logos. The question is whether or not it'll have legs in a generation or two.

I hate the changes they made to their main set, when they moved up to the AHL, but that's a sharp third.

They're kind of a mess, but it works for me. I might try and get my hands on one.

On 8/30/2019 at 9:03 PM, MBurmy said:

I get what you're saying...oh well, I suppose Boise's now a pretty attractive relocation destination for any AHL team looking to move.

(I wouldn't be surprised if the Canucks bought the Steelheads to move them to the AHL and the Utica Comets to the ECHL).

 

Nah, it's the same issues that were identified for Seattle considering it, distance-wise. It's not overly close to any NHL team, not a major air-hub, and big travel costs to the rest of the division in the AHL. Is it on the list? Sure, but I don't know that I'd call it attractive.
 

On 8/31/2019 at 6:19 PM, Wade Heidt said:

 

I would be surprised.  The Canucks have extended their AHL deal with Utica:

 

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/canucks-utica-comets-contract

 

They have opt out options in the deal.  If they were to opt out of the deal to move a team closer to home, would think Boise would be farther down the list.  Canucks ownership acknowledged putting a team back in Abbotsford as an option or even in Vancouver at Pacific Coliseum.  Have a feeling if they could make it work financially, Abbotsford really would be the most ideal place as there is already a base of Canucks fans there:

 

https://www.abbynews.com/municipal-election/canucks-owner-says-abbotsford-one-option-for-farm-team/

Granted, I believe it was only the Flames, but Abbotsford is a prime example of how hard a sell AHL hockey is in major Jr. territory. Maybe the Canucks would have an edge to defy that, but the WHL arguably has the strongest hold on their territory of any Jr. league.
 

19 hours ago, the admiral said:

I liked Salt Lake City as an AHL destination. That's another air hub, it's a right-sized AHL market in terms of being big enough for the NBA but not also the NHL (MIlwaukee, Charlotte, San Antonio), it's relatively close to a rival in Fort Collins. Makes more sense than Boise or Palm Springs, which both feel very ECHL.

Based on what little I've heard, SLC falls into a lot of the same ownership issues @Geoff cited for Boise. The ownership and market seem happy with the ECHL model, so there's no real reason to give up control or the lower ticket prices.

On 7/11/2019 at 4:02 AM, walkerws said:

Easily an upgrade but it seems a little too busy to me. 

Agreed, there are some things that could be improved. Although, when it's such a significant upgrade, that almost feels like looking a gift horse in the mouth.

On 6/26/2019 at 8:15 AM, Derek said:

 

Are you saying it’s a rip off? There’s some similarities (chin and cheek shape, ear highlight), but plenty different enough. The original designer might beg to differ though.

Hi, guy with the IP para girlfriend, here. She said if the original designer had a good firm, they could probably get it before a judge, but all it would be is a way to waste your money. She guarantees no lawyer in her firm would be willing to take the case.

On 6/25/2019 at 6:38 AM, DastardlyRidleylash said:

coughnashvillecough

 

Oh wow, where did that coughing come from?

Yes, we have a banner up for the "Regular Season Western Conference Champions." Yes, it's made worse by the fact that we also hung up the banner for the President's Trophy the same year. However it's not like we started the trend or have the most BS banners. While it's certainly ridiculous, and we need to take it down, I don't get the feeding frenzy over Nashville doing it.

 

On 6/26/2019 at 10:18 AM, DrAwesomeberry said:

All NHL division champion banners should be consolidated into a single banner. I know the Capitals did that after people made jokes about all their "Southeast Division Champs" banners.

Agreed, I really hope this is the approach the Preds take. *glances at RSWCC banner* I'm not going to hold my breath.

14 hours ago, dont care said:

No, it’s as though they are around the arch not forming it as though it was never there in the first place. Or I guess a better way of explaining it is the arch is running through the holes in the rings.

Even if that's the case, it's a much less aesthetically pleasing alternative than turning the top ring upright. Unless you're creating something functional, aesthetics of a design should trump the logic of the idea.

On 6/18/2019 at 8:16 AM, 1991 said:

This site has ruined me. All I can see is how the top Cards ring should be upright, not on its side.