Some of these early seasons have a lot of moving parts so the write-ups might be a little long to get all the details out, but I've been scaling them down in the future to make them tighter, so hang in there! The show's just getting started. Might get wild! For simplicity, I've taken to labeling the seasons by a single year (instead of 1960-61, etc) so the "offseason" period will be in the year the new season starts. I'm not tracking specific months so just imagine a single season/year to be over the course of the winter but will be labeled as the fall/winter season that it started in. I also had to sacrifice one of my favorite identities, the Kodiaks, but hang in there, we're hitting the streets to bring 'em back!

1961 OFFSEASON

The Demise of the Kodiaks

After a disastrous first season in Kirlow where the team only won three games, Bernard Willard packed up and moved the team to his hometown Lecayne and changed the team name to the Saints, citing the poor condition of the Delba Arena in Kirlow as the primary reason for the abrupt departure. The people of Kirlow were devastated and angry at Willard, and immediately began bombarding the league office to veto the move, starting a Bring Back the Kodiaks campaign that hit national media. Several interested parties emerged but the city will have to figure out a way to finance a new arena before a team can come back to the city. Meanwhile, Willard dropped the navy and brown for purple and gold and ignored the backlash. He immediately fired Steve Scarborough, who was brought in as an assistant by Kirkenport, and hired Merle Sharp to lead the new team in Lecayne.

1961 LECAYNE SAINTS




Quick Facts:

• City: Lecayne, Lismane
• Nickname: Saints (formerly Kodiaks)
• Owner: Bernard Willard
• Head Coach: Merle Sharpe
• Home Ice: Fountain Center

About the City:

The city of Lecayne is one of the gems of Torland. Known as the Fountain City for its many beautiful fountains built into the numerous French-styled roundabouts, the city is filled with trees and majestic buildings and architecture. Lauded by many poets and great artists, Lecayne is also home to many centers of religion and boasts some of the most ornate cathedrals in the country. Originally founded as a missionary base and monastery within the confines of a fortified town square at the point of Langlois Channel and the Strager River, Lecayne grew as a center for learning and founded a top level university similar in respect to Notre Dame, athletically also known as the Saints. The old monastery is now the center of the city as the area has flourished with all age groups. The economy fluctuates with the generations and bouts between the "old guard" who are constantly pushing tight rules and prohibition and the young college students and politicians who are perusing more liberal arts and lifestyles. Sports have been strong in the city, with the collegiate sports and baseball teams leading the way.

About the Identity:

A Fleur-de-lis wrapped around a capital L and topped with a golden halo create the primary mark for the new Saints of Lecayne. Some criticized Willard for ripping off the local university name for his pro team, but he grew up watching the college sports and wanted to keep the same name. Purple and gold were chosen, along with Torland-classic off-white. An oversized logo was placed over a horizontal chest band along with some simple thick-thin striping.

Other Player Transactions Around the League

Chasonne followed quickly with an international signing of Swedish forward Ingmar Frisk to bolster their top line with Lou D'Angelo and provide a scoring punch. The 22-year-old Frisk is a no-nonsense kind of player with a steady hand on the puck. The Trowburgh Lions signed Chauncey Levesque, a solid forward from Cobantle. Reigning champs Portarra stood pat on their roster.

The Anchors double-dipped in the international pool in Dutch forward Joeri Van Dalen and Polish forward Stefan Ostrowski, who they then sent to Lecayne along with D Mitch Metz via trade for standout D Carey Waggoners. “Wags” will bring a massive upgrade to the Anchors back line and Van Dalen will bolster a shaky second forward line. The newly minted Saints acquire a viable scoring threat in Ostrowski and is a player they can start to build a team around.

Up next: 1961 Season

I guess for now, I’m a whales fan. Well, until hockey comes to San Estas, that is.

