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Arkz · 10-08-2021, 01:44 AM

Hello folks! In my eternal quest to try and fill my bank account and to be able to afford the finer things in life, I've decided to sit down and write some rankings and reviews for the branding of the teams in the SHL. I first had a thought to do this when the most recent Tampa Bay update came out and I had some thoughts and feelings about it, detailed below. I'll be looking at the location, the team, and the general theme and colors of the team. If I can find them, I'll also be looking at the uniforms as well. This is meant to be a fun thing, and hopefully doesn't cause too much salt. I fully respect all the work that folks have put into designing these logos and uniforms, and understand that a few of these brands have some serious history behind them that should be respected. But, you know, every now and then someone has to point out that the Renegades' forum logo looks like the nose of a cow or some sort of animal.

. Seriously, am I the only one who sees the little eye dots as nostrils? Well, enough about all that, let's get into it. As a quick note, while I originally wrote this as one article, it was too long and had to break it up. You can find Part II, with the Western Conference and my final rankings and thoughts HERE.

SHL Eastern Conference Shl

Atlanta Inferno Inferno

Location: Atlanta, as a hockey city? Well sure, why not. Even folks south of the Mason Dixon line deserve to watch some hockey and catch some of the greatest sport in the world. While some would think the fans of Atlanta would thrash away their chances of hosting and supporting a team, I think there's enough transplants in Atlanta from more hockey-prone areas of the world to help get something of a fanbase going. So while this isn't one of those locations you'd normally associate with hockey, I still think its a pretty good fit for one of the southern teams.
Branding: I've been to Atlanta a few times and let me tell you, stepping off that plane it did feel like I had just walked into an inferno. Unlike the other traditional ice-based brands, going in the complete other direction with 'inferno' is a great idea. On top of that, going with a phoenix over just a more traditional fireball or some such is also a good choice, as it helps them differentiate from some of the other teams that might want to use a fire-theme. But my only gripe with the logo is the phoenix itself. Honestly it looks like a goose to me. I know the logo is trying to make use of the negative space to create contrast, but really it just looks like a long necked, small bodied bird. A goose, maybe a swan. Not really the striking fire bird you would expect.
Colors: Not too much to write here. Fairly tradition red, orange, yellows, and blacks. All the colors you would think of if you said "fire". I might want a bit more orange to help break it up, particularly along the edges? But overall solid an inoffensive color choices.
Uniforms: I'm not going to go into all of their uniforms, I just want to highlight my favorites. In this case, the 'away' kits:

I really like the contrast here, and the red pants and the orange plays well. Its interesting to see so much orange on these kits when its barely present on the logo in a noticeable way, but it works for me. I do think there's an opportunity to go with more orange here. We have a number of red teams in the SHL, but until Philly showed up there wasn't much orange to be found. Instead of going all in on the black, there could be a way to highlight more orange and build up some more contrast.
Overall Rating: 7/10. There's some safe choices here, but I like the creativity in the location and going with the phoenix motif. I think that the uniforms are solid, but prefer the white as we already have too many teams that favor black as a primary color. I think its a missed opportunity not having a solid orange number to go with the 'inferno' theme.

Baltimore Platoon Platoon

Location: You know, in many ways Baltimore is going to be similar to Atlanta in terms of what makes it attractive as a hockey city. Sure its in the south but not nearly as far as Atlanta and still within a stone's throw of Pennsylvania, which I think everyone would feel comfortable classifying as a state where hockey could thrive. Once more, Baltimore traditionally has a ton of transplants who have come to work for the federal government, so you're bound to pick up some new hockey fans. Now the danger is that these fans keep hold of their original team and become fair-weather Platoon fans, but that's always the risk in these cities with a new scene. Also, Maryland is lax-bro central so you have to hope some lacrosse fans realize that hockey is very similar, just on ice.

Branding: So, let me just kind of get this out of the way. What the hell is a 'Platoon'? I mean, I understand what it is by definition, but you're basically naming this team the Baltimore Squad, or the Baltimore Group of People. It feels like this team has fallen into the same trap that every team based in and around Washington DC has, that the team needs to be named after something to do with the government or the armed forces or something. In this case, we get a bald eagle and the 'platoon' moniker. Honestly I kind of like the overall design of the logo, the stars dotting the outside of the circle present a nice contrast. The maroon of the eagle sort of fades a bit and it looks like one dark splotch from a distance however.

