Big fan of the orange and gold look for the Pios

Sevsdast wrote:

Neat! I'm thinking expansion soon because some of the newer teams in the league have been successful.

That'll be an interesting development as one of the complaints about Hatch was that he expanded too much too soon, but with recent success it may change some of new commissioner Pete Byrd's plans.

IDM wrote:

Interesting stuff! Intrigued by the prospect of a shortened season and definitely glad it didn't get cancelled. Sad to see Bukowski hang em up, but at least the Tunes hopefully have his replacement already.

I'll kind of miss the Kings' weird script, but the B-K-crown looks good, obviously. The Pios, on the other hand, is a wild look, but I love it! I didn't expect orange and gold to be able to work together as well as you've made them, and the striping is funky but definitely works. A fun story behind them for sure; it'll be interesting to see if those stick around or if they find a more permanent solution.

Thanks!

Stickman wrote:

Definitely one of the more dramatic off seasons you've had so far, with riots and a removed commissioner.  Shame that Ernie "The Fleece" Bukowski is retired, but it's nice that he had such a good, long career after a dreadful start!   
Gonna be interesting to see how signing David Suvak helps the Quebel Crusaders, who have been a fairly quiet team in the league so far.  Could help push them over the top and help make a run at a title!

1986's draft ought to be a good one, since this year's draft was so minimum.  Those deep draft classes are always fun to see who lands the big name and who lands the flops.

Bancana Kings: No complaints here from their home logo change.  The B-K-Crown works fine here and keeps up the simplistic, yet appealing look that the Kings have always had.

Portarra Pioneers: As a huge fan of their old orange and navy look, it was a bit shocking to see this new design!  Don't get me wrong, after 13 years, it was time to play around with the design, but this uniform definitely... goes places.  On the one hand, I think you did a really great job with this, considering this is a very bright orange and gold look, (and color combo I wouldn't have imagined would ever work, yet it actually is pretty neat here).  Strangely, losing navy doesn't hurt the look all that badly, as they really stand out now as possibly the brightest looking team in the league (and bounces off the darker navy and red Portarra Whales well) The new cursive wordmark looks neat, and the indented stripe is unique for sure.  

On the hand, losing the cowboy hat, (which was to me a pretty defining feature of that team's design) sort of makes this team's look lose a bit of its soul.  The cursive wordmark being alone makes the team look a little generic, though the backstory makes it clear why this design was picked.  Speaking of that... The backstory was pretty hilarious as it proves this only got chosen out of necessity due to the owner taking too long to make a choice! 

Overall, it's very different, but it actually could work for the Pioneers with some modifications!  Definitely hope the cowboy hat comes back, adding navy back would compliment the orange and gold nicely, though I think you could find a way to make just orange and gold work too.  Very interesting take on this team.

You know we do around here, we like the drama! haha. Thanks for the great feedback!

I agree the cowboy hat needs to return, which I think we'll see happen at least as a secondary logo as that has become a strong part of their identity. I think the navy will return to the palette as well to some degree.

Scratch wrote:

Bancana is an easy upgrade and I think that completes the perfect identity for them! The Pioneers took a cue from the cha cha slide, more specifically the line in the song exclaiming, “this time we’re going to get funky”. The Pioneers have absolutely grown on me over time, and this change, while extreme, puts them right on the same playing field as the Captains. One of my favorite 70s identities came from the Philadelphia/Vancouver Blazers who sported a similar orange/yellow look that I wish was prevalent in sports. I like the striping, the colors are great, I would buy one of each with Walker on the back. Only nitpick is the shoulders on the white. I know orange would throw off the consistency but it seems like a lot of yellow. Also, that’s a great logo for the time. Where’s the inspiration come from?

​Honestly I don't have a lot of wordmark logos in the THL and I wanted to add one into the mix before the 80's ended and the crazy 90's began.

S30 wrote:

Big fan of the orange and gold look for the Pios

Thanks!

QCS wrote:

The Kings change is an obvious upgrade, but oh man do I love that Pioneers look. The orange and yellow just works for me and it's a great new look for the team.

Appreciate that!

I like the additional depth, and getting to see how the teams trend throughout the year.

I don't like how poorly my Blazers have played.

