Epic! Im excited to see these teams and watch the story unfold. The league logo gives that NHL feel without being the same thing, I dig it.

Looking forward to this!

Alright!  This should be good!  I'm loving your ambition, starting all the way back from 1920!   Best of luck and I can't wait to see how this turns out!

Glad the everyone's enjoying it so far! Let's hope this lives up to the hype.

Time to introduce the 12 founding teams!

I would be wise in picking which team to support, there’s gonna be a lot of movement, expansion and contraction early in the league’s history, so your team might not be around for long. Make the right choice!

Binghamton Bears

The league’s smallest market, the Binghamton Bears were founded in 1896 and held up very well in New York tournaments. They have a very dedicated fanbase, and the city lives and breathes Bears. The jump from amateur to professional might not be for long, but Burris was willing to give the team a try to potentially inspire other small markets.

The team’s logo is a B, for both Binghamton and Bears (wow!), the colours are green and gold, and the jersey features two small gold stripes on either arm.

Brooklyn Kings

A brand new team for the MHL, Burris has always been intrigued about a potential franchise in Brooklyn. Seeing the popularity of baseball’s Dodgers convinced him that they could support a team of their own. The Kings name was chosen by Burris, because he “felt like it worked”.

The team’s colours are black and white, and their logo consists of a B with a crown. The jersey is quite simple, a black sweater with white trim.

Buffalo Colts

The Colts are one of the few teams that played in two seperate tournaments, as they were considered members of both Ontario and New York’s associations. They had decent success, but were never considered juggernauts. Still, their skill level was considered good enough to be part of the MHL.

The team’s colours are purple and white. The logo features a kicking colt, and their jerseys consists of a purple base with several small white stripes on the arms, hem, and yoke.

Chicago Wildcats

The Wildcats might not be any good, but they’re still very popular. It’s a miracle that the team has existed for as long as they have despite being as mediocre as possible. They haven’t won a single Chicago Cup for hockey, but since they have a rich owner, they managed to sneak in to the MHL. They’re widely believed to be in the basement for the foreseeable future in the MHL, unless they can change their philosophies.

The team’s logo is a big ol’ C, and their colours are red and navy. The jersey features a simple stripe on the arms and hem, and two shoulder stripes across the front and back.

Cleveland Wolves

The Wolves were seen as a longshot to make the MHL because they had no real financial investors, but they gained a spot anyway, in what was seen as a high risk, high reward move. If it paid off, the league would gain a footing in a growing market. If not, then one of the league’s charter teams could fold early on. On the ice the Wolves were still a very strong team despite their off-ice woes.

The team’s logo is an edited shield from the city’s flag. Their colours are maroon and orange. And their jerseys are simply a maroon sweater with orange trim.

Montreal Barons

The Barons, who are a brand new team joining the MHL, were founded by Pierre Perrin, who was descended from a French Baron back when the country was a monarchy. Inspired by this, he named the team after this ancestor. The Barons are one of two teams that represent the city of Montreal, and more specifically, the Barons are the French population’s team.

Their colours are white, red, and blue. The logo is a M for Montreal (wow!), and the jersey features a northwestern stripe with blue and red.

Montreal Greys

With the Barons catering to Montreal’s French community, the Greys are the team for the city’s English community. Burris was the mastermind behind this, as he hoped this would lead to a fierce rivalry and more exposure for the league. The team name actually comes from a previous team, which is technically unrelated to this team but they gained permission to use the name.

The Greys jersey is in a word, interesting. It features a seemingly random alternation of black and grey stripes throughout, and no logo. However, the team has no plans of going with another design, for now. The team doesn’t officially have a logo, so a placeholder of an Old English M or stripes from the jersey are used.

New York Bluebirds

Officially the Blue Bird Hockey Club, they’re more commonly just called the New York Bluebirds. Named after the state’s official bird, they have been the big ticket in town for hockey. Several teams from the Big Apple were interested, but the decision was a no-brainer to include the Bluebirds. They rarely find themselves outmatched, and play a very physical brand of hockey.

The team has two logos: One of a Bluebird that’s actually white instead of blue (whoever designed it should be fired), and one of a NY monogram. The jersey is blue, featuring the bird logo at the front and the NY logo on the arms. There’s also some small orange and white stripes on the sleeves and hem.

Ottawa Lumbermen

The Lumbermen are the pride and joy of Ottawa, Ontario. The city loves them to death, and the city seems to stop when they play. Even Burris is convinced the team’s supporters are the most passionate in the world “There is nothing quite like a Lumbermen match in the fine city of Ottawa”, he said. However, despite the support, they are quite lacking on talent, and are projected to be in the basement in the league’s inaugural days.

The team’s colours are black, red, and white. The logo consists of an axe in a shield, with the club’s initials in each of the shield’s 3 corners. The jersey consists of a northwestern pattern in the team colours.

Pittsburgh Internationals

The “Ints” are considered the cream of the crop of the MHL teams. They are one of the oldest hockey franchises in the US. Their name comes from the fact that they were one of the first teams to accept players from all over the world to play. This helped them become THE team to beat not just in Pennsylvania, but the whole country. 

Their colours are black and yellow (obviously). Their logo features the team nickname inside of a letter P, which unintentionally spells out “PINTS”. However, some people are convinced this is no coincidence, as team owner James Bruce was a beer magnate prior to prohibition being enacted. The team’s jersey consists of two thick stripes on the hem and arms.

Toronto Lakers

Officially the Toronto Lakeshore Hockey Club, The Lakers have been the most widely-known team prior to joining the league. Known as the “Beast from Lake Ontario”, they have flat out dominated all Ontario competitions, including winning its amateur cup 7 consecutive times. They’re widely projected to be one of the favourites heading into the league’s inaugural season.

Their colours and blue and white, a homage to Lake Ontario and the snow in the winter. Their jersey features the city’s name across a white chest stripe, and white cuffs. Their official logo is a T, for Toronto. (wow!)

York Royals

With James Burris being from the Toronto area, he very much wanted there to be two teams from the general area. With the Lakers being an obvious choice, there was much debate on what the second team should be. In the end, it was the York Royals that won the spot. They are a strong Ontario team, but were always in the shadow of the Lakers. Of Toronto’s 7 consecutive titles, York was the team they defeated in 5 of them.

The team’s name, logo, and colours come from the city of York in England, as team owner George Stone was born there. The jerseys are a simple red sweater with a yellow stripe on either arm.

Surprises: No team in Beantown?
After the team announcements, there was much discussion on the omission of a team from Boston, as multiple interested parties had been in discussions with the league. However, Burris revealed that none of the teams in discussions believed they could make the switch from amateur to professional in time for the 1920-21 season. Thus, in an agreement with the MHL, the city of Boston would be awarded an expansion team in 1921-22 instead of having an existing team making the leap.

Other cities that showed interest in the league included Detroit, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Hamilton, and Kingston. Burris stated that the door wasn't shut on those cities, and that each city had potential to get their own teams in the future.

Team Identities


The next post will set the stage for the inaugural season, then it's time to start simulating the league's history!