06-27-2021, 02:55 AM(This post was last modified: 06-29-2021, 04:20 PM by Leppish.)
One of the SMJHL's most premiere locations, the Carolina Kraken have boasted a long and successful history throughout their time as an SMJHL franchise, hoisting the coveted Four Star Cup a total of 9 times, the 3rd most in SMJHL history behind only the British Columbia powerhouse teams: the Kelowna Knights and the Vancouver Whalers. In addition to championship success, many players who have gone on to become present day SHL superstars actually got their start right here with the Carolina Kraken, such as Andreas Kvalheim, Jimmy Wagner, and Ambacus Cuddles, just to name a few! However, those new to the SHL Community might not be aware that the Carolina Kraken - while only being in Carolina since S50 - are actually a storied franchise that has gone by many different names, boasting a rich history that stretches all the way back to the SMJHL's very first season, S1! With all this said, let's go through the history of the Carolina Kraken, and trace their journey through the SMJHL's long and tenured existence!
Brandon Blazers
Easily the most obscure identity in the history of the Kraken, the Brandon Blazers were a part of the SMJHL from the very beginning, alongside the Prince George Firebirds (now known as the Anchorage Armada) back when the SMJHL was only a two team league! They wouldn't be joined by more teams until expansions occurring in S2 (Kelowna), S4 (Vancouver), and S5 (Detroit and St. Louis)! Despite being a team in arguably the easiest era to win a championship, the Brandon Blazers did not see any titles during their time in the SMJHL, and only existed until S3, before entering the SMJHL's 4th season with a brand new identity.
Montreal Impact
You read that right! Before the most recent S60 SHL Expansion brought SHL Hockey to the city of Montreal, the Carolina Kraken were winning the hearts of hockey fans throughout Quebec, under the identity of the Montreal Impact! The team sported a blue and white colour scheme, with a fleur de lis logo encased in a shield emblazoned on their chests, absolutely screaming with pride for Canada's french-speaking province. Here, the team finally started to show some success, capturing titles in S7, S12, S13 and S17 during their 24 season history, before seeing a slight design revision.
Montreal Militia
After a drought of cups saw Montreal without championships for almost a decade from S18-27, and claims of copyright infringement stemming from their logo and brand identity borrowing heavily from the city's local MLS team, the Impact, while remaining in Montreal, became the Militia! While initially making minor alterations to their logo and maintaining the blue and white colour scheme, the Militia pivoted to a full blown rebrand, now donning a very regal maroon and gold colour scheme, as well as a brand new logo: the left half of a maple leaf and the right half of a fleur de lis, joined together and stamped over top of a letter "M". The Militia took the ice for the first time in S28, winning a title the same season, and capturing 2 more in S33 and S49, before moving on to the team we know today!
Carolina Kraken
With interest in the Militia waning and public outcry to see higher level hockey come to the city of Montreal, the Militia bid farewell to the city of Montreal, and embraced a completely new identity in Carolina, becoming the Kraken following their final cup win in Montreal! Much like Militia rebrand, the Kraken captured a title in their first season (S50), and captured another one just 6 seasons ago in S54, and the rest is modern history!
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