No Trout About It

We've seen CHL teams have a little fun when it comes to rebranding for one night in the past, and it seems the Kamloops Blazers are having a little fun tonight as they re-imagine their brand for their game against the Kelowna Rockets. The Blazers will don the logo to the left known as "Kami the Fish" as the Blazers become the Thompson Rivers Fighting Trout for one night! Seeing stuff like this being done by teams to promote various things found in their communities is a fun idea, and the both the WHL and CHL deserve some kudos for allowing their member teams to have fun like this. Frankly, it would be great to see all the WHL teams run a promotion like this for games over a weekend or two every year!

As seen in the image to the right, the Blazers will wear similar jerseys to what they normally wear while playing as the Fighting Trout. The striping is slightly different on the sleeves as it moves down more towards the forearm, but the colours also change on all stripes to reflect the Fighting Trout colours. The navy blue jersey colour they normally wear has also changed slightly, but the Blazers didn't do anything radical is changing their jerseys. As we know from years of experience here on HBIC, simple is better for jersey designs!

"You'll notice its not the blue and orange that we traditionally see with the Blazers jersey, so really that extra pop of colour that I think adds a little bit of excitement to it and a shock factor probably too for some fans," Blazers Game Day Operations and Ticketing Coordinator Missy Cederholm said on CFJC Midday. She's right in her assessment that the extra pop of colour works well on this jersey!

You might be asking why the Kamloops Blazers are going with "Fighting Trout" as their alternate branding for tonight's game, and they chose it "to highlight the unique spirit of the region's rivers". Sporting the "Kami the Fish" logo, the Blazers are using the fish's likeness that was created to help promote "tourism, ranching and the cowboy history" while embodying the fishing industry in Kamloops as there was a species of rainbow trout that lived in the rivers. It should be noted that the Blazers will auction off the jerseys, and the proceeds from that auction are going to help the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC.

The story of Kami, also known as "Kami the Spoolmak Trout" or "Kami the Trout", begins in 1966 when the city was looking for a way to attract tourism to Kamloops. While there are at least two claims to who designed the fish logo, the Kamloops & District Chamber of Commerce holds the trademark on "Kami the Fish", and they sell all sorts of merchandise with the logo on it. In 1997, Kami's image was redesigned as the fish lost the six-shooter on its hip, and, by 2000, it had all but disappeared from Kamloops.

Perhaps coincidentally, the disappearance of Kami coincided when pollution concerns in Kamloops Lake grew. The fish logo was actually redesigned during this period to resemble something that feels very "Simpsons"-like as seen the left. As Kami's absence within Kamloops and at Kamloops events grew, it seemed more and more people wanted to see the lovable fish return as part of the city's identity. By the mid-2010s, Kami was being used for marketing once more, and this weekend's "Fighting Trout" game that the Blazers are holding is an exclamation point on Kami's importance to the city.

"Kami the Fish has been a symbol of Kamloops' spirit and hospitality for decades, and we’re thrilled to see this beloved Kamloops icon swimming back into the spotlight for this special game night," Kamloops & District Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Acacian Pangilinan said. "The Fighting Trout rebrand is a fun and creative way to celebrate our city's connection to our rivers, history, and community pride. We can't wait to see fans rally behind this one-of-a-kind event!"

Clearly, the Blazers have found a great branding opportunity to help promote the city and its region while endearing itself to the community. Again, I am fully in support of more WHL teams doing this promotion with the hopes that the league and its member teams will turn it into an annual weekend every season. Whether it be the Thompson Rivers Fighting Trout, the Prince Albert Cobra Chickens, or the Wheat City Walleye, these fun, promotional games are what hockey should be about, and kudos to the WHL for allowing these games and to the teams who are embracing the opportunity.

No trout about it: big win for Kamloops in this writer's opinion.

UPDATE: check out Beau Courtney's goal celebration upon making it 3-1 on the power-play, and tell me these guys aren't having fun as the Thompson Rivers Fighting Trout! That's the perfect goal celebration!


Until next time, keep your fishing hooks in the water!