Solar Bears Roll Back the Clock

Photos provided by Orlando Solar Bears

Twelve years is a long time to wait for something. Orlando hockey fans had to wait that long to watch their championship banner be raised to the rafters. Last Saturday, Feb. 2, the ECHL's Orlando Solar Bears paid tribute to their IHL predecessors by celebrating their 2001 Turner Cup championship.

But the interesting thing to us jersey geeks is what the Solar Bears wore while doing it. The team broke out the old Solar Bears jerseys for the special night — complete with the upper/lowercase surnames and everything! Those uniforms looked great from 1996 to 2001 and they look great now.

Photos: ©2013 Gary Bassing/OSB via Solar Bears official Facebook page

Great to see the new Solar Bears honoring the old Solar Bears. You can find a lot more pictures on the team's official Facebook page.

The Jersey Brief: ECHL Edition

Ever since the return of the NHL, I've been back to ignoring the minor leagues. Sorry about that. Hopefully I can make up for some of what I've missed with this post and others to come.

Solar Bears disappoint with third jersey

I've had this one in the chamber for a little while now. But I can't ignore it anymore. The Orlando Solar Bears — of the ECHL's current top-selling jerseys — debuted their third jersey on Dec. 28 against the Florida Everblades. And it was extremely disappointing.

Photos: ©2012 Gary Bassing/OSB via Solar Bears official Facebook page

The Joe Bosack Graphic Design Co. created a wide and varied set of phenomenal logos for this team last year. And despite that, the Bears managed to create a rather boring jersey. So they play in the Sunshine State, you say? I'm all for simplicity, but it just feels like there's a big hole in the middle of this sweater. If you're interested, you can find more photos on the Solar Bears' Facebook page.

Solar Bears go pink for one night in January

While we're talking Orlando, might as well mention the Solar Bears' Pink in the Rink jerseys. That fad isn't going anywhere. The team's cancer awareness night was Jan. 19 and they were fully clad in hot pink and their familiar purple in front a crowd of 9,000-plus.

Photos: ©2013 Fernando Medina/OSB via Solar Bears official Facebook page

Those are certainly bright. But as pink jerseys go, they aren't the worst we've ever seen. Of course that contrasting nameplate thing won't die. Don't think the Bears have worn a single jersey yet that didn't have it. (Way to go, Flyers.) Of course you can find more photos on the team's Facebook page.

Wranglers to go "topless" on Over 18 Night, Feb. 4

Fresh off their Indoor Winter Classic victory, the Las Vegas Wranglers are going "topless" next week. The club known for weird and wacky theme nights will be wearing these jerseys on Monday.

Photo by IIA Photography

Since there's nothing I can think to say, I'll give you an excerpt from the press release:

“Going bottomless was simply out of the question,” said Wranglers President and Chief Operating Officer Billy Johnson. “Yuck.”

The specialty Wranglers jersey, featuring a bare chest and sculpted abs, has a Wranglers crest tattooed over the right pectoral. Adorning the shoulders are a “topless hockey” and Wranglers word mark, with light arm hair filling out the details.

“The guys have never looked to be in better shape,” said Johnson. “Nor have they appeared to be as identical.”

The Wranglers host the Colorado Eagles for "Over 18 Night" on Feb. 4. "In addition to topless hockey," the team says, "fans can enjoy mild adult humor throughout the game, including uncensored clips from well-known movies applied to game situations."

Also the numbers look absolutely illegible. Can't wait to see pictures from the game.

Stingrays set to sport pink-infused jersey on Feb. 23

Rounding out our ECHL coverage tonight are the South Carolina Stingrays, who yesterday unveiled their Pink in the Rink Night jersey. As pink jerseys go, it's surprisingly decent. Icethetics reader Sean M., who let me know about the unveiling, even called it "tasteful."

Again, as pink jerseys go, I can't say I disagree. The pink-infused sweaters will be worn by the Stingrays on Sat., Feb. 23 when the host the Greenville Road Warriors.

I understand this doesn't completely make up for my lack of minor league posts recently, so there are more to come. For one thing, the AHL's Outdoor and All-Star Classics were this month, complete with lots of neat jerseys. Stay tuned for more.

Solar Bears Tout Top-Selling Jerseys

Orlando's ECHL expansion team tops league jersey sales

The Orlando Solar Bears have a little something to be proud of. On Wednesday, the team announced it has the top-selling jerseys in the ECHL. The league recently informed the team of this impressive accomplishment.

Credits: Photo (left) from Solar Bears (official website); photo (right) by Stephen Sylvanie (via Facebook)

From the Solar Bears' press release:

"Here at the League Office, we have been very impressed with the support the great hockey fans in Orlando and the surrounding communities have shown for the Solar Bears," said Todd Merton, Director of Marketing and Licensing for the ECHL. "Team jersey sales are a great indicator of how well a team has been welcomed into a market. With the Solar Bears being at the top of the league in jerseys sold, it is clear that the team has been welcomed back in a big way."

