Back To Their Roots

The very uninspired logo to the left is the old Kelowna Rockets' logo that followed them in their move from Tacoma, Washington. That logo existed from the founding of the team in Tacoma in 1991 to the move to Kelowna in 1995 to the new millennium when the Rockets decided to switch up their logo and feature the monster which represents Ogopogo found in the Okanagan Lake. There were many versions of the Tacoma Rockets found in various leagues along the west coast, but Kelowna's only WHL team has used that same moniker despite the area having no history with rockets nor rocketry of any kind.

However, that's not the biggest news we should be discussing as the Rockets, based on their 1991 founding, will play this season as their 25th anniversary season! Because of this important occasion in the team's history, the Rockets have decided to give Ogopogo the season off and replace the primary logo with something we've seen before.

That seems a little "been there, done that", no? Why would the Rockets go back to a logo they willfully discarded in 2000-01? I was slightly shocked at this step back in time, but it does make sense in terms of honouring the past twenty-five years.

"I think it doesn't hurt to go back to something that you started with," general manager Bruce Hamilton told Global News' Blaine Gaffney. "You'll see it's got the crossed rockets on the shoulders, things like that, very traditional uniform."

For all the positive spins people are putting on these uniforms, I'm in the "meh" category. Yes, I know there's a historical connection, but it just seems so boring. Second to that, allowing CCM to occupy the left shoulder with their logo rather than the 25th anniversary logo is an abomination. Because the CCM logo is on the shoulder/chest area, the 25th anniversary logo has been pushed to the left hip where it is "prominently" displayed. Note my sarcasm in that statement. Case in point? This is the article found on the Rockets' website.

Notice the 25th anniversary patch? No? So these are just throwback jerseys then, right? No? I'm confused. What happened to the red alternate jerseys then?

"The red jerseys will still have the monster on it. That's been a very popular jersey for our organization. It's winning record is very good so we always keep it around," says Hamilton. So the Rockets will wear these throwback, 25th-anniversary jerseys for everyday hockey, and only pull out the red alternates for special occasions.

Personally, I'm not a fan of these uniforms, this uniform idea, or the lack of prominence that this anniversary is getting considering the work that's gone it to it from the Rockets. CCM should have moved their logo before placing the anniversary logo on the hip which is a garbage place to put it. Going back to the 1990s is fun if you have a hideously garish uniform that has moved into a cult status, but this isn't that kind of uniform.

Kelowna will have a good team again this season, but they won't be as sharp on the ice as they could be.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!