The Pensacola Ice Pilots "debuted" (by which I mean "moved from Nashville") in the year 1996. One year later, the Western Professional Hockey League added a new team in Lake Charles, Louisiana called the Lake Charles Ice Pirates. I personally always thought it was a shame that these two teams were in different leagues, as it would be highly amusing to watch a game between the Ice Pilots and the Ice Pirates. What would have made it absolute heaven would have been to have someone with a strong Japanese accent doing the radio broadcast: "Wercome to southwestern Rouisiana, where tonight your Rake Charres Ice Pirates are praying host to the Pensacora Ice Pirots". It's never going to happen now, since the Ice Pirot— I mean, Ice Pirates folded in 2001, but one can still think wistfully on what could have been.

If you pretend the gratuitous word "Ice" isn't there, you've got a pretty good name on your hands. Sure, there's the standard alliteration in "Pensacola Pilots", but that's a small detail and it works quite well otherwise (besdies, alliteration doesn't really bother me). The word "pilot" commands respect, and has an obvious tie-in with a city that's home to the Blue Angels.

The logo, on the other hand, needs serious work. I'm glad it's not some piece of cartoony rubbish (like their first logo was), but can't we come up with something more than the letter "P"? This just looks like a ripoff of the Providence Bruins. And there are so many other directions you could go. You could do some variantion on a plane motif (planes in formation, a single modern plane, an old biplane, a wing, etc. &mdash their second logo, which I haven't put up here simply because I don't really have a good place to put it, had four planes kinda sorta flying in formation). Or you could have an actual pilot (hopefully less cartoony than the original one). Heck, even a P with an aviator's helmet hanging on it would be an improvement. But what they did is just lazy. I have to believe they could do better.

The reason I have to believe they can do better is that I've got evidence that they have done better, and in fact do better for half of every season. If you look to the left, you will see the logo the team uses on their dark jerseys. (Don't ask me whether it's their "home" or "away" jerseys. The ECHL starts the season using white jerseys at home and darks on the road, then switches halfway through the season. Don't ask me why they do this, either.) Notice how much better it is.

Granted, there are some issues with this one. The eagle and shield, for starters. According to an e-mail from Kevin Murphy, president of the Pensacola Ice Pilots Booster Club, these "the Eagle and Shield honor the large Military presence (all branches) here in Northwest Florida". I'm sure he got that straight from the team, which is good because I don't want to be rude to him. He helpfully corrected me when I saw a PIPBC logo based on this and tried to give him credit for it; he told me the team came up with this logo and he just added "Booster Club" to it. From this we can deduce that Kevin Murphy is ten times more honest than me, because I'd have probably taken credit for it. And it would have worked until I got the e-mail from Justin Moody pointing it out as well (oh, and by the way, my thanks go to both of them for the correction).

But I have to say this: I don't buy that explanation for a second. First of all, that makes about as much sense as the Baltimore Ravens putting a capitol dome in their logo because there are a couple of capitals (Washington and Annapolis) nearby. Second, call me cynical, but I am generally suspicious of teams putting national symbols in their logos. If the team is in the nation's capital, or is (or once was) the only team in that league located in that country, then I can see it. But usually, I suspect the team is just trying to appear patriotic as a cynical ploy to get people to give them money. Even if the people involved genuinely are patriotic, they still come across as just feigning patriotism. Want me to know you're patriotic? Donate some of your time and money to making this country as great as it can be. Don't slap a red, white, and blue shield in a logo and expect me to be impressed.

(And while I'm on the subject, Section 8(j) of the United States flag code states "No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform. However, a flag patch may be affixed to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen, and members of patriotic organizations." How many major league teams violate that one?)

Here's some friendly, unsolicited advice: Put the wings in the official logo. Just the wings; the eagle, stick, and hockey stick should definitely be left out. But even if you were to just take the "dark jersey" logo and make it the official logo, it would be an improvement. You've already proven you can do better than the current logo; there's no excuse for not doing so.

Final Score: 32 points.
Penalties: Ice, 9 pts; Compound, 13 pts; Alliteration, 2 pts; Name-Logo, 2 pts; Ripoff, 4 pts; Yucky-Logo, 5 pts.
Bonuses: Local, -3 pts.