VHL: The Sister Cities Rebranding

[CowboyinAmerica 2,911]

 

VHL: The Sister Cities Rebranding

 

Because I’m a bit of a nerd, I get fascinated by random things. One that grabbed me recently is the idea of Sister Cities, or Twin Towns as they’re known in the U.K. As the story (on Wikipedia) goes, there has long been collaboration between cities in various locales. But the idea of a formal arrangement began during World War II, when the English city of Coventry began exchanging telegrams with the Soviet city of Stalingrad. Both cities had experienced tragic bombings, and sent aid and friendship back and forth to foster peace and reconciliation between the former rivals. A tablecloth embroidered with “Little help is better than a lot of pity” was sent with money to rebuild Stalingrad following the Nazi invasion of the country; the tablecloth still hangs at the Museum of the Battle of Stalingrad today.

 

Following this example, a number of cities joined the organization Sister Cities International. Cities of all sizes now have “sisters” in countries around the world. This caught my attention because if you walk to the train station connected to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, banners commemorating these sister cities hang prominently - Chicago alone has more than a dozen sister cities across the globe.

 

So what does this mean for the VHL? Well, I figure it’d be good to spread the wealth. If VHL teams were to move from their current locations, I think it’d be helpful to move them to a Sister City of their current location. That way, they could have new branding, but still maintain a connection (and fans) with the previous team. Plus, it could help the VHL expand hockey’s reach in areas that might not have a current NHL team - a problem that afflicts the current VHL roster.

 

With that in mind, here’s my pick for the city and team name that would result from moving current VHL franchises to their sister cities. Team names are chosen based on something interesting about the city, so ignore if it sounds ridiculous (which it probably does).

 

Calgary Wranglers -> Jaipur Roses

Team colors: Pink and black

 

The largest city in the northwest Indian state of Rajasthan, Jaipur is known as the “Pink City” due to a large number of pink buildings in its old city. This would not only provide a very unique color combination to the VHL spectrum, but it would also introduce VHL hockey to South Asia - no VHL/VHLE/VHLM franchise has ever played in the country. The Roses name fits with the pink theme, but it could also provide some interesting graphical opportunities and something a bit more flowery (pardon the pun) to what can sometimes be a standard choice of logos.

 

Chicago Phoenix -> Mexico City Quetzal

Team colors: Teal and red

 

As mentioned above, there is a whole host of options that I could choose for Chicago’s sister city, from Athens to Shanghai to two existing VHL cities in Prague and Toronto. So why am I choosing a pre-existing VHLM city in Mexico City? Because I think the synergy in going from the Phoenix with the Quetzal - or specifically to Quetzalcoatl - is too great. The Aztecs believed the god Quetzalcoatl helped create the earth; Quetzalcoatl was likely formed from the majestic Quetzal birds that still roam the earth today. It’s a nice piece of synergy between the two franchises.

 

D.C. Dragons -> Brussels Dinos

Team colors: Yellow and black

 

The D.C. Dragons are named after a creature of myth and legend. Well, if we’re moving from the capital of the U.S. to the capital of Belgium, why not take a cue from myth and legend once again? According to Wikipedia, the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences houses the world's largest hall completely dedicated to dinosaurs, with its collection of 30 fossilized Iguanodon skeletons. I don’t know what color Iguanodons were supposed to be, but I do know that yellow and black is part of the Belgian flag and would be a unique mix for our teams here, so that’s our selection.

 

Los Angeles Stars -> St. Petersburg Knights

Team colors: Black and white

 

We’re eventually going to be moving a team away from Moscow in this series, but I don’t want to ignore Russia entirely. As a result we’re ending up in St. Petersburg, the country’s second largest city, which obviously has a large KHL presence but our team will be cooler. For branding, I’m staying away from overtly pro-Russia imagery, but I do find it interesting that the chess title of “grandmaster” was first given at a 1914 international tournament within the city from the czar to five players. Queens and kings don’t work here, but Knights would look cool - and give a nod to VHL history.

