Riding with the Storm

If you are a fan of sports, you have to enjoy the variety of team names and logos. In particular, you have to love the team names and logos of amateur teams and minor league teams.

My two favorite Minor League Baseball teams are the Carolina Mudcats and the Durham Bulls. The logos are iconic, particularly the Bulls logo that was introduced to audiences all over the world in the movie Bull Durham. Over in the Quad Cities, we have the Quad City River Bandits, which have a fantastic logo and a fantastic ballpark in a great setting. While it is is now a collegiate summer league team after having been a Minor League Baseball franchise for years, the nearby Clinton LumberKings have a cool logo with a team name that reflects the area's history. The Port City Roosters of the Southern League had a fantastic logo. The Roosters were sold and subsequently became the Mobile BayBears. The Mobile BayBears later moved to Madison, Alabama and became the Rocket City Trash Pandas. How is that for a team name?! I LOVE IT! Similarly, I took in a handful of Richmond Braves games in the early 1990s. While the Richmond Braves AAA team eventually left Richmond to move to Gwinnett County, Georgia, Richmond soon had a AA team called the Richmond Flying Squirrels. I even had a chance when I was in California to play baseball with a professional baseball player that went on to play for the Montgomery Biscuits. Another teammate on that team had previously played for the Asheville Tourists.

But baseball isn't the only sport with cool logos. I am a longtime fan of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings, although my primary allegiance shifted over time to the Carolina Hurricanes after the Hartford, Connecticut  NHL franchise move to Greensboro in 1997. The Wings logo is an Original Six classic. The Carolina Hurricanes logo brings to mind the storms that have impacted the Carolinas. And frankly, it is difficult to find a much cooler logo than the logo of the Hartford Whalers. Thankfully the Carolina Hurricanes regularly showcase "The Whale" with a retro uniform.

I had the fortune to play with some great guys and gals as part of the Raleigh Llamas amateur hockey team. Great team name and I LOVE the logo. I was fortunate to wear my Raleigh Llamas jersey in a championship game (we lost) in the PNC Arena, home of the Carolina Hurricanes.

While I have been a fan of hockey since I was a young child, I didn't attend a hockey game until the early 1990s when I attended my first game and watched the visiting Knoxville Cherokees play the Richmond Renegades. Years later I watched the visiting Alaska Aces play the San Diego Gulls. Former Hurricanes goaltender Artūrs Irbe was actually playing on the Johnstown Chiefs in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) at the time. Hopefully I will have the opportunity in the future to see the ECHL Johnstown Chiefs and the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL) play.

Now I am riding with the Storm. The Quad City Storm. The Quad City Storm joined the local sports scene after the Quad City Mallards closed up shop. While my work schedule doesn't usually allow me to attend Quad City Storm games, as the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) games take place on weekends, I did attend opening night against the Peoria Rivermen. The Quad City Storm logo was recently lauded in "10 Of The Best Logos Outside Of The NHL." I was fortunate enough to get a Quad City Storm jersey for Christmas last year and I hope to attend one or more game in this upcoming season. Be sure to check out the article (link below) and enjoy all the logos that made the list. If you can take in a minor league or amateur sporting event this year, you should. After seeing seasons cancelled due to COVID-19, I am sure the teams will be happy to see you.

https://www.si.com/hockey/news/10-of-the-best-logos-outside-of-the-nhl