Colors: You know, this is one of the color sets that you really need to imagine on the ice for it to work. Just looking at a forum, particularly in dark mode, and there isn't a whole lot being brought to the table. But if you can try and visualize it on the ice, and the dark colors broken up by the white of the ice, it performs much better. I still think there needs to be an additional accent color here, as the navy blue and maroon create a very dark motif.

Uniforms: As before, I'm going to highlight my favorite set, the away jerseys:

I know, two away kits in a row but I think the away uniforms highlight what I'm talking about with the rest of the Baltimore colors. The blue and maroon really pop when put against a majority white background, and without that they get a bit lost. The home uniforms are a bit too dark and without contrast to me, like everyone skating around in blue suits that you would see in an office building.
Overall Rating: 5/10. I can appreciate this is a classic team from the league's infancy, but times have progressed and changed. The team is a bit of a cliché and fits about every check box you could think of for a team based in Maryland/DC.

Buffalo Stampede

Location: I love it. Probably the most Canada-adjacent of the major American cities in terms of hockey culture, Buffalo deserves a team. Also, unlike some other more real sports leagues, there aren't eighty teams based in the state of New York in the SHL. We actually have some decent parity between the "upstate" New York and a Manhattan based team (more on that later). So Buffalo makes a ton of sense as a city to host a hockey team in the SHL, and really is a no-brainer. Trying to think of the alternatives (Syracuse? Albany?) just doesn't sound right for a team in the big leagues.
Branding: You know, I sympathize with teams who have to be headquartered in Buffalo. I mean, the city is named after the Buffalo River and as far as anyone can tell, bison never actually lived in upstate New York at any time, but its a cool animal and doesn't get much notice outside some teams in the Midwest. So the fine folks in Buffalo decided to take the name and add to it, going with the Stampede. I'm a big fan of the adjustment, even if it is a bit on the nose. Mostly because you can write sentences like 'the Buffalo Stampede hit them like a buffalo stampede' and have it make sense. I also like the logo here a lot as well. It has the virtues of looking old school but also modern at the same time, so it doesn't look out of place with some of the more over-designed logos in the league. Its a classic, something that never goes out of style.
Colors: Buffalo are simple creatures, and so the color scheme is simple too. Again, going for the classic look over the more modern style, we're really only looking at the green and gold. The green is a great primary color, looks great against white and is unique in the league. The gold, meanwhile, provides a lot of pop and is a great way to highlight the delicate line work in the logo and on the uniforms. So while this the most simple set of colors we've looked at so far, they really might be the best.
Uniforms: In a departure from the previous teams I've looked at, I'm going to go with the home jerseys for the Stampede:

As I mentioned earlier, I love the green here and think it pops off the ice incredibly well. The commitment to the thin parallel lines motif is also a welcomed departure from the rest of the league. The only potential knock is that the green logo can get lost when surrounded by the green in the rest of the jersey, I'd potentially advocate for the logo to either be bigger or to have some thicker line work with the gold to 'pop' out a bit more on the chest.
Overall Rating: 9/10. Unsurprising that one of the best teams in the league also have one of the best sets of branding as well. The colors are simple but clean, and the whole brand has an air of 'throw back' to it while still seeming modern. When you play against the Stampede you feel like you're playing against the history of the league and hockey itself. Its a powerful thing, and might be why Buffalo is so dominant year after year. Or it could be their talented roster and leadership. But maybe the branding too.

Hamilton Steelhawks

Location: Of course, let's follow up one of the dominant teams of the league with one of the other dominant teams in the league, and our first Canadian team. For those of you who are not geographically-inclined, Hamilton is a city in Canada that sits along Lake Ontario, basically right between Toronto and Niagra Falls. Named after some guy named George Hamilton, you can probably guess what one of the primary industries for the city. That's right, steel production! I'm not from Ontario so I can't comment on how the people in Hamilton feel about Toronto and vice versa, but its not hard to imagine that Hamilton is the little brother to the big bad Toronto. Gives the team a bit of an 'upstart' vibe which helps balance out the fact that the team has been so dominant in the league.
Branding: As mentioned, the Steelhawks' moniker comes from the fact that the steel industry is so important to the city of Hamilton. I like that, and it helps make the brand feel like it is a part of the city that arose naturally. It also beats the alternatives, which I guess could be some steel girders or a guy carrying a lunch pale to work at the local steel mill. Another interesting thing is that there aren't a lot of bird teams in the SHL. Atlanta and Baltimore feature birds in their logos, but they are not bird teams. The Steelhawks are really the only primary bird team in the big league, which is a neat thing. But let me talk about the logo itself: I hate it. It looks like the local high school team logo. Its bland, uninteresting. Baltimore has the better bird logo from a design perspective (but not colors, more on that in a bit), and really there's just nothing exciting about this logo to me. I understand the idea of 'we're the Steelhawks, we need a big tough logo,' but this just reads as flat and uninspired to me.
Colors: You know why I have some issues with the Steelhawk logo? Because it doesn't feature the sexy yellow that they have on their uniforms. As you would think, there's a lot of metallic silver here but I'm glad that Hamilton features a lot of blue in their logo to help balance out the more obvious silver. This is a situation where if you just look at the logo, you're missing a lot of the story with Hamilton's branding. The colors are fire, but the logo just doesn't help them pop.
Uniforms: Its the home uniforms and honestly it isn't even really close:

