Enter The Titans!

It has been rather refreshing to see schools and sports teams at all levels changing their names from terms that society would deem as offensive. One such team that joined the many who have already made the change was the Neepawa MJHL franchise as they introduced their new logo and jerseys on Tuesday. After being called the "Natives" since 1989, the Neepawa MJHL franchise made the commitment to change the name out of respect for Indigenous Peoples last July. It took nearly a year to unveil after meeting with stakeholders, so let's welcome the Neepawa Titans!

"We just felt that the name itself, being a Titan, being something big and large and successful, was something that kind of was the end for us to go with," head coach and general manager Ken Pearson told CBC Manitoba. I'm not sure that Pearson's description - something big and large and successful - is quite accurate for a "titan", but the idea of a titan being hard to defeat while being an omnipotent presence shouldn't be forgotten.

Names aside, the Titans should be credited for doing the right thing here as the previous name and logo - "Natives" and the Blackhawks-esque logo of an Indigenous Person - were seen as offensive to some, including myself. Alliteration in the name aside, it's just wrong to use the term they were using as a team name while wearing the image of an Indigenous Person on their chests. I welcome this change, but Pearson makes it clear that not all were excited about the name change initially give the history of the team under that name.

"Obviously off the start, there was a lot of disgruntled fans and alumni," he said. "The team has been around with that name since the late '60s … Obviously, change isn't something that people really enjoy."

Times change, however, and Pearson, hired in March 2019 as coach and GM, was part of that change despite him having worn the previous logo and playing under the previous name from 1991-94 himself.

"I grew up with this team," he stated, "and I played for the club and coached back in the early '90s as an assistant and to be able to be back here now and help with another transition to a new name, and a new era, I think it's just outstanding."

If we're talking about outstanding, let's start with the new look for the Titans because I think they're going to have one of the classiest uniforms in the MJHL at this point. The use of yellow and gray really works in having the having the primary logo jump off the black and white backgrounds of the home and road jerseys. It stands out like a logo should, and the Titans nailed that in this redesign. Where things get a little muddled is on the alternate gray uniform where the logo doesn't stand out as much as the other two, but there's no denying that the Titans will look good on the ice next season with this new uniform set.

Some will point out the new logos look a little familiar in terms of the Tennessee Titans' and the Vegas Golden Knights' logos, and I won't deny those thoughts. There may have been some creative liberties taken by Brooks Freeman Design in these new logos, but it's not like there are a ton of creative ways one can conceptualize a "titan". Personally, I'm ok with this redesign for the Neewpawa MJHL franchise despite some seeing what appears to be ties to other sports logos. These new logos are far enough away from those that they can be considered "unique" in my books.

Overall, I don't write much about the MJHL on this blog, but the new look for the Titans has made me sit up and take notice once again. The overall aesthetic of the Titans' new look is simple-but-classy, and those are the kind of logos and uniform sets that seem to stand the test of time. It was also a much-needed update for the franchise's name in terms of being respectful to Indigenous Peoples and the team's Indigenous fans, so consider me a fan of this new look for the Neepawa MJHL franchise.

I'm going to clear some time to see if I can catch the Titans play this winter, and here's hoping you will as well as they come to a Manitoba city or town near you with their new look!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!