Man do those Glaciers uniforms look good. Too bad I had to see them as they beat my Whales.

Steelman wrote:

I think Stickman stole my notes.

1968 PLAYOFFS

Semi-Finals


1 Yubay Glaciers vs 4 Kirlow Kodiaks
Despite being pushed around in the first two games, the Kodiaks fired back with three straight wins of their own to push the Glaciers to the very edge. The Glaciers found their rebuttal, however, as Keith MacGarvin posted a Game 6 shutout and Peter Isaksson led the way to a hat trick in Game 7 to secure a tough, exciting series.

Factoid: The Kodiaks have made the playoffs in three of the past four seasons, each time going the distance in a close 7-game series only to lose all three times, twice to the eventual champions.



2 Port Alrene Anchors vs 3 Portarra Whales
The Old Rivalry wasn't quite as dramatic as past clashes, as the Anchors looked good in Game 1 behind a Ferdy Haight classic in the net but the team couldn't find ways to win close games as the Whales notched opportune goals in two OT games and pulled away with the series as Anton O'Reilly added more pages to his resume.

Factoid: Since 1960 when the league began, the Old Rivals in Portarra and Port Alrene have clashed five times in the playoffs, including the 1960 Marcotte Cup which the Whales won. The Whales currently lead their head-to-head playoff games 16-10.


1968 MARCOTTE CUP CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS

1 Yubay Glaciers vs 3 Portarra Whales
The old standard against the young gun, the matchup between the stunning Glaciers and the veteran Whales reminds of the last time an aging Portarra team went up against a young upstart team from Yubay. The Falcons cruised to a Cup that season. The Glaciers showed moxie in a come-from-behind series win against Kirlow and feel even more battle-tested. The Whales have an abundance of postseason experience.


Game 1: POR 1 @ YBG 2 – The young Glaciers were jittery at the start, allowing an early goal to Whales Adam Keenan. But they calmed down and a late 3rd-period bender by Gary Musgrove won it.

Game 2: POR 2 @ YBG 1 (OT) – Netminder Maxwell Blunt only allowed a deflection goal off a friendly skate but was otherwise brilliant, with shades of his younger self. An OT goal by Marlin Parr secured a win to tie up the series before heading to Portarra.

Game 3: YBG 1 @ POR 0 – Keith MacGarvin showed his stuff, stopping nearly 40 shots as the Whales couldn't score. A tip-in at the goalpost by Peter Isaksson provided the winning goal.

Game 4: YBG 2 @ POR 1 – The wily old veteran Dalton Causey had a throwback performance, notching a goal and assisting another by Isaksson to take two games in Portarra for the Glaciers and a chance to win it all at home.

Game 5: POR 1 @ YBG 5 – With the building shaking from excitement at the possibility of a historic repeat champion, the Glaciers got the scoring started on a brilliant long-distance slapshot by Ferdinand Hendrix and it opened the floodgates as Isaksson added two more and assisted on two others by Causey and defenseman Albert Golatt. The Whales couldn't keep up the fast pace and Blunt was pulled late in the 3rd for a 5th skater but to no avail. The Glaciers became repeat Marcotte Cup champions as Peter Isaksson took home the Finals MVP. Dalton Causey also became the first player to win three Cups.

1968 Marcotte Cup Champions: Yubay Glaciers (2)

Hope you enjoyed the factoids! Now that the league is growing and well-established, there are lots of interesting facts and stats which I'll begin adding in here and there.

Up next: A busy offseason for the uniform designers

Lol, just a total lucky guess.  I also am a fan of the factoids, very good way to bring some stats out there to add even more depth to the series!

1969 OFFSEASON

Notable Retirements

Revered Anchors defenseman Colly Lehman hung up the skates after 9 seasons in Port Alrene, seeing 8 playoff appearances with 4 Finals appearances and two Marcotte Cups. The 4-time All-Star was a key cog as the leader of the blue line for the Anchors. Respected veteran defenseman Chauncey Lombard also retired after stints with the original Kirlow squad, Lecayne and Narva. Whales forward Adam Keenan finally succumbed to arthritic knees after 6 seasons in Portarra, posting an All-Star selection as well as a Cup. Longtime steady Heralds backup goalie Dean McNab also retired.

