4 New* NHL Teams that SHOULD be...

[sparkychewbarky]

Damn the politics and the finances!

Here are 4 NHL franchises that should exist...just because.

Of course the above-mentioned factors are of utmost importance, so I will be discussing (especially in Halifax's case) how each team could exist.

...And, to my American friends, keep in mind that this is a Canadian's point of view, which is why I've put sentimental fave Halifax ahead of such worthy suitors as Houston and Kansas City.

One of these concepts is a brand new idea; 2 of them have appeared recently and are both tweaked slightly; and the fourth is a remake of an old franchise that should be resurrected.

Again and unfortunately, my time to participate on these boards is a little strapped, so it will proceed...slowly. (Unlike that jackrabbit GotPixels!)

But keep dropping in and I'll try to keep a fairly steady flow of new material coming.

Your comments are always appreciated.

So without further ado...

4 New NHL Teams that SHOULD be...

[Kevin W.]

Unfortunately, by adding four you've just extended the problem the NHL currently has with uneven divisions. It'd have to be either 28, 32 or 36 teams, especially since 34 is only divisible by 2.

That point aside, I like the logos (save for the Nordiques since it's not an original creation - not that I mean that as a knock on you) and I'm looking forward to the rest of the concepts.

[sparkychewbarky]

Unfortunately, by adding four you've just extended the problem the NHL currently has with uneven divisions. It'd have to be either 28, 32 or 36 teams, especially since 34 is only divisible by 2.

That point aside, I like the logos (save for the Nordiques since it's not an original creation - not that I mean that as a knock on you) and I'm looking forward to the rest of the concepts.

Hi CR.

Two relocations and two new franchises would give you a more workable 32 teams.

I've done a new secondary logo for the Nords, but it's hard to compete with their historic, classic igloo, so I've tweaked it a bit and kept it as their primary.

[wildwing64]

The Highlanders and Beavers logos are outstanding. Nothing more to add there

The Kraken one is a little strange, the first thing I see when I look at it is a pair of big, googly eyes. I'm not sure what's going on with this one and I don't know if the eyes were intentional or if it's because I'm weird, but I'm not sure if that'd work so well with an NHL team.

There's no denying the Nordiques logo is a classic and somehow I don't see the eventual new team going with anything different. But if I'm honest, I'd prefer to see a complete reimagining of this team. Kind of like the Jets 2.0, sharing their name with the original team but having their own distinct identity. You're clearly a master at this, and I'd love to see what you can come up with.

[Kevin W.]

Unfortunately, by adding four you've just extended the problem the NHL currently has with uneven divisions. It'd have to be either 28, 32 or 36 teams, especially since 34 is only divisible by 2.

That point aside, I like the logos (save for the Nordiques since it's not an original creation - not that I mean that as a knock on you) and I'm looking forward to the rest of the concepts.

Hi CR.

Two relocations and two new franchises would give you a more workable 32 teams.

I've done a new secondary logo for the Nords, but it's hard to compete with their historic, classic igloo, so I've tweaked it a bit and kept it as their primary.

Aha! That's the ticket!

[Guest darkpiranha]

Woo hoo! Sparky's back with a new series!

I agree that the league is now unbalanced. I think you should keep going until we have four ten-team divisions.

And as someone who lives in Houston, I am proud to take a back seat to the Highlanders. My favorite concept team by far. But you can make Houston one of the other five or six teams you create to get up to 40.

The Kracken... I'm gonna need to see some more stuff for this before I'm able to pronounce judgment. As just a logo, it's a bit hard to figure out what's going on at a glance. But seeing it on a jersey or a t-shirt on a hot woman will probably make it all come together. I'm just going to call it now- one of the first bits of merchandise will be a t-shirt saying "Time to get kracken!"

[capn89]

This is somewhat off the main topic of this thread (yet not), but I've always wondered why "hockey hotbed" Wisconsin never had an NHL franchise. They have football, baseball and basketball for crying out loud.

[illwauk]

This is somewhat off the main topic of this thread (yet not), but I've always wondered why "hockey hotbed" Wisconsin never had an NHL franchise. They have football, baseball and basketball for crying out loud.

The short version is, there's only one city in Wisconsin where an NHL franchise could concievably play. That city already has an NBA team, and not only is Wisconsin not seen as a large enough market to support four teams, but the NHL and NBA have something of a gentleman's agreement not to move into smaller markets where the other already has a presence.

FWIW, there's a growing number of us that want to see the Bucks leave town so we can have a legit shot at an NHL franchise. The Bradley Center is probably the best hockey arena in North America to never house a top level club.

[sparkychewbarky]

But seeing it on a jersey or a t-shirt on a hot woman will probably make it all come together. I'm just going to call it now- one of the first bits of merchandise will be a t-shirt saying "Time to get kracken!"

A logo t-shirt on a hot woman makes it all alright, don't it?

As far as the "Kraken" pronunciation...is it "Krack-in" or "Kray-kin"?

There has been much intellectual debate on that subject...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXKoWLSyxz4

I'm going with "Kray-kin"...

[the admiral]

This is somewhat off the main topic of this thread (yet not), but I've always wondered why "hockey hotbed" Wisconsin never had an NHL franchise. They have football, baseball and basketball for crying out loud.