Now that's what I'm talking about. Look at that crisp blue. The yellow highlights to break things up. What an absolute baller kit. The only knock I have on them is that it feels like the logo doesn't fit the rest of the uniform? The silver that the logo uses doesn't seem to show up anywhere else on the logo. It almost feels like its a uniform from a different team that had its logo removed and the Steelhawk one slapped on. Can't say enough great things about these kits, just wish their logo was up to snuff.
Final Rating: 6/10. Uniforms? Great. Colors? Great. Location and theme? Great. Logo? Awful. Needs a redesign for sure, and really weighs down the rest of the branding. While some other teams would be able to weather a sub-par logo, the fact that the logo doesn't even really fit on the uniforms means that it just doesn't work with the branding. The Steelhawk logo needs a new coat of paint and maybe an updated design, because it doesn't succeed at being a modern logo or being a Buffalo-esq classic logo.

Manhattan Rage Rage

Location: Despite all my rage I'm still playing in New York City. You knew there had to be at least one team based in the greatest city in the world and so we've settled on the Manhattan Rage. The Rage play at Madison Square Garden, of course, and so we've managed to check off most of the requirements for a team based in New York. I do like the fact that instead of just being the 'New York City Rage' or something, they are the Manhattan Rage. A neat little twist that helps differentiate the team from the legions of others that come from the big apple in other leagues.
Branding: So, I like it. A bull isn't the first thing I would consider when I hear the term 'rage', and also this particular bull doesn't seem frothing with rage either. But then I thought more about it and decided I liked the idea of the quiet, maximum rage that this logo represents. Its also probably a homage to that bull statue they have on Wall Street. Some details I'm not a huge fan of are the skyscraper and the 'M' down near the throat of the bull. To be honest, I never noticed those details until writing this article, which I can't decide if that's a good thing or not. Overall its a neat logo, but these small touches help add to it while also being lost unless looking at a larger version of the logo. We probably shouldn't be playing 'Where's Waldo' with logo details, so I wish there was a way these details were highlighted more, maybe with a bit of white to draw attention to them. However, I do like the design of the rest of the demonic bull, very intimidating.
Colors: Our second team that features red here, though a bit less bold compared to Atlanta. Whereas the Inferno are trying to summon thoughts of flames and fire, the Rage here looks like blood and bone. I love that, and like these colors of red a lot more. The black adds great definition, and the white in the horns is a neat look as well. Overall I probably like this use of red and black more than Atlanta's.
Uniforms: I don't have a great image to use here to highlight the Manhattan uniforms, so bare with me. However, I do like their home uniforms the most:

Its a little simple, but that doesn't make it a bad thing. I think it could use something on the shoulders, most likely an alternate logo, but like I said I do like the color red featured here and the two-toned color. I can't see it, but I'll assume there's a horizontal stripe that goes across the bottom of the jersey as well. I think there's kits would look pretty good gliding across the ice or swarming the net. The away uniforms aren't bad, but look a little too "Chicago Bulls"-y to me.

Overall Ranking: 7/10. I've put this branding in the same level as Atlanta, because its trying to do a lot of the same things as Atlanta. Defy some expectations, come at you with something new. But while I think the Rage have a stronger logo, I do think Atlanta is a bit more cohesive of an overall theme and has some nice details that help differentiate it. I wish I had more details about the uniforms and that there was some extra details there, because as it stands its a bit plain. The demonic bull is amazing, but we need a few extra details here to help bring it up to the next level.