Coaching Carousel

The coaching carousel took a few spins as Anchors AC Larry Kirkpatrick decided to retire at 70 years old and 6 professional seasons including a Marcotte Cup as a coach. Longtime Captains coach Al Weatherford had another mini-stroke after the season ended which prompted Kirkenport to ask him to step down for his health, being reluctant to actually fire him. Weatherford turned in his papers and the Falcons offered him a position as a co-Head Coach with lighter duties alonside Rudy Nichols to which he agreed. The Captains hired Walton Pruitt to take his place. The Neptunes officially hired Byron Peachey as their head coach, removing the interim tag after he acquitted himself well and the players liked him.

Draft News

Serbian defenseman Gav Brankovic made himself available for the draft, immediately vaulting the 23-year-old to the top of the top prospects. With a deeper draft class, it was extended back to two rounds. Other headlining talents included F Vince Van Swedden, D Brian Mierzwinski, and G Lawrence Hymore, along with a bevy of blue line talent.

1969 Amateur Player Draft

1st Round – 1969

1 – NAR – D Gav Brankovic
The big Serbian defenseman Brankovic is an impact player and a menace on the blue line with a nifty scoring punch. He also figures to aid in the still rough transition of Ernie Bukowski with the talent to be a future All-Star.

2 – YUB – F Vince Van Swedden
The silver lining for falling so hard in the standings is the opportunity to draft an electric player like Van Swedden, who is very fast, plays even faster and talks a lot of trash and can back it up with results. He will be a much needed shot in the arm for the Falcons and an overworked Pasternak.

3 – CHA – G Lawrence Hymore
While incumbent goalie Claude Dohms has shown flashes, the Heralds are looking to bring some stability back into their net and Hymore is a nice, sturdy, steady player who can either start or trade time at a high level.

4 – KRK – D “Biggo” Brian Mierzwinski
The man they call “Biggo” is big in every way. Big physically imposing frame, big smile, big talker, and a huge personality. His affable nature doesn't extend to the ice though, as he has hours of bone-crunching tape. Biggo can score a little but is special playing backward and breaking up plays which will free up Lauri Rikhard more.

5 – KIR – D Robert Sudbrock
“Suds” is a blue-chip quintessential defenseman, physical player, good hockey IQ and can do a little of everything. Sudbrock is a nice addition to Kirlow's blue line and is a perfect linemate for Outlaw.

6 – POR – F Alan Kidney
Kidney was a big name on scouting reports when he was in high school but fell off a bit in college. Portarra is banking on being able to unlock his high potential with a pro work regimen. Needs time.

7 – PA – D Dan Drobish
Bit of a high-floor-low-ceiling guy, Drobish is just a good hockey player, not flashy or particularly fast but will be a nice contributor on either unit for the Anchors blue line.

8 – YBG – D Phillip Ziegert
The Trowburgh product is raw and needs time to develop but has potential as a scoring defenseman in the 2nd unit.

Trades and Signings

The Heralds traded vetern forward Michael Travers to the Kodiaks for defenseman Len Lovell. The Falcons sent F Allen Consbruck to Portarra for D Jeffry Kuntz. The Whales then flipped veteran netminder Burt Wentz to the Neptunes for goalie Alan-Edgar Fortier and D Arlie Wharton.

Team Identity Changes

The Heralds changing to Columbia blue seemed to spark a wave of new designs for the majority of the league. Some attempted to copy them while others made wholesale changes to do things differently as five teams presented new or updated schemes to be introduced for the THL's upcoming 10th season.

1969 Narva Neptunes


Previous Identity: 1965-68 Narva Neptunes Identity

The Neptunes kicked things off with a desire to go away from their unique cornflower blue after the Heralds went to a Columbia primary. They changed it to a brighter, bolder standard blue and made quite a few changes to the sweaters. The widely spaced sleeve stripes were generally kept, adding a middle stripe which was carried over to the rest of the design. The square yokes were removed for just a rounded half-yoke on the away white sweater. The logo was retooled a bit to be slightly larger and bolder and updated with the new color scheme.

1969 Portarra Whales


Previous Identity: 1960-1968 Portarra Whales Identity

A surprise entry from the conservative Portarra tightened up some striping details, continuing the thin two-stripe motif and adding a yoke to the home sweater, as well as a single consistent sock option. The TV numbers were also slightly enlarged. Portarra also struck a deal with Zeal Athletics but only on condition that they could continue to use sweaters without a manufacturer logo. Zeal decided it was better to bring the Whales into the fold and accepted the agreement.

