2006-07 Alaska Aces Jim Dahl Jersey

July by the Numbers racks up the frequent flyer miles as we head cross-continent to Alaska for jersey #24.

The East Coast Hockey League was formed in 1988 and is widely considered the third rung on the professional hockey ladder below the NHL and the AHL, with many of it's teams having affiliations with NHL and their AHL farm teams.

The league had humble beginnings with just five teams, it underwent a fairly blistering period of expansion, more than doubling to 11 teams in it's third season, adding four more in 1991 and gaining four more in 1993, finally quadrupling it's original size in 1995-96 with 21 clubs.

It continued to add clubs at a nearly unabated pace, netting two more in 1996, 1997 and 1998 plus one more in 1999. It lost three teams in 2000 and responded by adding four total the following season! It again contracted by two and reacted once again by adding four in 2003 when it accepted ten clubs, primarily from the defunct West Coast Hockey League, but lost six teams in the southeast to reach 31 clubs - six times it's original size in 16 seasons and a now vastly increased footprint across North America.

Since reaching it's high of 31 clubs, the economic downturn which began in 2001 has taken it's toll on the ECHL, as it began to shed teams, losing three total in 2004, three more in 2007, two in 2008 and three more in 2009 to drop to a 15 year low. Two clubs joined for the 2009-10 season, but one left the league for 2010-11. One left but two arrived for 2011-12 and four new ones arrived in 2012, only to see another two fold at the conclusion of the season, which now leaves the league with 22 franchises across five divisions, which range from five teams to just three!

It's also not as simple as two or three clubs folding in a given year either, as the unstable league has seen many clubs leave each season, offset by a number of new arrivals. In 2008-09 for example, five clubs left the league while two new ones joined for a net of minus three. Even in an apparent run of "stability" when the league stayed at 25 clubs for two consecutive seasons, 2005-06 saw two leave and two join and 2006-07 had another three join only to be balanced out by three who left! Since 2004, 28 clubs have left the league while 19 have joined.

Many colorful team names have been a part of the ECHL, such as the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies, the Greenville Grrrowl, the Lexington Men O' War, the Louisiana IceGators, the Louisville River Frogs, the Mobile Mysticks, the Pee Dee Pride and who could forget the Macon Whoopee?

Yes, this was really a professional hockey team

Through all the franchise comings and goings, one team remained, the Johnstown Chiefs, who sadly announced in February of 2010 that they would be relocating to Greenville, South Carolina after a run of 22 seasons, a virtual lifetime in the lower minors.

While there have obviously been many franchises that have folded outright or sought greener pastures in other places through relocation, four former ECHL clubs have moved up to the AHL, seeking a greater challenge. The Hampton Roads Admirals joined he ECHL in 1989 and won three championships (1991, 1992 and 1998) before joining the AHL and changing their name to the Norfolk Admirals.

The Hampton Roads Admirals celebrate their 1998 championship

The Greensboro Monarchs were members of the ECHL from 1989 to 1995 when they became the Carolina Monarchs upon joining the AHL, where they lasted for two seasons until being displaced by the move of the NHL's Hartford Whalers to Carolina.

The Peoria Rivermen entered the ECHL in 1996 and played until 2005 before their owners bought the Worcester IceCats of the AHL and moved them to Peoria and renamed them the Rivermen for the 2005-06 season.

In a similar maneuver, the owner of the Charlotte Checkers purchased the Albany River Rats of the AHL and moved them to Charlotte for the 2010-11 season while maintaining the Checkers identity.

The winner of the ECHL playoffs receives the Kelly Cup and to date 15 teams have won the ECHL championship with the Hampton Roads Admirals and the South Carolina Stingrays having the most championships with three each.

The Anchorage Aces were an amateur national championship club formed in 1989 and turned professional in 1995 as a member of the WCHL. They then moved to the ECHL in 2003 with the demise of the WCHL and were then renamed the Alaska Aces.

Since becoming a member of the ECHL, the Aces have made the playoffs every one of their nine seasons and made the finals three times, losing in 2009 and winning the championship in 2006 and again in 2011.

The 2011 Kelly Cup champion Alaska Aces

To date, former Aces of note who have gone on to play in the NHL are Wade Brookbank and D. J. King, both of whom have over 100 games of NHL experience on their resume. NHLers Brandon Dubinsky, Nate Thompson and Joey Crabb played in Alaska during the 2012-13 NHL lockout. The best known former Ace is Alaska native Scott Gomez, who returned to Alaska to play for the Aces during the NHL lockout of 2004-05 and led the league in scoring on his way to being named league MVP.