 

New York Americans -> Tokyo Mecha

Team colors: Silver and blue

 

I strongly considered picking London here just for the memes. I wanted to stay away from Jerusalem with a 39 and a half foot pole. And while taking a VHL team back to Madrid was tempting, I like the idea of some East Asian representation here as well. With Godzilla-like monsters off the board, I loved the idea of going something futuristic and tech-y - and my mind immediately went to Gundam-like robots. I went Mecha here to avoid copyright, but there’s a lot you could do with large robot-like logos and sharp colors that stay similar to what current Americans fans know and love.

 

Seattle Bears -> Reykjavík Glaciers

Team colors: Light blue and maroon

 

I don’t want to go away from the large Nordic influence on the VHL entirely, but I didn’t necessarily want to go to Bergen, Norway either. So this is my compromise, particularly as Iceland has become a major tourist destination for many from North America. Naming a team after volcanoes also seemed mean, so I’m going with a different geological formation in the glaciers. Not particularly fearsome but still imposing, the red would also present a bit of volcanic danger, tie into the Icelandic flag, and give a nod to the former Bears franchise. 

 

Toronto Legion -> HC Forza Milano

Team colors: Red and yellow

 

Milan, Italy, has a renowned sporting heritage, particularly with the football clubs AC Milan and Inter Milan. But it’s a nearby attraction that I’m taking inspiration from for the name - the Monza racing circuit is right outside the city, home of Italy’s primary Formula 1 race and the epicenter of Ferrari’s global influence. With colors inspired by Ferrari and a similar stallion-inspired logo, the Forza Milano franchise would bring in a lot of crossover fans. Or maybe I just have Italy on the brain with Bucatini as my current player.

 

Vancouver Wolves -> Edinburgh Nessies

Team colors: Blue and green

 

What, you thought we were supposed to be moving London to Edinburgh? Forget that, let’s just cut out all of the middle men and move Vancouver halfway across the globe. The reasons for a team in Edinburgh have been well-stated, and I love the idea of naming a team after the Loch Ness Monster. In my mind’s eye I envision the branding as similar to the collegiate baseball team the Vermont Lake Monsters, just with a Scottish spin that really highlights the blue. I also wouldn’t be opposed to the Highlanders or something with similar colors if the Nessies would be too close to the Dinos.

 

HC Davos Dynamo -> Colorado Aspens

Team colors: Dark green and white

 

Davos only has three sister cities. Unhelpfully, two of them are a ski town in France, and a suburb of Nagano, Japan. But the third one may be somewhat helpful - Aspen, Colorado, USA. Known as another ski town, I didn’t want to make the branding too similar to the nearby NHL’s Avalanche. But by making a reference to the Aspen tree instead, we can add in a little more nature imagery as well as a green color palette that would be distinct from the Avalanche’s maroon. Thankfully the rich Davos fans have another ski town to visit to watch some hockey.

 

Helsinki Titans -> Gothenburg Lions

Team colors: Blue and yellow

 

 

Well shit. I knew I might run into this, but I didn’t think it’d be a city the size of Helsinki. With that in mind, I turned to sister cities for Turku, which had a VHLM franchise back in the day. There, I found a bunch of other historical VHL cities, including two current VHLE cities in Bratislava and Cologne. But it’s a city that was also briefly VHL-affiliated that caught my eye: Gothenburg, Sweden. Gothenburg was founded by Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus, who was known as "the Lion from the North" from his involvement in the Thirty Years War. The seal of arms for the city also similarly features a lion, in the blue and yellow Swedish colors. Works for me.

