Denver Adds New CHL Team
Last week, the Central Hockey League got a little bit bigger. The minor league will welcome its 15th team for 2012-13 after Denver, Colo. was granted a new franchise.
This news comes only a year after the Centennial State lost its previous CHL team to the ECHL. The Colorado Eagles graduated this past season and are already set to host the next ECHL All-Star Game in 2013.
The CHL's new Denver team will play home games at the Denver Coliseum. According to a league press release, the venue has a quite a history with hockey.
The Denver Coliseum opened in 1952 and is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year and is owned and operated by Arts & Venues Denver, a division of the City and County of Denver. In its past, the Denver Coliseum has hosted the International Hockey League’s Denver Mavericks (1958-59), the Western Hockey League’s Denver Invaders (1963-64), the Western Hockey League’s Denver Spurs (1968-76) and the International Hockey League’s Denver Rangers (1987-89).
“Hockey has been a part of the Coliseum’s history almost since the beginning and we’re excited to see it return,” said Kent Rice, Arts & Venues Denver Executive Director. “The CHL is putting its trust and assets into this community and we’re extremely proud.”
The team's name, colors and logos have not yet been unveiled. But it's safe to say we'll see them before the summer is out. The team takes the ice for the first time this fall.
Looks like Colorado's new CHL team will be named the Denver Cutthroats. According to Denver Post writer Adrian Dater, says the city council mentioned the name and that it references Colorado's official state fish, the greenback cutthroat troat. You can find photos of what that fish looks like here.
Earlier this week, the Denver Business Journal revealed that the team has hired Adrenalin to develop its branding and marketing campaign. That's very good news for logo junkies. Adrenalin is responsible for the Colorado Avalanche logo as well as the 2003-refreshed Phoenix Coyotes logo. You can see more of their work on their website.
The Journal also confirmed the team name, citing documents filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Though apparently Mile High Magic, Denver Gold Miners, and Denver Storm were in the running or at least liked by fans.
Might as well continue the link dump. We can keep an eye on the team's development via their official website. And on Facebook, they're holding a Guess Our Name contest.
So, Denver Cutthroats. We'll look forward to seeing what Adrenalin comes up with this summer.