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***Citizen of Adraa*** · 03-10-2020, 03:55 AM

Just so we are clear with Halifax or now Maine. This is not something that came only out of my mind and is only my doing. We have originally planned this seasons ago with Flareon with the idea that we wanted to try and help Halifax become a better team...with that however being ultimately ignored by most of the league the moment we took a step back for a rebuild season with all the Halifax jokes starting anew as if we just havent done anything. At that point it became clear that creating a new image for a team like this will be fantastically hard if not nearly impossible, and with that in mind and the FHM swap, it was a smarter idea to just not fight whats unkillable. I have my own patience, my own mind to keep and I dont need to fight an invisible demon that I havent even summoned myself.

Thats just my take. Take whatever you want out of it, but I guarantee you that Maine isnt a ego stroking bullshit that I just pulled because I really wanted my own team. I have been in front office of this team for nearly 8 months now. And for most of that, future of Halifax was discussed to be aimed this way.

*Carpy48* · 03-10-2020, 05:43 AM

03-09-2020, 08:24 PMFuzzSHL Wrote: Lethbridge was an emergency expansion team that was never meant to last in the first place. The branding and the team, Anaheim included, were either meant to be disbanded or rebranded and never were. Anaheim reworked a stolen logo and has found success. Lethbridge has shotty branding and managing until JNH/Corey came around. Sure, you may not like the branding as it is either, but it is light years better than the Lions branding was.

Exactly my thoughts here. To me it seemed like there was never put much thought into the whole branding (it really felt pretty...random). We did the best what we could with it, but it never felt right. I'm not part of the team anymore, but I was involved in the creation of the new brand and it feels like it has so much more meaning than the Lions. I wouldn't call this a simple relocation just because new GMs came along, it's a new identity and that has nothing to do with whether you personally like it or not.

***JKortesi81*** · 03-10-2020, 11:09 AM

First off, if Texas wanted to rebrand to the Texas Muppets, i think we'd all be on board and would waive anything that would prevent that. This should probably happen regardless.

But, i love this article, because you're right to a degree. This is something we talked about when I was in the J HO too. There have been quite a few relocations/rebrands as of late, but honestly all of them were allowed because they were needed. The teams that have switched recently haven't been that great and weren't a "tent pole" franchise in the J by any means. Let's just face it, Halifax has been a joke for pretty much all of their existence around these parts. They underwent color changes, became vikings from pirates, and routinely finished at the bottom of the standings. They needed a face lift, and they got one. Now they're this fresh, new team that people may actually give a shit about, as opposed to being the butt of a LOT of jokes in the J. You can't say "LOL At least we're not Halifax" if there's no Halifax. History does matter, and in this case, the history is a lot more negative than positive.

Lethbridge doesn't even count. They were a rushed team in a shitty location with a shitty name (Lions) with a meh color scheme. There should be zero issue with them moving and creating a really cool brand that new players can really attach themselves to. I would've said Anaheim could've done the same if they chose, but they won the cup and really ran with being the Outlaws, so there's zero need for them to move.

Montreal is tough only because people blindly love the city for reasons. But Fuzz pointed it out: Montreal was dead. They weren't like this super strong/winning franchise. They were always just kind of there, occasionally contending for a Cup and never getting one in recent memory, BEFORE Fuzz took over. The thing you heard most about them was how they should've stayed the Impact. They were a meme in a lot of ways from that. They didn't have the greatest history, they changed colors a few times, they changed names, and they changed jerseys a lot. The franchise was a mess, they had next to no alumni actually participating in the LR (even though they'll come out of nowhere to occasionally be like "OMG MTL" when they don't really care), they changed jerseys too often (and more often than not ended up worse for it). They went back and forth on color schemes too. So like, what history? The history of being that team that watched more successful franchises actually win and stay consistent? Carolina has built a cool brand, and it seems like they've built a winner that people are excited about, at least in their circles. This was a win. Nobody misses the Impact/Militia, they just miss Montreal in general.

So while there's been a few changes lately, i think it's because of the franchises that needed a change actually getting one. What we talked about in the J HO are the 'tent pole' franchises that we wouldn't allow a rebrand/relocation to if asked specifically because of their histories and the J history in general. I don't think you'll see a change be allowed for the Vancouver Whalers, Detroit Falcons, St. Louis Scarecrows, or Kelowna Knights anytime soon. Not that any of those franchises would want to change anyway. The rest could be up for debate, but considering we just got Anchorage not too long ago, and we just got Carolina, Maine, and Newfoundland in the last few seasons, i'd think that we're done seeing anyone else moving for a while. Anaheim just updated their logo and they're not going anywhere, and from what i know about the Colorado management from talking to them, they live, eat, and breathe Colorado Raptors so i can't imagine them moving either.

I think we're where we're going to be at for a while, save for expansion teams. And when/if that happens, i'd bet people get their Montreal back haha.

BDonini · 03-10-2020, 12:45 PM

03-10-2020, 11:09 AMJKortesi81 Wrote: Lethbridge doesn't even count. They were a rushed team in a shitty location with a shitty name (Lions) with a meh color scheme. There should be zero issue with them moving and creating a really cool brand that new players can really attach themselves to. I would've said Anaheim could've done the same if they chose, but they won the cup and really ran with being the Outlaws, so there's zero need for them to move.

