Anaheim's new AHL affiliate named San Diego Gulls
/A month ago, the Anaheim Ducks announced they were moving their AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals, to San Diego for the 2015-16 season — part of a larger effort to create a new Pacific Division in the AHL.
Today, it was announced at San Diego HockeyFest the new team will be named the San Diego Gulls — paying tribute to a hockey identity that dates back almost half a century.
Along with the name, the new logo was also unveiled (above). It's an update of the Gulls logo that was used in the WCHL and ECHL from 1995 to 2006.
The new logo pays homage to the legacy of the WCHL Gulls logo and features the Ducks color palette and other design elements, including the Ducks trademark windswept font.
A touch of the signature Gulls blue was added to the Ducks color palette to embrace the hockey history and tradition of the community. The club's new colors are orange, black, and blue.
The team's uniforms have not yet been unveiled.
The first team named the San Diego Gulls were formed in 1966 in the Western Hockey League. That team shut down in 1974 when the WHA came to town.
The name was resurrected in 1990 by an expansion team in the International Hockey League. That club moved to Los Angeles in 1995.
The West Coast Hockey League added a third iteration of the San Diego Gulls that same year. And those Gulls won five WCHL championships in eight years before the league was absorbed by the ECHL in 2003. But by 2006, money problems put the club out of business.
The Gulls are now the third team impacted by the AHL's Pacific Division shift to unveil their logo for next season. All three are updates of old designs.
Where's the creativity, folks?
But having said that, I do like this choice. Gulls is the only name that makes sense and this is a solid logo with great colors.
I like the hidden bird between the L and S and the use of the Ducks-style font. It all comes together nicely. Agree or disagree?
San Diego Gulls, 1995—2006 (WCHL/ECHL)