Gomez signs with the Aces

Today's featured jersey is a 2006-07 Alaska Aces Jim Dahl jersey. It's a very nicely executed jersey with unique arm and waist striping that ties in with their really nice logo, especially considering some of the wild creations sometimes seen in the lower minors. While the number font is not unique to the Aces, the speed flashes on the upper left corner also relate nicely to the flashes on the waist and arm stripes making for a very cohesive package.

This jersey also sports several sponsorship patches, two on the back and one in the traditional right chest location often found in the minors, which is balanced by the braggadocios 2006 Kelly Cup Champions patch on the upper left chest which reminds the rest of the league of the Aces reign over them.

Overall, a very professional effort.

In today's video segment, the Aces win the 2006 Kelly Cup. And there was much rejoicing.

In 2011, the Aces once again raise the Kelly Cup in celebration of their second championship.

2002-03 Charlotte Checkers Chad McIver Jersey

July by the Numbers visits the southeast for jersey #23.

Located in the heart of NASCAR country, the Charlotte Checkers were formed in 1993 as members of the East Coast Hockey League. The ECHL ranks third on the ladder system of North American hockey leagues below the top rung of the NHL and the top minor league, the AHL.

The Checkers logo from 1993-2002

The Checkers, a clever reference to both body checks in hockey and the checkered flag in racing, have been a bright spot in the ECHL, with the team averaging nine or ten thousand fans a game, with some crowds reaching 12,000.

Attendance has been helped by the team's success on the ice in the early years, with the team posting winning records in their first two seasons prior to winning the ECHL championship and the Kelly Cup in just their third season of existence in 1995-96. Two more winning seasons followed, giving the club five consecutive years of playoff appearances from their inception.

Even their first season below .500 was just barely so with a record of 29-30-11. The club qualified for the playoffs in the next two seasons before perhaps setting a record for the best team to miss the playoffs in any hockey league anywhere, when the Checkers posted a 41-20-3 mark, a .665 wining percentage, yet failed to make the ECHL playoffs despite having more points in the standings than six other teams and 21 points more than the Greenville Grrrowl, who did qualify!

The Checkers logo from 2002-2007

After one more season out of the playoffs, the Checkers ran off a string of six consecutive postseason appearances, including the 2009-10 season when they tied a club record set during their championship season of 1995-96 with 94 points in the standings.

The Checkers 15th Anniversary logo from 2007-08

The 2009-10 season was the last for the Checkers in the ECHL, as the team owner relinquished their ECHL membership after purchasing the Albany River Rats of the AHL and relocating that franchise to Charlotte where they adopted the Checkers identity, moving the Charlotte market up one level of play from the ECHL to the AHL. The only alteration will be to the team's colors, changing from light blue, navy blue and black to red, black and silver to reflect the team's new affiliation with the Carolina Hurricanes of the NHL, located just 150 miles up the road.

The Checkers logo updated to reflect their

new affiliation with the Carolina Hurricanes

The AHL Checkers set an attendance record for a hockey game played in Charlotte when their opening game of the 2010-11 season drew 12,512 fans. That record was pushed higher twice, with the second coming on February 25, 2012 when 13,102 fans came to the arena to see the Checkers take on the Oklahoma City Barons.

In their three seasons in the AHL, Charlotte has had a winning record each time and made the playoff semifinals in 2010-11.

Darryl Noren was the all-time leading scorer for the Checkers during the ECHL era. Noren skated for Charlotte from 1994 to 2000, scoring 174 goals and 229 assists for 403 points in six seasons to lead the franchise in all three categories. Defenseman Kurt Seher was the longest serving Checker, having played 10 seasons in Charlotte, four more than anyone else.

Notable players to have played for the Checkers include Eric Boulton, Eric Cairns, Antti Laaksonen, Jason LaBarbera and Peter Worrell. 

Today's featured jersey is a 2002-03 Charlotte Checkers Norm McIver jersey. During their early years the Checkers were known for their frankly horrific jerseys, which all seem to have been designed by someone unfamiliar with ice hockey and for some reason reminds us more of the kind of interior decorating you'd find in a breakfast cafe along the interstate while on vacation in North Dakota.

Despite their checkered past, Charlotte's jersey situation has been on the upswing as of late, thanks in no small part to an excellent new logo which was introduced in 2007 after a change in ownership, replacing the amateurish, cartoony logos of the past.

Still, you cannot erase the past, and Charlotte has some real skeletons in their jersey closet, not the least of which are their jerseys from the early 2000's, a checkered flag trimmed jersey with the body and sleeves adorned with "speed stripes", parallel stripes of decreasing width separated by contrasting color stripes of increasing width. The overall effect, when combined with the cartoonish logo, was a loud assault on the eyes better suited to mid-90's roller hockey.