 

London United -> Bogotá Warriors

Team colors: Emerald green and gold

 

As far as I’m aware, there has never been a VHL franchise located in South America. We’re changing that by placing the London franchise in the third largest city on the continent, Bogotá, Colombia. For the branding, I’m taking a cue from the Muisca people, whose confederation of peoples that founded the city were one of the best organized indigenous peoples on the continent. The Muisca warriors known as güeches were chosen by merit and attitude rather than class, and often adorned in the emeralds and gold that characterize the region. Given the colonialism England’s done in its day, it feels right to give something back.

 

Malmo Nighthawks -> Tallinn Rally

Team colors: Maroon and white

 

There aren’t too many options for Malmo’s sister city, but I think we’ve got a great one in Tallinn. The capital of winter sports-loving Estonia, Tallinn has also produced its fair share of rally and racing drivers, dating back to the country’s Soviet Union days in which many of the USSR’s rally drivers would hail from the region. It’s from that tradition that we draw this name, and in doing so introduce a new color to the VHL color palette - maroon (almost brown), drawing from the dirt that’s kicked up from the rally cars. Maybe not the most pleasing to the eye, but I think can be a good color in the right designer’s hands.

 

Moscow Menace -> Dubai Thoroughbreds

Team colors: Gold and red

 

There are a couple different ways I could go with Moscow’s sister city, particularly in Asia with Seoul, Beijing and Manila. But let’s be real, every good league needs to have a villain. It’s why I called for Vasteras to be returned to the VHL for so many years. And if you put a team in Dubai, you’re going to have a villain quickly - something that the Moscow fans may be used to anyway. We’re really going to lean into it with an expensive racehorse logo, with an accompanying gold and red color scheme. You might not want to, but I think it’d be fun to play here and thumb my nose at the rest of the VHL.

 

Prague Phantoms -> Phoenix Outlaws

Team colors: Tan and black

 

If we’re moving so many teams out of North America, then it stands to reason that we need to move a few back in. Plus, it’s not like the Phoenix area has an NHL team or anything (cue laugh track). I don’t want to go full Coyotes here, but I do think I can draw from the old American West heritage with a cowboy theme. The tan that is part of the wardrobe isn’t a color you see in sports logos too often either, and could stand out with so many reds and greens in the palette so far.

 

Riga Reign -> Dallas Kings

Team colors: Orange and blue

 

Similar to the last team, we’re headed back to the U.S. here. This time, we’re erasing the Dallas Stars from memory similar to how they erased the Minnesota North Stars from memory (not that Minnesota fans are bitter or anything). I want to stay away from the Cowboys imagery here for obvious reasons to American football fans, but we can take some cues from the Reign’s former branding. The Kings are already a hockey team as well, sure, but if you don’t think we can steal that too, you’ve never been to Texas.

 

Warsaw Predators -> Rio de Janeiro Toucans

Team colors: Orange and green

 

We’re ending this by creating a South American rivalry, which I think would be a lot of fun. We’re also going to take the Predators, which I find to be a pretty generic name, and give them the exact opposite by calling a team the Toucans. There aren’t many orange and green combinations out there but I really like the colors, and the Toucans would be a unique team name that isn’t used anywhere else. Maybe Brazil isn’t a hockey center yet, but I plan on making it one through the new Toucans dynasty.

 

[CowboyinAmerica 2,911]

2000+ words

 

For the weeks ending:

4/14

4/21

4/28

5/5

[jacobcarson877 2,563]

Alright @Frank, you move Vancouver to Scotland and I'll move London to Quebec, and then we'll trade teams. Deal?

[Victor 11,021]

Moving the Los Angeles Stars but bringing in the Dallas Kings, genius.

[CowboyinAmerica 2,911]

On 4/8/2024 at 5:44 PM, CowboyinAmerica said:

2000+ words

 

For the weeks ending:

4/14

4/21

4/28

5/5

 

Claim 3

[CowboyinAmerica 2,911]

On 4/8/2024 at 6:44 PM, CowboyinAmerica said:

2000+ words

 

For the weeks ending:

4/14

4/21

4/28

5/5

 

Claim 4