Because Bill Wirtz was a huge peen and said Milwaukee was his territory, though with the way he ran the Blackhawks, Chicago was barely his territory. The Bradley Center (connect the dots: Allen-Bradley --> Jane Bradley Pettit --> Lloyd Pettit) was built with hockey sightlines in mind, so the fact that the NHL doesn't have Milwaukee but does have freakin' Nashville is a more-than-minor travesty.

As for the rest of Wisconsin, Madison is a no-go for obvious collegiate reasons, Green Bay is too small to support a major league team in earnest, and La Crosse/Eau Claire are too small and too far away from each other to effectively daisy-chain. It would have to be Milwaukee, and while it would be by far the smallest four-sport town, you have to remember that people in the midwest really really really like sports.

As for these concepts, I like that Beavers logo a lot, "Highlanders" for a port city makes my head hurt, and the Nords' igloo wasn't broken and needs no fixing. The real question with the Kraken is how it will affect The Giant Pacific Octopus.

[sparkychewbarky]

This is somewhat off the main topic of this thread (yet not), but I've always wondered why "hockey hotbed" Wisconsin never had an NHL franchise. They have football, baseball and basketball for crying out loud.

The real question with the Kraken is how it will affect The Giant Pacific Octopus.

Shouldn't be a problem admiral...I think they're buddies.

[Evil G]

This is somewhat off the main topic of this thread (yet not), but I've always wondered why "hockey hotbed" Wisconsin never had an NHL franchise. They have football, baseball and basketball for crying out loud.

It would have to be Milwaukee, and while it would be by far the smallest four-sport town,

Three.

Anyway, I know you really really want Hailfax and Markham, but it probably isn't happening. Hailfax is too small, and Markham's arena isn't getting built, plus the Beavers may not have any fans due to the ing Leafs.

Then again, I'm probably bitching about some pointless things that I shouldn't be.

[the admiral]

This is somewhat off the main topic of this thread (yet not), but I've always wondered why "hockey hotbed" Wisconsin never had an NHL franchise. They have football, baseball and basketball for crying out loud.

It would have to be Milwaukee, and while it would be by far the smallest four-sport town,

Three.

The Packers own the Milwaukee media market, which is pertinent to this whole sub-discussion.

I don't think Halifax itself is too small, but their arena is. I think the Metro Centre seats 10,000 including some very obstructed views. They'd need at least 15,000. While it would never be a huge revenue generator for the league, that's okay, because keeping small Canadian markets afloat was what revenue sharing was supposed to be before it turned out the world went upside-down and small Canadian markets had to keep everyone else afloat. I think it'd be good to get in on the Maritimes, honestly. More Canadian teams means more Canadian TV money.

[jmoe12]

But seeing it on a jersey or a t-shirt on a hot woman will probably make it all come together. I'm just going to call it now- one of the first bits of merchandise will be a t-shirt saying "Time to get kracken!"

A logo t-shirt on a hot woman makes it all alright, don't it?

As far as the "Kraken" pronunciation...is it "Krack-in" or "Kray-kin"?

There has been much intellectual debate on that subject...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXKoWLSyxz4

I'm going with "Kray-kin"...

That's great! Can't wait to see what you can do, Sparky.

[chrysleraspen08]

The Ontario Beavers identity looks awesome!

[sparkychewbarky]

The Ontario Beavers identity looks awesome!

Thanks chrysleraspen. I used to drive one of those...a yellow 4-door slant six; couldn't kill it.

[sparkychewbarky]

The Seattle Kraken

I'm not taking all the blame for this idea.

In a recent poll of Seattleites, the team name "Kraken" finished a very respectful 4th behind Metropolitans (boring), Thunderbirds (already taken by the junior club), and Sasquatch (predictable).

I dismissed the name at first, but after drafting up some ideas I realized that this concept could be awesomely fun.

...And why not "Kraken"?

There are many stories of giant squid living in the Puget Sound area, and the Sound is the home of the legendary 'Willatuk' sea monster.

As far as the fondness by Seattleites for the 'Metro' monicker; I'm wondering if it's the name, or the funky old 'S' logo that they love.

[sparkychewbarky]

The Kraken Logos

I love the old "Met S" logo...a red letter S with the letters S-E-A-T-T-L-E cascading randomly down the curved form.

It reminds me of my first lacrosse team's sweaters where we formed our team's initials and numbers on a blank sweater with tape.

It's the kind of classic logo that wouldn't even make it past the initial concept stage today.

For the Kraken, I turned the S into a tentacle and wrapped it around the symbol of aquatic monarchy; the Trident...

The Trident is designed to be a very basic rendering of the Kraken, with tentacles and spaded tail.

It can stand alone or be used with the arced "KRAKEN" banner to make a very effective shoulder patch.

[sparkychewbarky]

The Kraken one is a little strange, the first thing I see when I look at it is a pair of big, googly eyes. I'm not sure what's going on with this one and I don't know if the eyes were intentional or if it's because I'm weird, but I'm not sure if that'd work so well with an NHL team.

You're not weird, and you're bang-on wildwing. That "KrakenMonster" logo is a little too out-there to be a primary.

I did it up for some merchandising concepts and I threw it on the opening graphic to stir things up a bit.

If you look closely, (and I guess with a good logo, you shouldn't have to look too closely...oh well), the creature is formed with the letters "K" and "S".

I think it'll work O.K. on some t-shirts and it might pop-up on an alt.

[GotPixels]

Liking the Kraken sparky. I assume will see a mascot?