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IHL What If? UPDATE: Cincinnati Cyclones added

JCRGraphix

By JCRGraphix
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JCRGraphix

JCRGraphix

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Growing up in Kalamazoo, Michigan in the 1990s, I got to see a LOT of IHL games, and I always loved that league. As we know, the league ceased functions in 2001, but for this project, I'm imagining what it would have been like if the league actually did well! For this project, I'm going to imagine what the teams would have looked like if they continued on (in the IHL).

Up first are the San Francisco Spiders, a franchise that only played one season in 1995-96.

These are the uniforms they wore in their inaugural season:

1995_zps03325605.png

For the 1996-1997, the Spiders decided to add a third jersey:

1996_zps2cdf3896.png

For the 1998-99 season, the Spiders changed up their font at the request of irritated fans and TV crews who found the original number font quite difficult to read.

1999_zps3a2b9a9d.png

For the 2000-2001 season, the Spiders debuted a new third jersey featuring a new logo (the Spiderman logo). It was an instant success.

2001_zps7d2e2f80.png

Because of the huge success of the Spiders third jersey, for the 2002-2003 season, they decided to adopt it as their primary home and created an away jersey based on the design.

2003_zps5d8cc7bb.png

For the 2006-2007 season, the IHL adopted the Reebok Edge uniforms like the NHL and AHL. The Spiders kept a lot of their previous identity alive in the new template. There is speculation that they may be re-designing their uniforms again for the 2013-2014 season.

2007_zps8dcb0d06.png

c/c?


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JCRGraphix

JCRGraphix

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The black and silver/wordmark on hemline/number font remind me a lot of the kings

That's what I had in mind. When the Spiders were around they were not affiliated with an NHL club, so in this project, they hooked up with LA in 2000-2001, and decided to try to copy their NHL parent club's look.


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illwauk

illwauk

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I saw an Admirals road game in Kalamazoo once when I was visiting my family out there... man, I miss the old IHL.

The Spiders look pretty good... though wouldn't the Long Beach Ice Dogs have been a more logical affiliate for the Kings?

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JCRGraphix

JCRGraphix

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I saw an Admirals road game in Kalamazoo once when I was visiting my family out there... man, I miss the old IHL.

The Spiders look pretty good... though wouldn't the Long Beach Ice Dogs have been a more logical affiliate for the Kings?

That's just the thing about the IHL, it didn't make sense, I mean Dallas kept Kalamazoo as an affiliate even though there were plenty of closer teams. I guess that logic is why the league went under.


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illwauk

illwauk

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I saw an Admirals road game in Kalamazoo once when I was visiting my family out there... man, I miss the old IHL.

The Spiders look pretty good... though wouldn't the Long Beach Ice Dogs have been a more logical affiliate for the Kings?

That's just the thing about the IHL, it didn't make sense, I mean Dallas kept Kalamazoo as an affiliate even though there were plenty of closer teams. I guess that logic is why the league went under.

That, and it could never decide if it wanted to be a Midwestern bus league or a quasi-major league with a national footprint.

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kiwi_canadian

kiwi_canadian

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I remember in 1998 tht the Spiders were purchsed by a group in Victoria, BC to move into a brand new arena that was going to replace the old Memorial Arena. The team even hired CHris McSorley (brother of former NHL tough guy Marty McSorley) to run and coach the team. I think the guy who had this plan counted the chickens before the eggs because the city thought the arena was too big and too pricey. It ended up falling through and the Spiders ceased opperations. I have a picture of myself in the first and only Victoria Spiders jersey from the day...

Guess I better get back on track with the concept. I like the jerseys very much, especially the originals. I recall from the meeting I had with the guy about changing the name and or logo and he said it was one of the most popular brands in the league.

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JCRGraphix

JCRGraphix

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I don't think the armpit look with this sweater works (talking about the last one).

To be honest with you, it's not supposed to. It's supposed to be a realistic representative of the way Reebok edge screwed up all of the uniforms in the NHL and AHL. I'll be posting an updated one after I've done some more.