Yea with regards to Anaheim this pretty much sums it up. With the S47 Cup all the franchise's early players felt an attachment to the Outlaws so I think a full rebrand was out of the question for us but we got an opportunity to make the brand our own with the logo change by turning a stolen logo into something that we felt more connected to. Had it not been for the team's early success it's hard to imagine Gibbles and I not following in Lethbridge's footsteps and considering a full relocation/rebrand.

*Katth* · 03-11-2020, 04:47 AM

03-10-2020, 11:09 AMJKortesi81 Wrote: First off, if Texas wanted to rebrand to the Texas Muppets, i think we'd all be on board and would waive anything that would prevent that. This should probably happen regardless.

But, i love this article, because you're right to a degree. This is something we talked about when I was in the J HO too. There have been quite a few relocations/rebrands as of late, but honestly all of them were allowed because they were needed. The teams that have switched recently haven't been that great and weren't a "tent pole" franchise in the J by any means. Let's just face it, Halifax has been a joke for pretty much all of their existence around these parts. They underwent color changes, became vikings from pirates, and routinely finished at the bottom of the standings. They needed a face lift, and they got one. Now they're this fresh, new team that people may actually give a shit about, as opposed to being the butt of a LOT of jokes in the J. You can't say "LOL At least we're not Halifax" if there's no Halifax. History does matter, and in this case, the history is a lot more negative than positive.

Lethbridge doesn't even count. They were a rushed team in a shitty location with a shitty name (Lions) with a meh color scheme. There should be zero issue with them moving and creating a really cool brand that new players can really attach themselves to. I would've said Anaheim could've done the same if they chose, but they won the cup and really ran with being the Outlaws, so there's zero need for them to move.

Montreal is tough only because people blindly love the city for reasons. But Fuzz pointed it out: Montreal was dead. They weren't like this super strong/winning franchise. They were always just kind of there, occasionally contending for a Cup and never getting one in recent memory, BEFORE Fuzz took over. The thing you heard most about them was how they should've stayed the Impact. They were a meme in a lot of ways from that. They didn't have the greatest history, they changed colors a few times, they changed names, and they changed jerseys a lot. The franchise was a mess, they had next to no alumni actually participating in the LR (even though they'll come out of nowhere to occasionally be like "OMG MTL" when they don't really care), they changed jerseys too often (and more often than not ended up worse for it). They went back and forth on color schemes too. So like, what history? The history of being that team that watched more successful franchises actually win and stay consistent? Carolina has built a cool brand, and it seems like they've built a winner that people are excited about, at least in their circles. This was a win. Nobody misses the Impact/Militia, they just miss Montreal in general.

So while there's been a few changes lately, i think it's because of the franchises that needed a change actually getting one. What we talked about in the J HO are the 'tent pole' franchises that we wouldn't allow a rebrand/relocation to if asked specifically because of their histories and the J history in general. I don't think you'll see a change be allowed for the Vancouver Whalers, Detroit Falcons, St. Louis Scarecrows, or Kelowna Knights anytime soon. Not that any of those franchises would want to change anyway. The rest could be up for debate, but considering we just got Anchorage not too long ago, and we just got Carolina, Maine, and Newfoundland in the last few seasons, i'd think that we're done seeing anyone else moving for a while. Anaheim just updated their logo and they're not going anywhere, and from what i know about the Colorado management from talking to them, they live, eat, and breathe Colorado Raptors so i can't imagine them moving either.

I think we're where we're going to be at for a while, save for expansion teams. And when/if that happens, i'd bet people get their Montreal back haha.

Absolutely right, I have zero intention to rebrand or relocate the most succesful franchise in SMJHL history. We updated our logo a few seasons ago for our 50 season anniversary, but that was already pushing it ;-)

Go Knights!
Knights

S50 Challenge Cup Finals Game 7
[Image: gNFVjT6.png]

***SpartanGibbles*** · 03-15-2020, 02:38 AM

I can echo what Donini and Joe have said about Anaheim as the previous Head GM. I have always had ideas for it's relocation during my tenure if we wanted to go that route, but our fast success with the S47 Cup win and S48 Finals appearance really cemented the love for the brand in our LR. The one thing I wanted to do, and did end up doing, was to commission a new logo for the franchise after I became Head GM and was made aware that ours was taken from somewhere else. That was mainly to give the franchise something unique and wholly theirs. I think the Anaheim/Lethbridge dichotomy is a perfect example of when a change makes sense for a franchise. No one likes having their name dragged through the mud and having to defend actions made by people long before their own time. Some people who are newer may not realize that Anaheim's current branding originated from our own LR culture and humor. The rabbit in the image has loose roots in the

mascot that I made as a rookie during our first season. While going with something as cartoonish as Outlungus would not be good branding, the more serious logo gives a great nod to the culture and success we found with our first group of management and players.

I often see a lot of strong opinions on what makes a team prestigious and if people should be allowed to make changes to a franchise. Having been on both sides of the coin as a J GM, SHL GM, and J HO, I honestly think if the motivation behind the move is genuine and the team supports it, then they should be allowed to do so. I don't think people should rebrand/relocate for no reason, but that is part of why any rebrand/relocation is put before the appropriate HO to discuss and approve.

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