Montreal Patriotes

Location: One of the newest teams to the league, its kind of surprising that Montreal hasn't had a team till now. There's probably a lot of Quebecois who are glad they don't have to cheer for Toronto any longer if they wanted to root for an SHL team. As mentioned, I'm not Canadian but I think most people know that French Canadians are their own animal. Given that the province of Quebec already had a team in Quebec City (shout out to the Citadelles), Montreal made the most sense as the destination for one of the league's newest expansion teams. Honstly the Patriotes get some extra points for rectifying a league oversight in not having a Montreal team all this time.
Branding: I hate it. Its the busiest logo I've ever seen. There's so much shit going on in this thing. The 'Montreal' and the 'Patriotes' are two different fonts and colors. There's a (well-detailed) guy carrying a flag over his shoulder and that's about it. Now I'll say that the logo is well designed from an artistic perspective. The lines are clean, the overall shape is unique and different, but it feels like three or four different logos all combined to form this. Its honestly really hard to imagine what this logo would look like on a hat or a shirt. Its almost like it should have been the secondary logo or something. That said, the secondary logo isn't much better so can understand why the team went with this.
Colors: Honestly not sure how I feel about these colors. On the one hand, they are unique and I can appreciate the maroon as its a unique color (its a secondary for Baltimore but a primary here), but the Quebec flag is blue and white, not maroon and white. Think of all the poor, impressionable kids who think Quebec's flag is maroon instead of blue. That said, I can understand not wanting to mimic the same colors as Toronto, and I'm not going to subtract too much here.
Uniforms: Its close, but I'm going to go with the away uniforms here:

I think the white looks better with the silver type for Montreal, but honestly while I like the design of these jerseys the logo drags them down. I think it honestly would look better if they had a different version of the logo - just the Patriot holding the flag. The text being two different fonts and two different colors just clashes no matter what you do and doesn't fit with the jersey. I do like having the alternate on the jersey on the shorts, but it sort of blends in with the maroon background.
Overall Ranking: 6/10. Props to this team for finally putting a team in Montreal and for featuring a unique moniker and color scheme, but the logo is overdesigned and distracting on the kits while also being hard to imagine on any sort of merchandise. I don't think the logo is beyond saving, its really just that type at the top that needs fixing. Another idea could be a "Montreal" on the top and a "Patriotes" below the man with the flag, but as of now its just too much.

New England Wolfpack

Location: So, this is how it is huh? Boston, one of the greatest real-life sports cities in the United States, is relegated to being part of a 'New England' catch all in the SHL. Well, we weren't really going to expect an SHL team in Providence, Hartford, or Bangor, so I suppose the 'New England' heading makes sense. Still I'm not sure why you don't just go with 'Boston' here. Its a big enough city that most people know and has some clout. But going with 'New England' is inclusive of some of the smaller states that won't get a team, so I guess I can't complain too much.
Branding: I like the general branding of the Wolfpack. There's a lack of wolf-flavored teams in the league (Edmonton features a wolf, but they are the Blizzard), so much like the Steelhawks I respect going with the actual animal. Once more, they aren't just the New England Wolves, but the New England Wolfpack. Its a bit different and I like that. The actual design of the logo is a little close to a real life logo featuring an aquatic predator, but the wolf head is well designed and looks clean. And while the text is in two different colors, they are at least the same font so it still looks good together.
Colors: I dig the green a lot. There's few teams in the SHL that feature green (Buffalo and Winnipeg in addition to New England), and I always felt it looks clean on the ice. Buffalo features more of a forest green, while Winnipeg has this soft, more pastel shade. New England's green is electric, and I think would look great speeding down the ice or on a hat. The black is fine and honestly I wish the silver was featured more in the uniforms.
Uniforms: Speaking of the uniforms! I like the away kits the best:

This isn't the last time we'll get into this, but what the hell is up with the SHL and having black home jerseys? It doesn't look that great, and New England has a clear option to go with a green top at home. But instead we get a black one, which does not look great. So I went with the white kit here, as it makes the green pop while still featuring some of the black accents. Honestly its a great jersey, and would be beautiful with the black shorts and white socks.
Overall Rating: 7/10. With this score I'm pretending the home uniforms don't exist. I like the brand and the shade of green featured here, and also New England is a gutsy choice to go with over Boston so I have to respect it. I think there's some neat changes that this team could make, like adjust the Wolf to be a bit more original and to ditch the all-black and feature the silver a bit more. This electric green + silver could be a really neat, unique combination that no other team in the league has. Instead we have a kit that's similar to other teams, just with green instead of red or purple.