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JCRGraphix

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Up next are the Las Vegas Thunder. In reality the team competed from 1993-94 until 1998-99.

In 1993-94, the Thunder took to the ice in these uniforms.

1993-94_zpsc47601ce.png

In 1995-96, they added a third and changed some colors around.

1995-96_zps8a73bbb3.png

In 1997-98, they added a new logo and a sharp looking yoke.

1997-98_zpse51c806a.png

For the 2001-02 season, the Thunder went through a large change of identity adding a new logo and color scheme.

2001-02_zps5534b631.png

In the 2002-03 season, the Thunder changed their jerseys to look more traditional to match their new more traditional colors.

2002-03_zps64849b05.png

In the 2006-07 season, when the IHL adopted the Reebok edge system, the Thunder changed their look to fit the new template, much to the dismay of the fans.

2006-07_zps608a2314.png

After jersey sales went way down, the Thunder brought back their traditional look for the 2008-09 season. The fans loved their new look.

2008-09_zpsca87b623.png

For the 2012-13 outdoor game at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, the Thunder brought back their original logo and color scheme. Fans liked the look, so the Thunder used it as an alternate for the rest of the season.

2012-13_zpse9473245.png

c/c?


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JCRGraphix

JCRGraphix

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I take it the Thunder are Tampa Bay Lightning affiliates? No complaints here... another solid output.

Yeah, that's kind of what I went with. Up next are the Detroit Vipers. Which way should I go with them?


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LAWeaver

LAWeaver

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I say for the vipers, after looking at the logo, why not do the Red Wings as their affiliate if your gonna keep the circular aspect when updating like logo_maker mentioned. I also have a question: are you going to keep the teams that went to other leagues in the IHL (Wolves, Griffins, Moose, etc.)?

@loganaweaver - Twitter / @loganaweaver - Instagram / Nike Vapor Untouchable Football Template  / Logan's Logos

 

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greyraven8

greyraven8

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In their later year the Vipers were an affiliate of the Lightning but you've already used that for another team design.

For the Vipers maybe you want to use the strong relationship they had with Little Ceasar's:

http://www.wingingitinmotown.com/2011/5/6/2157315/nostalgia-the-detroit-vipers

or with the team through a sponsorship with Chrysler being named after the Dodge Viper:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/18107691

or they did have a partial affiliation with the Ottawa Senators in 1997-98:

http://www.hockeydb.com/stte/detroit-vipers-5494.html

Thought I bring up these photos I saved years ago from some forum I was on. If I recall correctly the poster said these jerseys were a prototype for the Spiders with the numbers originally considered but nixed because of the extra cost for the webbing pattern in the numbers.

spiders_black1_zpsc89380e1.jpg

spiders_black2_zps302ebd4c.jpg

"Just when I thought you'd said the stupidest thing, you keep on talking" - Hank Hill

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JCRGraphix

JCRGraphix

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I'm back with the next installation of this project: the Detroit Vipers. For the purposes of this project, the Vipers continued their affiliation with the Ottawa Senators. We begin in 1995-96 with the uniforms the Vipers used until 2000-01 when the league folded.

1995-96_zps3cd3a10d.png

For the 2001-02 season, the Vipers added a third jersey

2001-02_zps9a1e0216.png

For the 2003-04 season, the Vipers changed their color scheme to reflect that of their parent club, however fans were not initially receptive.

2003-04_zps81a08b96.png

For the 2005-06 season, the Vipers went with a classic Senators look that the fans liked better than the previous option.

2005-06_zps0785aba6.png

In 2006-07, when the IHL adopted the Reebok Edge system, the Vipers look was changed significantly.

2006-07_zpsd713cc9e.png

For the 2008-09 season, the Vipers went back to their previous style, slightly changed for the Reebok Edge template.

2008-09_zps49f28e66.png

For the 2010-11 season, the Vipers added a jersey for their outdoor game in Indianapolis. Both the Vipers and Ice used jerseys based on their respective NFL teams.

2010-11_zps6fae48e6.png

c/c?


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