Neo's 40 Team Alternate Universe NHL (Charlotte Checkers)

[sky1324]

Go with the purple, but they both look really good.

[Brian in Boston]

Both of those are solid, neo. Well done.

If I were in your shoes, I think my final choice might depend upon which of the two palettes winds up being more unique within the league. If you find you have a number of other teams in the league utilizing a shade of red as a primary color (or, even a strong secondary), you might want to go with the purple-centric palette for the Barons. If, while designing other identities, you settle upon purple as a primary/strong secondary color for several teams, you could adopt red for Cleveland.

I find myself leaning towards the purple/black/silver/white treatment. I like that said colors pay homage to the WHA Crusaders, while the Barons' name and logo are a tip of the (top)hat to the city's AHL franchise. The result is a tribute to a pair of influences in Cleveland's pro ice hockey history.        

[neo_prankster]

17 minutes ago, QueenCitySwarm said:

Go with the purple, but they both look really good.

 

16 minutes ago, Brian in Boston said:

Both of those are solid, neo. Well done.

If I were in your shoes, I think my final choice might depend upon which of the two palettes winds up being more unique within the league. If you find you have a number of other teams in the league utilizing a shade of red as a primary color (or, even a strong secondary), you might want to go with the purple-centric palette for the Barons. If, while designing other identities, you settle upon purple as a primary/strong secondary color for several teams, you could adopt red for Cleveland.

I find myself leaning towards the purple/black/silver/white treatment. I like that said colors pay homage to the WHA Crusaders, while the Barons' name and logo are a tip of the (top)hat to the city's AHL franchise. The result is a tribute to a pair of influences in Cleveland's pro ice hockey history.        

 

Purple it is!

Now, on to Denver for the 1993-94 Round of Expansion.

[RightGuard]

will any of the new york teams relocate?

[neo_prankster]

31 minutes ago, RightGuard said:

will any of the new york teams relocate?

 

Despite a Freudian slip a while back, I might not have a relocation of any team unless absolutely necessary.

 

However, I would like suggestions on what year I should do the next round of expansion after I finish with Denver.

[TheLogoFather72]

Columbus Blue Jackets

 

[MCM0313]

On 1/14/2020 at 10:15 PM, neo_prankster said:

A third jersey for the Sharks.

C&C Welcome.

‘90s ahoy!

[DustDevil61]

9 hours ago, neo_prankster said:

 

How's this?

C&C Welcome.

 

The bottom Red and Black set is how I’d imagine how the Cleveland Barons would look had they lasted until the early 1990s, where they’d switch to purple.

 

Also, I don’t know if it’s too late to mention cities, but here are my picks for cities for remaining spots, largely based on potential expansion/relocation in our universe:

 

Smythe

— Seattle

— Salt Lake City

— Las Vegas

 

Norris

— Dallas

— Milwaukee
— Saskatoon

— Kansas City

 

Adams

— Columbus

— Hamilton

— Toronto (moved from Norris)

 

Patrick

— Nashville

— Charlotte/Raleigh

— Hampton Roads

 

For the year, I’d go with 1996-97. Not sure why.

 

[Blindsay]

Will there be a Team in Atlanta? And will it stay in Atlanta?

[neo_prankster]

6 hours ago, Blindsay said:

Will there be a Team in Atlanta? And will it stay in Atlanta?

 

There will indeed be a team in Atlanta, but I'm not sure if I want to add them in the second or third round.

 

In the meantime, here's some tweaks to the Flames with burgundy instead of black.

C&C Welcome.

[neo_prankster]

A few slight tweaks to the Flames.

C&C Welcome.

[The_Admiral]

In your well-meaning attempt to give the Flames some Western flair, you gave them a NOB font that looks like the lettering in the Oilers' logo. Whoops.

[neo_prankster]

32 minutes ago, the admiral said:

In your well-meaning attempt to give the Flames some Western flair, you gave them a NOB font that looks like the lettering in the Oilers' logo. Whoops.

 

Fixed.

C&C Welcome.

[oldschoolvikings]

I love the combination of red and maroon, especially with gold as trim. I did a Flames concept with the same color scheme.  Nice work.

[Ridleylash]

I dunno that the burgundy on Calgary's jerseys would show up that well against the bright red under 90's camera restraints, actually; it might end up just bleeding together. Black would probably contrast better on 90's-era film.