1969 Kirkenport Captains


Previous Identity: 1966-1968 Kirkenport Captains Identity

With popularity of the Columbia sweater in Chasonne, Captains' owner Don G decided to take the opportunity to make a similar change, switching out the midnight home sweater for a blue one. He also brought in an alternate logo featuring just the Wheel-Hull design which was the insignia on the popular Captain's Cap logo. The away cream-white sweater was updated to reflect the new home sweater and the striping made consistent throughout. The new home sweater is sure to be controversial on the Isle of Kirk.

1969 Port Alrene Anchors


Previous Identity: 1962-1968 Port Alrene Anchors Identity

One of the biggest changes came from the Anchors who seemed to get a crazy hair in trading their traditional iconic sweaters in for a much gaudier style featuring a full-length sleeve-shoulder yoke. The design also saw more white included as a tertiary color, a white primary home sweater logo, as well as including white outlines on the logos and numbers. The TV numbers were enlarged. The most drastic change was the inclusion of a mustard away sweater, Port Alrene's answer to the Heralds' Columbia.

1969 Yubay Falcons


Previous Identity: 1966-1968 Yubay Falcons Identity

Coming off a terrible season the Falcons decided to also change things up, ditching the black home sweater for a red primary with black sleeve caps and updated striping. The sleeve caps were carried over to the familiar silver away sweater while removing the square half yoke and going with a simplified striping scheme. The drop shadow was dropped on the jersey numbers while also changing both to black. Both sweaters received updated hems.


With so many changes occurring, fans were quick to voice their excitement or displeasure. How do you feel about them?

C&C appreciated!

Up next: the THL turns 10!

This was a rocky offseason up here on the island that felt like excitement from the draft that was followed by lack of pride and integrity by Donny. If you’re questioning the “controversy” it isn’t from the logo at all, I actually see it as a fresh take on a classic Captains logo. Now where I have a problem is taking the midnight out of this mile. Although it may seem black, like Stickman mistook it for, that very deep navy is now deep in the roots of Kirk Boy hockey and is associated with its gritty nature. In recent years it seems we have stepped away from it, unfortunately the brand has stepped away from that trademark play as well. Love the striping and cream jerseys though!

Narva: I’m a little sour on this one because this team fulfilled my need for a pro team using Tulane colors! I thought it was unique and gave a perfect nautical vibe, but the change is justified with all these light blue colors in the league. The striping looks classy and the colors work well. The only problem is that the logo looks very muddled when it’s just the green and blue. If there was an outline to separate the two dark colors I think it would be a top 3 look.

Portarra: the new half yolk adds some good balance.... it’s a classic... the Whales look like the Whales still and that’s a good thing! I like the integrity shown by the ownership, securing a manufacturer while not stepping away from their tradition.

Port Alrene: This is actually an awesome look, and it is shocking that it comes from the Anchors. Easily one of the top jerseys in the league when the logo coloring on the jersey isn’t being considered, but when looking at all the white or yellow on the logos, depending on jersey, the look gets held back. Not sure how I’d balance it out more, maybe just go with a solid anchor with a double outline for the jersey and drop the back triangle? Would be someone’s white whale today that is for sure. Ok, that someone would be me.

Yubay: Looks great in red. Looks great in everything their colors. Do think they really owned black though.

My favorite part of the series is reading the in-depth opinion and analysis from you guys! Always much appreciated that people care about these teams as much as I do. (Scratch toned down his post compared to the slightly more drink-influenced messages I got last night about his beloved Kirk Boys. haha) 

I wanted to really go for broke on some looks, as teams are known to inexplicably do at times, such as the Anchors, whom I always placed to be a Red Wings/Maple Leafs kind of team with never changing...but it was almost the 70's and it just felt right. Some of these looks won't last long, others may be precursors to even worse eras of gaudiness.

Funny how unplanned things happen in a series where I have total creative control. I had no plans on Chasonne going to Columbia blue but when it happened it sort of spurred a whole slew of changes. Narva was originally going to change to red and other colors but I accidentally tried that green and blue look and thought it worked for them in this era. It was kind of hard to sacrifice some of my babies (Port Alrene, Yubay) but it was fun to see how they all turned out for now.

Excellent feedback!