1961 REGULAR SEASON



In the wake of the debacle in Kirlow, the newly-branded Saints in Lecayne had high hopes for a better showing. Instead, it got worse. With favored linemate Carey Waggoners now in Port Alrene, defenseman Chauncey Lombard couldn't handle the added minutes and dealt with multiple injuries. New acquisition Stefen Ostrowski provided some scoring and skating but the team posted a measly offering of goals for the second season in a row as the Saints went 4-8-48. Down in Trowbugh, despite the high optimism in the locker room and general positivity from ownership and coaching staff, the Lions regressed as the Wentz brothers each suffered pulled hamstrings. Reynaldo Redden aged quickly and didn't show any of the same prowess as the previous season. The team seemingly accidentally won 4 games and fans grew restless and tired of the team.

The reigning Marcotte Cup champions in Portarra stood pat on their roster and failed to see much carryover from their successful championship run. Goalie Maxwell Blunt had a string of injuries and though backup Thurman Reese filled in admirably, the life seemed to be drawn from the Whales as the entire forward unit lost their scoring touch. Defensive captain Anton O'Reilly held down the fort but the Whales dropped 13 games from 1960 and fell to fourth place.

The upstart Captains took advantage of Portarra's struggles and found creative ways to score behind forward Byron Peachey as they posted 111 goals to lead them to 33 wins. Gerry McKnight showed massive improvement from his rookie campaign in the net and the addition of Finnish defenseman Lauri Rikhard proved to be a masterstroke. Concerns over his attitude seemed to be unfounded as Rikhard bought into the rough-and-tumble style of the Kirk boys.

At the top of the leaderboard, the Chasonne Heralds again used their abilities to creatively win games to find themselves with 44 wins and a top seed. Defensive captain Paul Kauffman was brilliant in all facets of the game. New addition Ingmar Frisk, a Swedish forward with a balanced skill set, formed a solid chemistry with Lou D'Angelo for a potent one-two punch. Looming in second place, the Anchors, with fresh additions in D Carey Waggoners and Dutch forward Joeri Van Dalen, improved to 41 wins as star forward Gary Wisniewski led the team to another league high pace in goals. The Wiz took home MVP honors, as he just edged past Paul Kauffman. Wags and Lehman were a lethal pair on the back line as Ferdy Haight showed enough improvement to take home Best Goalie.


The top four teams remained the same as the previous year, but with vastly different storylines and conditions.

Playoff Preview

Heralds vs Whales
The Whales are reigning champs and a proud bunch, but injuries have been a problem. The Heralds have been the best team in the league and are ready to dethrone the champs. Can the battered Whales keep pace with Chasonne?

Anchors vs Captains
The boys in red and gold are back for blood, coming up short in their last appearance. With new additions and Gary Wiz nearly unstoppable, they feel good about their chances. The Kirk Boys have made big strides but still lack that star to carry them ahead. Can the Captains find a way to best the Anchors?

Up next: 1961 Playoffs

Go Heralds!! Our first Marcotte Cup run felt like a deja vu (Former fan of the Flying Tigers).

This is the year!

1962 OFFSEASON

New Supplier On the Block, Zeal Makes Their Mark


With several uniform and apparel supply companies vying for big contracts with the new league, upstart Trowburgh-based company Zeal Athletics made their move first, acquiring 5-year deals with Port Alrene and Chasonne to be their uniform and apparel providers. Zeal's focus is to serve the team identity while also providing the best materiel and a bold style. Zeal sweaters will include a square patch sewn into the inside of the neck area of the sweater with their trademark cursive Z logo.

Zeal's updated set for Port Alrene included a dark shade of brick due to a different lot, a slimmer shoulder yoke, and an updated logo on the white away sweater. For Chasonne, the main change was the inclusion of light Columbia blue into the color palette, a staple and strong point of identity for the city. The updated logo was added to both sweaters while the striping was adjusted to include thin additions of the light blue.




Goodbye Lions, Hello Falcons

The sunny optimism ran out in Trowburgh as the team sank to new lows and nearly went bankrupt. Owner Leo Rankin sold the franchise rights for the Lions back to the city of Trowburgh and took his roster to a more familiar city in Yubay and named them the Falcons with new colors of black and red. Rankin struck gold in signing budding young Russian star Geno Pasternak to lead the new team. Danish defenseman Theodor Pedersen was signed to lend some help to Connie Milliken. Rankin fired Larry Kirkpatrick and hired Rudolph Nichols and Rod Shelton to coach the Falcons. Neither is considered a premier coach but Kirkpatrick had worn out his welcome.