 

As for the remaining expansion slots, here's what I have;

 

Adams Division
Baltimore (Maryland is too far north to fit in the Patrick geographically, and Baltimore has a history of professional hockey support. Team name would likely be, like the AHL team, the Clippers.)
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Cincinnati (Cincy's the bigger market between it and Columbus, so I'd put a team in Cincinnati if we're adding a second Ohio team. Team name would likely be the same as the WHA team, the Stingers.)
Cleveland Barons
Hamilton (Not only has there been an NHL team in Hamilton before; but like with Las Vegas, there were plenty of NHL exhibition games played in Hamilton during the 90's. A Canadian market, would definitely support a team. Team name would be the Tigers, same as the original NHL team in Hamilton.)
Hartford Whalers
Montréal Canadiens
Ottawa Senators
Toronto Maple Leafs (moved from the Norris Division)
Québec Nordiques

 

Patrick Division
Atlanta (It's a big southern media market, I can't see the 90's NHL not putting a team there. Since Calgary already has the Flames name in this timeline, I suppose you'd default to the Thrashers for Atlanta's name; the brown thrasher is Georgia's state bird, after all.)
Nashville (Again, a southern team to fill the NHL's lust for southern expansion in the 90's; and Tennessee is a big market that I doubt the NHL leaves untapped. Team name would likely still be the Predators.)
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
New York Rangers

Orlando (I think Tampa having an in-state rival team is important, and Orlando is a big tourist destination because of Disney. Team name could be the Alligators, or it could be the Mighty Ducks of Orlando if you go the Disney-owned team route with this team.)
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Washington Capitals
Tampa Bay Lightning

 

Norris Division
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
Dallas (Houston has a team, yeah, but Dallas fans hate Houston teams. If you want to net both of the big Texas markets, you need a Dallas team. Maybe use the name Texans for Dallas, since Minny's keeping the Stars?)
Houston Aeros
Indianapolis (The WHA was popular enough in Indianapolis for me to see the NHL heading there; I'm putting Indy into the West, since they already have built-in rivalries with Chicago and St. Louis. Obviously, they'd have to be the Racers again.)
Kansas City (A Battle of Missouri would be neat, and I could see the NHL putting another team there as part of their big Southern push. I think you'd be fine to keep the Scouts name, but you could definitely do something different with the logo here, like with the Barons.)
Minnesota North Stars
St. Louis Blues
Winnipeg Jets

 

Smythe Division
Calgary Flames
Denver/Colorado (I'd say that a name like Cougars works fine when you use the state name; it's alliterative and is already a name the team originally considered. If there's no team in Florida that'll be using a cougar for their logo, may as well use that concept here.)
Edmonton Oilers
Las Vegas (The league absolutely adored having exhibition games in Las Vegas during the 90's, so it seems fairly natural that a team ends up there. Given the precedent at the time, the team name would probably be the Wranglers.)
Los Angeles Kings
Phoenix (A large Southwestern media market that the NHL would always have wanted to cover. I'd keep the Coyotes' original identity and maybe tweak it some.)
San Diego Gulls
San Jose Sharks
Seattle (A natural rival to Vancouver, a big US market that's very supportive of hockey; this one's pretty easy. Team name could be the Sockeyes.)
Vancouver Canucks

[neo_prankster]

@Ridleylash Thanks for the name ideas. What years would you suggest I add those teams?

 

In the meantime, here is a sneak peek of the Colorado Cougars.

C&C Welcome.

[sky1324]

1 hour ago, Ridleylash said:

Nashville (Again, a southern team to fill the NHL's lust for southern expansion in the 90's; and Tennessee is a big market that I doubt the NHL leaves untapped. Team name would likely still be the Predators.)

But Charlotte isn't?

[neo_prankster]

9 minutes ago, QueenCitySwarm said:

But Charlotte isn't?

 

I'd put Charlotte ahead of Baltimore or Hamilton.

[Brian in Boston]

Adams Division
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Hartford Whalers
Montréal Canadiens
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators
Toronto Maple Leafs
Québec Nordiques
(With this alignment, all four Eastern Canadian franchises would be in the same division, as would both the New England teams, all three Metro New York clubs, and the Buffalo Sabres.)