If you don't live in Orlando, you can buy your Solar Bears jersey from the team's online shop.

Solar Bears to auction military-themed jerseys on Saturday

Photos from Solar Bears (via Facebook)

Last month, the Solar Bears wore the first in a series of specialty jerseys they'll don throughout the season. On Veterans' Day weekend, they celebrated military vets with these camouflage sweaters. During this Saturday's game, MeiGray will conduct an in-arena auction of those game worn jerseys.

Six specialty sweaters on the schedule for Orlando

While we're on the subject of Solar Bears jerseys, it's worth pointing out that the team has several more specialty designs scheduled to be worn as this season continues. Here's a look at them all:

• Camouflage Jersey: Nov. 10 and 11 (Military Appreciation Weekend)
• Scout Jersey: Dec. 8; March 2 (Scout Night)
• Pink Jersey: Jan. 17 and 19 (Hockey Fights Cancer Weekend)
• Vintage Jersey: Feb. 2 (2001 Championship Banner Raising)
• Old Time Jersey: Feb. 22 (Turn Back the Clock Night); March 24 (Fan Appreciation Night)
• Special Jersey: March 17 (St. Patrick's Day Theme Night)

We'll have to keep an eye on these theme nights in Orlando to see what the Solar Bears will be wearing. I'm particularly excited to see their "Vintage Jersey" on the night they raise their 2001 championship banner. The Solar Bears won the last Turner Cup championship as a member of the International Hockey League before it merged with the AHL.

I say "last" but technically the Fort Wayne Komets were the last to win the Turner Cup because the trophy was resurrected when the IHL was in 2007. But then the league shut down again for good in 2010. The Komets won the Turner Cup in all three seasons. They then joined the Central Hockey League and this season were admitted into the ECHL. Turner Cup champs together again. But I digress.

What do you think of the Solar Bears' jerseys? As the NHL slowly kills itself, do you imagine taking on a minor league team to cheer for? If so, would you buy that team's jersey?

Solar Bears Unveil Jerseys

The Orlando Solar Bears officially unveiled their home and road jerseys today. The Solar Bears are one of the ECHL's two expansion franchises for the 2012-13 season. The San Francisco Bulls, just unveiled theirs last month.

As you can see from the photo provided by the team, they are very brightly colored. But I think we probably could've assumed that when we first saw the logos back in January. There's lots of purple and teal and orange and yellow.

If it all feels like something from the '90s, well, it kind of is. The Solar Bears are a reincarnation of an International Hockey League team that existed from 1995 to 2001. The look is basically the same... just, you know, updated for 2012.

I have to say that, personally, I'm a fan. Would I want to see every hockey team start dressing this flamboyantly? Of course not. But it's a nice breath of fresh air in a sport that thinks black is cool. It isn't. Plus, it's ice hockey in Florida. You gotta stand out. So I applaud the Solar Bears for their efforts here.

The teams says the jerseys are designed and manufactured by SP Appareal in Quebec. As is standard practice in the ECHL, the white one will be worn at home for the first half of the season, then purple the rest of the way.

One debate I'm sure we'll see is over the team using two different crests on these jerseys. I know a lot of readers prefer the uniformity (pun) of using the same logo on both sweaters. I'm on the fence. But if I had to choose one or the other, go with the logo on the white jersey. No need for all that text.

What do you think of the set?

Solar Bears Prep Jersey Unveiling

The ECHL's Orlando Solar Bears recently announced they will officially unveil their uniforms on Tuesday, April 10 — six months before they take the ice for the first time.

This announcement was made a week ago but I kept forgetting to get it on the blog. It was made as part of a contest the team is referring to as a local "star search." They're launching a marketing campaign for their inaugural season that centers on the tag line "I am a Solar Bear" and they want about a dozen fans to be the faces of it.

That event is being held on Monday at the RDV Sportsplex in Orlando, Fla. (The Solar Bears will play their home games at the Amway Center, home of the NBA's Magic.) The winners of the "star search" will be the first to see the new Solar Bears jerseys as they'll be photographed wearing them. Presumably, the campaign will be ready to launch the following week when the jersey is shown publicly for the first time.

I would ask that, if there are any Icethetics readers in Orlando planning to take part, you clue us in on some of the design features of the new sweaters. But more than likely, if you got the chance to see it early, you'd be required to sign an agreement that would restrict you from sharing details with a blog like this one.

Once upon a time, this is what was worn by a team called the Orlando Solar Bears.

These Solar Bears played in the International Hockey League for six seasons and won the last Turner Cup championship before the IHL disappeared in 2001.