HOME
BASEBALL
OTHER
FEEDBACK
FRIENDS AND FAVORITES
RULES
RANKINGS
HISTORY
TEAMS
Teams with asterisks are not yet posted
Abbotsford Heat
Adirondack Phantoms
Alaska Aces
Albany Devils
Allen Americans
Arizona Sundogs
Augusta River Hawks
Bakersfield Condors
Binghamton Senators
Bloomington Blaze
Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Charlotte Checkers
Chicago Wolves
Cincinnati Cyclones
Colorado Eagles
Columbia Inferno
Columbus Cottonmouths
Connecticut Whale
Denver Cutthroats
Elmira Jackals
Evansville IceMen
Fayetteville Fire Antz
Florida Everblades
Fort Wayne Komets
Grand Rapids Griffins
Greenville Road Wariors
Gwinnett Gladiators
Hamilton Bulldogs
Hershey Bears
Houston Aeros
Huntsville Havoc
Idaho Steelheads
Kalamazoo Wings
Knoxville Ice Bears
Lake Erie Monsters
Las Vegas Wranglers
Louisiana IceGators
Manchester Monarchs
Milwaukee Admirals
Mississippi RiverKings
Mississippi Surge
Missouri Mavericks
Norfolk Admirals
Oklahoma City Barons
Ontario Reign
Orlando Solar Bears
Peoria Rivermen
Pensacola Ice Flyers
Portland Pirates
Providence Bruins
Quad City Mallards
Rapid City Rush
Reading Royals
Rochester Americans
Rockford IceHogs
San Antonio Rampage
San Francisco Bulls
South Carolina Stingrays
Springfield Falcons
St. John's IceCaps
Stockton Thunder
Syracuse Crunch
Texas Brahmas
Texas Stars
Toledo Walleye
Toronto Marlies
Trenton Titans
Tulsa Oilers
Utah Grizzlies
Wheeling Nailers
Wichita Thunder
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Worcester Sharks
| Rochester Americans | 9 |
Notice: All logos on this page are included within the parameters of 17 U.S.C. § 107, which states that the reproduction of a copyrighted work for purposes of criticism and/or comment is not an infringement of copyright. No challenge to the copyrights of these logos is intended by their inclusion here.
Posted 2003 March 17, updated 2003 May 7
Trivia question: How many of the Rochester Americans are?
Answer: Six out of twenty-two. There are more than twice as many Canadians (fourteen). There are half as many Czechs (the Czechs are not in the mail...considering what the climate is like in Rochester, the Czechs are probably in the blizzard). And there's one Slovakian. The team is barely one-quarter American.
If you're thinking that this is a subtle way of saying that "Americans" is a stupid name, you're right. The players aren't, and the team is hardly unique in being located in America. If Rochester had the only team in the United States, the name might be reasonable. They're not, so it isn't.
Furthermore, what does it say about a team's originality when it takes the league's name and uses it as its own? American Hockey League, Rochester Americans. What originality. Even stealing the league name isn't original. It has been done two other times. Once by the Jackson All-Americans of the All-American Hockey League, and once -- this is no joke -- by the Havana (yes, that Havana!) Tropicals of the Tropical Hockey League. That last one was back in the 1930s, by the way. Imagine being paid to play hockey in pre-Castro Cuba. I ask you: how cool is that?
Back to Rochester (better grab a heavy coat)...
The Americans' logo is basically a U.S. Highway shield tilted at a 45° angle and painted to look like Wonder Woman's outfit, with the word "Americans" written in baseball script in front of it. Nothing special, but trust me when I say you could do a lot worse. Imagine a cartoony eagle playing hockey. Imagine the Statue of Liberty in a hockey jersey. Imagine...on second thought, don't imagine any of this. Especially if you work for the Americans. I don't want to see any of these jokes turn into reality.
A note on the scoring: There is no way in hell I'm giving these guys the "local" bonus, even if it does technically apply.
UPDATE: I received a note from Steve Chariamonte informing me that the Rochester Americans went with that name because their first affiliate was the Montreal Canadiens. It was also a bit of an homage to the New York Americans, an NHL team best remembered today for making the curse that kept the Rangers from winning the Stanley Cup for 54 years. This information does, I suppose, redeem the name just a little bit in my eyes. But only a little bit. I mean, it's not like "Montreal Canadiens" is a good name either, right? And while I'm on the subject, am I the only person who wonders if one of the reasons that Quebecois independence referenda keep failing is because hockey fans don't want to have the change the Habs' name?
That being said, I do wish to sincerely thank Steve for the information.
Final Score: 9 points.
Penalties: Name-logo (doubly-egregious), 5 pts; Yucky-Name, 4 pts.
Bonuses: None.