Hey guys. Sometimes you have awesome plans and then life gets in the way and throws you a Randy Johnson fastball that kills birds mid-pitch. OK, maybe not that dramatic, but life has been pretty crazy lately with a new job, moving into a new place and playing hockey IRL. I really wanted to do a fun weekly format for the 1985 season, but I already know it just won't happen. So I'm making an executive decision to change course and go back to my usual format so I can continue moving forward with this project as I'm excited about the upcoming content and seasons which I've had prepared for awhile. I hope nobody is too disappointed. At some point, I'll still go back and make all the graphics for the short season for my future THL blog/website, but for now I just had to realize that was way too much work for me to do right now. Thanks for understanding!

Meanwhile, here is the 1985 season in the usual format.

1985 (Shortened 48-Games) Season:

With Commissioner Byrd forging ahead with the season despite national turmoil, the teams prepared to play in limited capacity stadiums and facilities. With martial law still in effect in many cities, most of the training camps were cancelled. Most teams only had a few days or a week to prepare for the short season in what figures to be a chaotic season.



Willard Division: Bill Bronkowski followed up his rookie campaign with a banger as he cruised to Best Forward and League MVP as he and defenseman Eli Priestley led the young Whales to a second straight division title and 2nd-best record. The Rockets rode tough defense from Pat Ossola and a fantastic year in the net from Geoff Thatchkin to a playoff berth. Just behind Fort Bevin was the Pioneers who had a difficult year but were able to squeak into the playoffs as a wildcard. The Anchors regressed even further as the team looks like a mess and couldn't get out of the starting block. The Serpents saw some progress of their very young team even as the offense was non-existent.

Hatch Division: The Herons, fresh from a tough year, saw a hot start out of the gate lead them back to the playoffs and the top of the league behind an invigorated Mozzy Turk. Goalie Jonah Urban made an All-Star berth with great play in the net for Trowburgh. After a rough start for the Blazers and Swans, both teams rebounded and dueled for the second spot. The Swans edged ahead after a scoring revival from Sam Toivonen. Prestonburg rode tough defense from Jan Mikulec, who won Best Defenseman, to a playoff berth as young forward Eric Jorgensen also came on strong. The Neptunes had a strong team year but we're able to find a burst late in the season to break through, while the Kodiaks and Wizards both had dismal seasons. Alko saw hope in best rookie Sam Sebastian who showed he belongs in the big leagues. Kirlow's offense was putrid and crippled the team.

Elam Division: The Heralds had a difficult year as they seemed to be in a funk, starting with Gian Guiliano who didn't look like his usual self. Chasonne slipped out of the playoffs as a result which allowed the Crusaders and Barbarians to battle it out for the division. Quebel took the lead late for the title behind a scoring punch from David Suvak. Guilden fought hard and finished just 2 points behind first place for the second spot. The Saints' experiment with Pekka Jokinen continued to backfire as he brought the whole team down and caused a major distraction in the locker room and will almost certainly be traded. The Captains predictably had major ups and downs as their young team is growing.

Rankin Division: Only the Electrics could emerge from the pack in the crowded Rankin as Leo Stendahl continued his torrid scoring to bring them to another division title. Fighting for second place was a three-way race between Abrieden, Bancana, and the Falcons. The Bucks rode a breakout performance from Earnest Schultz to inch ahead for the playoff berth as Pete Lentini's Kings dealt with too many injuries and the Falcons were unable to help Geno get one last playoff even with Kazlauskas playing well. Kurohara had big plans after acquiring John Jurski but their play was uninspired and lacked mental toughness. The Glaciers predictably struggled as they are in heavy roster transition.



Playoff Preview

Barbarians vs Pioneers
Both teams fought to get into the playoffs. Which team will keep the fight going?

Bucks vs Blazers
The Bucks have been incredibly lucky while the Blazers have found tough defense. Is it better to be lucky?

Electrics vs Rockets
Fort Bevin is a tough team to play against but Kavalos has a very talented roster. Does toughness beat talent?

Crusaders vs Swans
Both teams have followed the same script: A typically stout defense lost a step but saw a scoring punch from emerging forwards. Who does it better?

Byes: Herons, Whales


C&C always appreciated!

Up next: 1985 playoffs

Tragic to see the Glaciers so bad, but at least the Falcons didn't make the playoffs. I like the Herons, Whales, and Swans, hopefully one of them do well.