Patrick Division
Atlanta Firebirds - A nod to the Phoenix that appears in the seal of the City of Atlanta. Said device symbolizes its rise from the ashes following its Civil War burning.
Charlotte Checkers - A reference to stock-car racing, as well as the identity sported by Charlotte's minor-pro hockey teams for 44 seasons.
Cleveland Barons
Detroit Red Wings
Miami 
Nashville Predators
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Tampa Bay Lightning
Washington Capitals 
(This alignment pairs a group of five Northern tier markets with a group of five Southern markets. Nashville and Washington serve as transitional "border" markets linking the groups.)

Norris Division
Chicago Blackhawks
Dallas Texans - A name sported by no fewer than three Dallas-based minor-pro or junior ice hockey teams over the years.
Colorado Cougars 
Houston Aeros
Indianapolis Racers - The Hoosier State's entry in the World Hockey Association. 
Kansas City Mavericks/Spurs/Stampede - All three names refer to Kansas City's being home to the Kansas City Stockyards and the American Royal.  
Milwaukee Admirals - The identity that has adorned Milwaukee's minor-pro ice hockey teams for 50 seasons.
Minnesota North Stars
St. Louis Blues
Winnipeg Jets
(This alignment pairs a group of five Northern tier markets with a group of five Central-Western markets.) 

Smythe Division
Calgary Flames 

Edmonton Oilers
Las Vegas Vipers - References the Viperidae snakes that call Nevada home: the Great Basin, Mojave, Sidewinder, Speckled, and Western Diamondback rattlesnakes.
Los Angeles Kings
Phoenix Roadrunners - The name sported by Phoenix ice hockey teams for 24 seasons... a season longer than the Coyotes name has been in use in the market.
Portland Cutthroats/Steelheads/Stags - The first two are nods to Oregon gamefish, while the third references Old Town Portland's White Stag sign.  
San Diego Gulls
San Jose Sharks
Seattle Sasquatch - You said you might use the Avalanche's foot logo for a Seattle team. This identity is alliterative and ties to Bigfoot sightings in the Pacific NW.)   
Vancouver Canucks
(This alignment groups the 10 westernmost markets that you seem inclined to grant franchises.)
  

[Ridleylash]

2 hours ago, QueenCitySwarm said:

But Charlotte isn't?

2 hours ago, neo_prankster said:

 

I'd put Charlotte ahead of Baltimore or Hamilton.

The reason I chose Hamilton is that it's the only of the 9 biggest CMAs in all of Canada that is not currently present in this alternate universe's NHL.

 

And yeah, that last Patrick spot was hard to settle. Ideally, I'd have both Charlotte and Nashville, but the 3-per-division format forced me to pick one or the other.

I picked Nashville over Charlotte due to the fact that there were a lot of rumors somewhere around 1995-ish that the Devils were going to be relocated to Nashville. If I'm recalling correctly, it was actually very close to happening, and it was ultimately the team winning the Stanley Cup that year which saved the Devils.

 

Neither of the Carolinas really seemed to crop up in relocation talks that often during that time period from my (admittedly quick) research before Karmanos went and whisked the Whalers off to North Carolina. And since the Whalers aren't moving, well, that kinda hurt as well.

 

The other part of it was that I couldn't quite justify to myself the idea of cutting one of Orlando (a larger TV market and MSA then Charlotte and a close rival for Tampa to battle with) or Atlanta (huge TV market, large MSA and also a potential rival to Nashville) for Charlotte.

As for Baltimore...when it comes to television market size, it's bigger then Buffalo and not that far behind Pittsburgh and St. Louis, as well. When it comes to MSA, well...Baltimore is right behind Denver and St. Louis. And Orlando's right behind them, too. Charlotte is behind Atlanta, Baltimore and Orlando for MSA size.

 

3 hours ago, neo_prankster said:

@Ridleylash Thanks for the name ideas. What years would you suggest I add those teams?

 

Something like this, perhaps?

1996 Expansion Draft

Phoenix

Cincinnati

 

1997 Expansion Draft

Dallas

Baltimore

 

1998 Expansion Draft

Nashville

 

1999 Expansion Draft

Atlanta

Hamilton

 

2009 Expansion Draft
Indianapolis
Kansas City

 

2018 Expansion Draft
Las Vegas
Seattle