Philadelphia Forge Forge

Location: Ah Philly, the city of brotherly love. A little surprising it took this long to get a team in Philadelphia, given its strong working class and hockey traditions, but here we are. Also the first team in Pennsylvania in fact! I said earlier no one would be surprised if a team showed up in Pennsylvania, and it finally happened thanks to the Forge. Not too much to say about this choice, it feels fairly standard given that its a large city on the east coast, but that doesn't mean its a bad pick.
Branding: Okay, I just need to get this off my chest. Does anyone else feel like they should be the Phorge? I understand that would probably make them sound like some small local team, just barely above a pickup league, but it comes to my mind every time I think of the Philadelphia team. It also feels like it would be a better brand name for Pittsburgh also, given that city's ties to the steel industry. I understand that the moniker is supposed to apply to not just to an actual forge, but also Philadelphia's role as a forge for the United States and a diverse cultural makeup. All that is great, and makes it a thoughtful choice. Its just distracting that the other, most well-known city in Pennsylvania is known for its steel mills. Regarding the logo itself, I'm of mixed mind. I think the overall scheme is neat and I think the different colors for the 'Philadelphia' and 'Forge' work better here than with Montreal. I also think the molten lead/steel being poured into the 'O' is an inspired choice, and really gives this logo some action. The only knock I have is that I feel like the mouth of the forge is almost too big? It really dominates the logo, and while I can see where you're going for in making it look like a hockey puck, it just seems a little too large for me compared to the rest of the logo.

Colors: Orange, red, and black as the primaries, but featured in a different way compared to a team like the Inferno in Atlanta. This is the third team that's featured a lot of red in their logo, but its on theme and the molten orange really helps give it life. I almost want a bit more orange here, but I think the logo has to walk a fine line to not being too 'fire-like' and trampling on Atlanta's toes.

Uniforms: Tough call here but I'm going to go with the home unis:

Finally, a team not afraid to embrace the orange! I think its a smart decision to go classic with these uniforms and to leave out any designs for the elbows, as I think that would make the 'center' of the jersey a bit too busy with how large the main Forge logo is. I do see that they have the secondary log on the shoulders, and while I like that I also wonder if they could steal a page from Montreal's book and put the secondary logo on the shorts as well. It really would help them to pop and add an extra layer of detail. Also that secondary logo is straight fire and finding additional ways to feature it is great.
Overall Rating: 7/10. I may have been a little harsh in my criticisms of the logo design, but that's only because I do think its a neat idea and has a lot of great elements working for it. The colors are solid as long as they keep pushing the orange, and Philadelphia is a city that absolutely should have a hockey team. I'm a little on the fence with the idea of the 'Forge' as a whole, but given that this is the only team (currently) in Pennsylvania, I think it does a good job to try and encompass the whole state rather than just one city.

Tampa Bay Barracuda

Location: Oh boy, we've finally gotten to Tampa Bay. Our lone Florida team in the league, Tampa Bay makes sense as a hockey destination. I think Miami would probably be a better choice if there was only going to be one team in Florida, but Tampa Bay is a good choice as well. I mean, at least its not Jacksonville or something. Like with Atlanta, there's probably a decent amount of transplants to help jumpstart a hockey fandom, and Tampa Bay is big enough to support a team once that grassroots movement takes shape. Tampa is also a neat city and I'd probably rather go visit there than Miami so it wins some points from me.

Branding: I'm going to be honest, Tampa Bay's branding was about half the reason I wanted to write this article. I've got so many thoughts that I'm not even sure where to begin. Okay, first of all, Tampa Bay has decided to go with a Miami Vice theme despite the team not being in Miami. I think its a neat theme, and the teal and pink generally go together but it really feels like this team would rather be in Miami with this branding but are stuck in Tampa. The logo itself really reminds me of those 90's cup design. You know, the one that looks like this:

So the throw-back nature of the logo doesn't bother me. We're again seeing the two different colors for the fonts that has become commonplace in the newest logos around the league and while we're looking at two different fonts as well at least their are fairly close. Probably my biggest issue with this logo is the barracuda itself. I like the choice for the moniker, its unique and the 'b' in "Bay" and "Barracuda" play off well together. I just wish the barracuda in the logo itself had some teal highlights. He's just a pink torpedo, almost looks like a salmon to me. It makes the logo feel too two-toned. A teal highlight along the lighter pink coloration of the barracuda could help to make this logo feel much more cohesive.
Colors: Again, we went with Miami Vice for a team in Tampa Bay. The colors themselves I have no issue with, they are unique and add a lot of brightness compared to the rest of the league that favors a lot of blacks and otherwise dark colors. I like how fun and vibrant these colors are, I don't think they are the issue.
Uniforms: Behold, the home unis:

So let me say that these uniforms are fun, I do like the palm trees. Its here that the Miami-theming really becomes apparent, but they are at the very least creative. I kind of feel like, with these colors, the shirts should be pink but I can understand the trepidation in going with that coloring, so instead we get another mostly black home uniform (that's the third one so far) but at least it has the teal to liven things up. I feel like there might be a mockup somewhere of primary pink uniforms and I'd love to see it. If you're going to go with such vibrant colors, lean into it.
Overall Rating: 5/10. I know I gave Philadelphia credit for using the 'Forge' moniker and representing all of Pennsylvania, whereas here it seems like I'm penalizing Tampa Bay for doing the same with Florida. But the neon pink/teal thing is such a Miami thing to me that it feels like the team couldn't think of good Tampa colors so decided to rip Miami's thing off. I like the Barracuda name itself, but the logo needs some additional teal highlights to make it pop. Also, I'm tired of the black home jerseys. There's 32 teams in the NHL, 3 of them have black home jerseys. We're at 3 here with 20 teams and we're not even halfway through the league yet.

Toronto North Stars Stars

Location: Behold! The Toronto Map- I mean, North Stars! I mean, its a hockey league so you know there has to be a team in Toronto. The largest city in Canada (and really, its not close. Toronto is almost twice the size of Montreal, the next largest city) would require a hockey team. Well, at least one hockey team anyway. There's been a Toronto team since the very infancy of the league, and its probably one of the only cities that absolutely HAS to have a hockey team. Normally I'd put Montreal in that category but it took us 60 seasons to get one so maybe I have a different view than some other folks.
Branding: Man this logo looks familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it. To be fair to Toronto, the colors mimic the official Toronto flag, but really it draws a very specific comparison to a very real team. I like the CN Tower being blended into the maple leaf, that is a nice little detail that helps add to this logo. You can tell that this logo was designed by the same person who designed the Buffalo logo (I checked, he did), but its hard not to see that Buffalo has a better design. If you're going to run a logo that's so similar to another team (or teams in this place with the real life Leafs) its going to invite comparisons. The fact the North Stars also reference another NHL team just creates too many coincidences. Feels like this team should just come right out with it and rebrand to the Toronto Syrup Leaves, its about that subtle.
Colors: Like I said, the real life comparisons to the other Toronto hockey team are always going to be made. I mean, they are basically the exact same minus a slightly lighter shade of blue. That said, the blue and white is classic and one of the best choices for a simple, two color logo. This would be an easy 10/10 if it was in any other city, but unfortunately it loses a lot of originality points.
Uniforms: Going to go with the away kits here, and let me explain why:

I like the uniforms here, I think the white sweaters work well with the lighter shades of blue and I dig the maple leaf design on the sleeves. Adds a bit of extra jazz to what otherwise can be a flat design. I also went with the Away jerseys here because the home kits are literally the same design as the real life Toronto Maple Leafs. Exact same lines, generally the same colors, everything. And you know what? Those are great uniforms, classic and featuring a style that is very unique compared to the rest of the league. But its a copy/paste of not only an existing team, but literally one of the most famous teams in the world that plays in the same city as the North Stars.
Overall Rating: 1/10. Generally during the course of these ratings and reviews I'm trying to give some credit to when teams try to do something creative, even when it doesn't work all the way (Montreal, Tampa Bay). But the North Stars feel like an unoriginal copy/paste of one of the most visible, famous teams in the world. If you're a real life hockey fan, you've seen this combo and this jersey a million times. And while I can understand the "you can't improve on perfection" angle, it just feels like it defeats the purpose of being in a sim league if you're just going to rip off another team so blatantly. You can make this team whatever you want, why settle for a copy and paste? I have similar feelings about a certain team in Vancouver, but at least they don't play in Hartford in the SMJHL.

Notes: Please check out Part II HERE! Complete with final thoughts and rankings.

[word count: 6,162]

***WannabeFinn*** · 10-08-2021, 11:32 AM

You have great taste

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