1962 YUBAY FALCONS




Quick Facts:

• City: Yubay, Tamokeva
• Nickname: Falcons (formerly Lions)
• Owner: Leo Rankin
• Head Coach: Rudolph Nichols
• Home Ice: Yertas Arena - Yubay, TK

About the City:

Known as the "Frozen City" for its location in the northwest corner of Torland which receives severe winter weather, the city of Yubay is anything but frozen in their extroverted culture and ideals. It is one of the largest cities in Torland, though not often seen as a true tourist destination, Yubay is a bustling, sprawling port as the gateway to the western Pacific and the Asias. With a deep water harbor in the Yertas Bay, shipping is able to stay active even during the harsh winter months of ice and snow. The city is both large and crowded, with a mish-mash of streets and infrastructure haphazardly placed due to the summer frenzy of construction every year during the sunny months. The city is packed with manufacturers, businesses large and small, factories, warehouses, industrial plants, all utilizing the numerous docks and wharves and modes of transportation. The city is also home to some of Torland's few oil refineries and crude oil businesses who use the seaport as a headquarters for rigs in the Pacific. Yubay has a large Russian and eastern Asian population, and is known as an immigrant-friendly city, though it has also caused the city to be divided into cultural quarters. The Yertas River, coming down from the northern points of the Tamokeva Mountains for which the long west-coast state is named, essentially divides the city in half and creates a natural rivalry and factions within the greater city populace. The eastern half, also known as the Niko Side, is considered more upscale and more wealthy. The western half, known as the Sava Side, is decidedly lower class, with larger dirty businesses and immigrant communities fostering a rougher exterior. Popular mythology is that Sava and Niko, the early settlers of the area, were once friends but had a vicious land dispute and took different sides of the river, never to speak to another again. While the truth of the origin story is in doubt, the difference between the sides of the city are quite stark. Yubay is in constant cultural clash because of it, but are diehard supporters of their city and lands. The economy is strong, even if the city is constantly divided, and people have continued to flock to the area. Hockey is essentially the official sport of the area and strongly followed.

See a Map of Yubay: https://i.imgur.com/gUeSgJg.png

About the Identity:

Since Rankin had to sell his Lions identity back to Trowburgh to make the move to Yubay, he decided to dip into local history for the new name. The falcon imagery was seen from the very early days of settlement from the indigenous tribes who made their home in the area. The settlers adopted the symbol for themselves, though later it became more to be associated with the Sava Side of Yubay, along with the colors of black and red since many of the immigrants find work on oil rigs or in the refineries. A majestic, fierce winged black falcon was created with an embedded Y shape and silver rainbow representing the frozen sky over a red roundel.

Player Transactions Around the League

Despite an even worse record for the new Saints in Lecayne, owner Bernard Willard kept optimism for the future and signed Namverg product Carson Damico to bolster the blue line and international prospect Frenchman Alan-Edgar Fortier to backup Darling in the net.

Kirkenport, desperate for help in their top line behind all-star Byron Peachey, dipped again into the international pool and brought in 24-year-old Russian winger Aleksander Volkov. The Heralds signed second liner Clive Jewett previously in Trowburgh while both the Anchors and Whales made no signings.

Future Amateur Draft Announced

With the top heavy talent balance, Commissioner Marcotte has announced that a more standardized draft would be instituted soon which would include eligible international prospects unless they had accrued a certain number of pro seasons in other leagues, where they then would be eligible to sign with any team. This came along with the rise of talks of potential new teams, even though the talent is clearly not yet available to subsidize new teams. Standardized drafting would help more evenly distribute talent in the advance of future clubs and league expansion.

Up next: 1962 Season

C&C appreciated, especially on the new identities and looks!