Rush to the VHL? Why New York should relocate

[scoop 3,447]

It was announced today that the VHLE will be contracting to six teams, with the Yukon Geneva Rush being one of the teams to be cut. I personally think this is the correct move; the Rush never belonged in Geneva. They have been playing there since Season 81, when they were one of two VHLM teams to move from the VHLM to the VHLE in their respective contraction and expansion. The team had to move over to Europe, and they landed in Geneva. Now that they will no longer be in the VHLE, the team could potentially be brought back to where they belong; where they had been since they joined the VHLM in Season 31.

 

The announcement has sparked discussion about potential VHLM teams relocating to revive the Yukon Rush franchise. I am personally against this, though I suppose it is better than the alternative of there being no Rush at all. Of course, if a VHLM team were to make the move, would it be the end of that team's history? I do think that would be the way to do it, though it's not like the team would be getting replaced by the Rush. Presumably the roster and management would remain intact, as though it were a relocation. But it would be strange if the new Yukon Rush weren't considered the same franchise as the old Yukon Rush for purposes of historical stats and record keeping. Although I don't think this would be too confusing, I still believe that the Rush should return to the VHLM.

 

Instead, I would like to see the New York Americans become the Yukon Rush. I have been in favor of a New York rebranding for a while, and I say this as someone who holds that franchise dear to my heart. The Americans have been in New York since Season 7 when the Hamilton Canucks relocated. The early seasons in New York were a struggle, though in Season 14 they did win their first Continental Cup, becoming the last original franchise to win one. After that, they went another 17 seasons before winning a second. For the first third of the league's existence, New York was one of the worst two franchises in the league, but things did eventually turn around.

 

You could say the turnaround started in Season 24, as this began the 11-season playoff run that included four straight finals appearances (all losses) from Season 25 to Season 28. However, it wouldn't be until Season 32 that they won that second championship. From Season 32 to Season 53, though, the team went to the playoffs 16 times, made the finals eight times, and won six Continental Cups. All of those numbers were the most of any franchise during that time period. This was definitely the height of the New York franchise, but is that history alone enough to save the team? It probably would have been, if not for the disaster that would ensue following that.

 

The Americans haven't won a championship since that Season 53 victory. They've only been to the finals once, and that was as far back as Season 60. Since Season 62, they have made the playoffs just seven times. They just barely managed to get into the playoffs this season, ending an all-time record 11-season playoff drought. Yes, teams will have periods where they aren't all that successful, but New York has been historically bad. In addition to that, there is the issue of branding.

 

The New York Americans are widely regarded as one of the worst branded teams in the VHL. I don't have any data to back that up, but I'm pretty sure it's true. Trust me. Who is going to be eager to play for a team called the Americans? The team's branding is "USA," is though there aren't three other teams locating in the nation and "American" refers to just the U.S. The league has a Team USA for the World Cup. Why do the New York Americans still exist? Now that the Rush are out of the VHLE, maybe it's time to make the move.

[scoop 3,447]

If you read nothing else, just think about this: the New York Americans as a team are USA-branded, with their logo being reminiscent of the U.S. flag and being called the AMERICANS. Team USA is for the World Cup. We don't need a Team USA in the VHL.

 

 

Honestly, even if it's not a New York Americans -> Yukon Rush change, I think New York needs a rebrand.

Edited July 28, 2023 by scoop

[scoop 3,447]

Also I never really thought about it until now, but the London United are basically the UK New York Americans. So maybe I'm wrong in my slandering of the New York Americans brand, because apparently someone decided we needed a second one.

[Rin 138]

11 minutes ago, scoop said:

Also I never really thought about it until now, but the London United are basically the UK New York Americans. So maybe I'm wrong in my slandering of the New York Americans brand, because apparently someone decided we needed a second one.

 

The real best take is always in the comments

[Beketov 9,103]

1 hour ago, scoop said:

Also I never really thought about it until now, but the London United are basically the UK New York Americans. So maybe I'm wrong in my slandering of the New York Americans brand, because apparently someone decided we needed a second one.

In the interest of fairness the originally requested name was the London Plague which is bad enough given, you know, the bubonic plague but it was also in 2020 so... yeah it was problematic haha.