New York Americans -> Yukon Rush

[scoop 3,447]

The Yukon Rush were a team that had several devout fans. They first came into existence as a VHLM team during the league's first expansion in Season 31. Full disclosure: I was the creator of the team as well as its first general manager, so I am definitely biased towards them. That's not to say that I am alone in my despair that the team is currently defunct. If you look back at the announcement that the Rush, playing in Geneva at the time, were being removed from the VHLE, there were several members vocal in wanting to see the Rush return to Yukon. While others may try to find a way to get them back into the VHLM, I think they would make a fine addition to the VHL, in part because I believe there is one particular VHL team that is in massive need of a new identity.

 

The New York Americans franchise was one of the original eight, though they began as the Hamilton Canucks. It was in Season 7 that the team moved to New York and became the Americans. I wasn't around at that time, and I am unfamiliar with how the rebranding was received, but I do know that the team had a poor reputation for how it was managed, particularly in the early seasons. Although that era of the Americans did not last forever, and the team did begin to turn around when new management took over for Robbie Zimmers, they were still one of the least successful teams during the first couple decades of the VHL. Just as I have ties to the Rush, I am also linked to the Americans as well. I served as the team's general manager in Season 17 and Season 18, and then again from Season 22 to Season 29. I helped turn around the team from being one of the worst, and ushered in an era where New York was one of the best several decades of play.

 

It can be argued when the era of the Americans as the class of the VHL truly began. We never won a championship under my leadership, though I did lead them to four straight finals losses long before Spartan came along. From Season 32 to Season 53, the Americans won six Continental Cups. If we expand that range back to Season 25, they reached the finals in 13 of 29 seasons. In the 38 seasons from S24 to S61, they made the playoffs 30 times and the Conference Finals 26 times. Although the team had quite a long stretch where it was undeniably one of the most successful teams, I don't think this era of the team makes it untouchable when it comes to relocation or rebranding.

 

The Americans have had very little success other than the above mentioned run. Outside of that 38-season span (granted, that is over 40% of the VHL's lifetime), the team has just two finals appearances (S13, S14) and one championship (S14). Amazingly, they were able to move up to a tie for the third-most championships in league history when they won their seventh in Season 53. Having not won since then, however, they have fallen back down the list. All six of the other original eight franchises that still exist, as well as Vancouver, who has 30 fewer seasons, have now won more championships. New York behind all other remaining original franchises in playoff, conference finals, and VHL finals appearances. The franchise had a very successful era, but that era of the team is long gone.

 

Now that I've established that the franchise is one of the least successful overall, let's move on to the team branding. To be completely honest, I did not like the Americans as a team name even back when I was general manager, and I regret not making an attempt to rebrand the team at some point during my time in charge. Speaking on the name, the 'Americans' can potentially be alienating to some members of the league. While I do not think people are going to be offended by the name, or turned away from the league in general because of it, I do not think it does any favors for the success of the franchise. The logo is nothing special, and is in fact very similar to the United; does the league really need to red, white, and blue flag-themed shield logos? We have a lot of red and blue in the logos around the league, so I think something a little more unique would be nice. While I do not have concrete data to back this up, I would wager that the Americans would place high on a 'least favorite branding' poll while also not having many would would call it their favorite.

 

Let's look back at the Rush, now. Why, in particular, should New York relocate to Yukon to revive the Rush? Well, I don't necessarily think it has to be New York, but the Rush are a team that would be supported, and I think New York is most in need of a rebranding in terms of VHL teams. While the Rush could maybe return to the VHLM if there is a team in need of a refresh (I do not pay enough attention to the VHLM to know or care), I would love to see them make the move to the VHL. New York could use a change, and the most beloved defunct team is right there. I do think this, however, is where my bias comes into play the most; given that I do not care greatly for the VHLM, seeing the Rush in the VHL would mean so much more to me. I know it's been a long time since I have been GM of New York, but I still hold the Americans franchise as dear to me, so from a personal perspective, to see them take up the Rush mantle would be particularly meaningful.

 

I may be delusional to think that this would ever happen, so I'm going to try to take an objective standpoint for a moment. Do the Rush really fit as a VHL team? Rather, should we really put a VHL team in Yukon? Just think about putting a team there, and comparing that to the other North American markets where we have, or could have, teams. Yukon, of course, is not a city, but a Canadian territory. I think it's fair to say the team would "play" their home games in Whitehorse, the capital. With a population of roughly 28,000, it would be the second-least populated VHL city ahead of only Davos; but Davos has major cities nearby, unlike Whitehorse. Yukon would be a massive outlier in terms of the market, though we are not actually trying to attract fans to an arena. I do understand that some people are going to have a difference of a opinion than me on this, but I am okay with putting a team anywhere, as long as the name makes sense.

 

Undoubtedly, I have my own personal reasons to want to see the Rush return, but I know others want to see it as well. While I don't think the Americans are a favorite team, I do not actually know what the support looks like for having them relocating be the means by which we see a return to Yukon. I think it makes sense from many angles, not the least of which is my personal desire. A blue and gold color scheme would be more unique than what the Americans have to offer. The Rush are a more beloved team, and a new identity could help revitalize the franchise. I think it would at least help to take away the stigma of the team as, quite frankly, terrible and replace it with an aura of excitement that would come with the return of the Yukon Rush.

[Victor 11,021]

12 hours ago, scoop said:

I did lead them to four straight finals losses long before Spartan came along

trailblazer

 

Interesting, it feels like the original seven are untouchable at this point but NY has to be the easiest to cull if we truly want something fresh.

[scoop 3,447]

43 minutes ago, Victor said:

Interesting, it feels like the original seven are untouchable at this point but NY has to be the easiest to cull if we truly want something fresh.

Agreed. I can dream, though.

[scoop 3,447]

claim 2 of 2

[Spartan 4,531]

On 4/15/2024 at 12:28 AM, scoop said:

We never won a championship under my leadership, though I did lead them to four straight finals losses long before Spartan came along

bro...