As long as the Glaciers didn't win I was gonna be alright, congrats to Kirk.

Alright folks, buckle up!

1972 OFFSEASON

In a crucial and pivotal year for the league, the 1972 Expansion would cause far-reaching ripple effects and change the very axis of the league. Some teams were understandably worried, having built dominant rosters, while others were excited for a chance to rebuild or start afresh.

Notable Retirements

After hoisting the long-awaited Marcotte Cup in Kirkenport, F Rocco Behrens, 36, announced his retirement after 8 pro seasons with the club and a long Indy League career previously. Never an All-Star but always a highly respected veteran, Behrens was a key figure in the Captains runs to the Finals in 1970 and 1971, helping them to 5 total playoffs. Known to be an unselfish player, he took a diminished role on the 2nd-line to help facilitate other scoring talent on their way to a Cup win.

Larry Boudreaux also retired at 39 years old. A key backup goaltender for the Falcons, the Quebel native played 9 pro seasons and was thought to be one of the main reasons behind fellow goalie Von Wentz's outrageous success after he joined the team to help mentor him. Boudreaux was considered an unsung hero for the Falcons as he hoisted the Cup three times out of five Finals appearances.

New Labor Union and Co-Commissioner

As stated in the last announcement from Commissioner Willard, interim commissioner John Morgan Hatch was officially added to the league office. A hard-charging lawyer from Waterdee, Hatch also spent many years working deals for large financial firms, earning a reputation as a strong leader and negotiator. He also worked as a prosecutor and district attorney in Trowburgh and is well known for his fair but strong opinions and attitude. Hatch will be a nice addition to the league in growing times and expansion although his hockey knowledge and familiarity is much less than his predecessors.

Another announcement was seemingly lost in the shuffle of the big changes, but a players union was established by former Portarra attorney Rod Temple. The Torland Union of Hockey Players (TUHP) will seek to represent a growing player base in the pro ranks and begin negotiated fairer terms and collective bargaining agreements in the future. Temple is known to be a hard-nosed negotiator himself, unafraid to wade into deep waters and get his hands dirty. The THL Commissioner's Office acknowledged the new union but decided not to comment much further.

Youth League Is Established

Also part of a huge offseason, reports of a new organized league structure for youth hockey have surfaced, with reports of headquarters in Portarra. The new league will focus on youth development with an eye toward better structure and national champions in positioning kids for success into the collegiate, independent, and professional leagues. More reports to follow.

1972 LEAGUE EXPANSION

Four New Franchises Join the THL

Deals were officially negotiated for four new franchises to join the league and begin play in the 1972 season:

1972 Trowburgh Herons


Quick Facts:

• City: Trowburgh, Lismane
• Nickname: Herons
• Owner: Craig Kern
• Head Coach: Jonas Rayburn
• Home Ice: Goldleaf Center, Trowburgh, LM

About the City:

Trowburgh, known as the City of Dreaming, is one of the main financial centers of Torland. With many large banks, investment firms and corporate headquarters, Trowburgh is the place to be for business people and entrepreneurs. With the boom of big ad agencies in the 50's, Trowburgh became the epicenter of the economic marketplace of Torland. The city itself is uninspiring, originally a river town built around a crossing place of the Lorethop River. Mining was accessible from the town in the northern faces of the Wilder Mountains and then the town transitioned to logging and eventually moving toward primarily manufacturing. As a place where any jack-of-all-trades could find work, the city grew quickly and shoddily, with a poor infrastructure that can't keep up with the growing shipping and goods transport services. With the early establishment of one of the largest banks in Torland, other similar firms flocked to the area, creating a sharp divide between rich and poor. Each city district is decidedly either very rich or mostly poor with very little in between, except for the growing outer suburbs. Homelessness and unemployment have been rising with the spread of the city as trades and big industries are finding it harder to compete with the corporate business centers and office jobs. Despite the major quantities of money and cash flying around on a daily basis, the city itself is poorly managed and most of the local government is corrupt. Trowburgh's red light district infamously boasts one of the worst crime rates in the nation. But with the availability of top money and a large population, Trowburgh's status as a financial city continues to ascend.

About the Identity:

With all the issues from the demise of Trowburgh's first pro team, new owner Craig Kern spent several years working on building an arena which was sponsored by local financial giant Goldleaf Bank. An entirely new identity package was developed through the help of a local poll, collecting potential name and logo ideas. Herons was the top choice and Kern partnered with Apex to design a skating heron logo around a new color scheme of yellow and teal with white and black accents. The skate-outfitted and stick-wielding heron is based off of a mixture of Art Deco and Egyptian hieroglyphic style, and he also sports a winter hat and scarf in a unique mascot and logo for the new team. A nickname for the new mascot is still being decided with Kern again taking poll of the city. The sweaters carry over the unique color scheme to a yellow home sweater which will most certainly cause problems with Port Alrene's colors. The away sweater is white with an added thin yellow shoulder yoke. Art Deco-styled numbers adorn the sweaters. Teal pants and a basic three-striped scheme complete the look. Yellow socks are paired with both options.

(I'm aware of some slight color irregularities in the logo. It was an accident but decided to keep them for now as sort of a nod to botched presentations over the years.)

C&C and feedback appreciated!

Up next: We continue the offseason with expansion team identities

Herons is a great name with a real funky logo to match. This is way outside what I’d expect for the city, but it is refreshing and I like it a lot! New youth league sounds interesting, I wonder what’s up with that. Perhaps more talent coming from development? What has the youth hockey in the country looked like to this point? Hmm

ThisIsFine wrote:

The herons are basically the inverted Golden Seals.

The Teal Seals?

Loving the Herons design. Hopefully they'll stick around longer than their inspiration however.