In our video section today, Charlotte shows it's connection with the citizens of Charlotte, the kind of connection only possible in the minors.

Here's another funny ad campaign from the Checkers.

1997-98 New Orleans Brass Olie Sundström Jersey

With the National Football League holding the 47th Super Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana, we thought it would be an opportune time to take a look at hockey in New Orleans.

Not too surprisingly, The Big Easy does not have a long and rich hockey tradition, but has been home to a professional hockey club, the New Orleans Brass of the East Coast Hockey League.

The club was founded in 1997 and originally played it's home games at the 7,800 seat New Orleans Municipal Auditorium for it's first two seasons.

The team was a member of the Southeast Division along with clubs located in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, Louisiana Birmingham and Mobile, Alabama, Biloxi, Mississippi and Pensacola, Florida. The Brass were led by former New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres head coach Ted Sator and faired well for an expansion club, finishing fourth in their seven team division with a 36-24-10 record, which was good enough to qualify for the playoffs.

Former Boston Bruin and and Ottawa Senator Jeff Lazaro led the club in scoring with 37 goals and 101 points in 70 games. While Martin Villenuve was unquestionably the number one goaltender, with 54 games played and a fine 26-17-7 record, no less than six other goaltenders saw time in the crease for the Brass!

Jeff Lazaro

Lazaro returned for the 1998-99 season, but finished second in scoring to Darryl LaFrance, who had 39 goals and 39 assists for 78 points in 55 games. Villenuve again was the #1 in goal, but the situation was much, much more settled, with Chris Wickenheiser playing in 35 games with only one other goalie appearing in a single game for just 11 minutes. Another winning record, 30-27-13, saw the Brass made the playoffs again, where they had their best postseason, sweeping Jacksonville in Round 1, ousting Louisiana in Round 2 before losing to the Pee Dee Pride in the third round.

For the 1999-00 season, the club moved to the 16,500 capacity New Orleans Arena, which was to prove a fateful decision for the franchise. Lazaro again led the club in scoring with 80 points and was one of six players with 20 goals or more, but none with more than 26 for an extremely balanced offense. Another winning record saw the Brass qualify for the playoffs yet again.

For the 2000-01 season, Adam Edinger was the leading scorer with 31 goals and 76 points and the Brass kept their playoff streak intact, this time advancing to the second round after defeating the Augusta Lynx following a 35-25-12 mark.

In 2001-02, the Brass, still under the reins of head coach Sator since the beginning, extended their impressive record of never having a losing season when they finished at 36-32-4 to also qualify for the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. They were led in scoring by George Awada's 59 points.

George Awada

The NBA's Charlotte Hornets relocated to New Orleans, taking up residence at the New Orleans Arena, which led to the state of Louisiana trying to require the Brass to pay for the expense of converting the basketball floor back into the hockey configuration as a condition of remaining at the arena. Being more than ownership was willing to pay, the club hoped to return to their original home, the Municipal Auditorium, only to discover that the floor had recently been replaced, and in the process the ice making capabilities had been removed. Now without a place to play, ownership was left with no alternative but to sadly fold the franchise, bringing to and end the brief era of professional hockey in New Orleans.

Lazaro finished as the franchise's all-time leading scorer by far, with his 307 points far outdistancing LaFrance's 175, thanks to being on the roster for every season of the Brass existence. Also of note was defenseman Steve Cheredaryk, the only other player on the roster for all five seasons. He ranks fourth in points with 111, first among defensemen, as well as first in games played and  penalty minutes at 978, nearly 200 a season.

Cheredaryk in the process of earning his franchise leading penalty minutes

Today's featured jersey is a 1997-98 New Orleans Brass Olie Sundström jersey from the Brass inaugural season in the ECHL. This jersey was clearly influenced by the St. Louis Blues jersey of the era with it's multiple stripes suggesting a musical staff, only executed in the expected Mardi Gras colors.

Sundström was one of no less than seven goaltenders for the Brass during their first season. After playing four seasons in his native Sweden for Leksands IF, he came to North America, where he played for 13 different teams over the course of ten seasons, stretching from Anchorage, Alaska in the west and north to New Orleans in the south and Providence, Rhode Island in the east! 

Bonus jersey: Today's bonus jersey is a 2000-01 New Orleans Brass Kevin Colley jersey. Less successful than their original jerseys, the 2000-01 version takes the striping pattern from the Anaheim Ducks and uses a more muted color scheme, dropping the bright gold color of the earlier jersey in favor of a much darker secondary color. Additionally, the primarily black color of the jersey is not separated from the dark purple shade by the bright colors which divided the two dark shades in the original jerseys, which makes for a rather moody look this time out.

Add in the darker overall logo the club had adopted by then, combined with the rather creepy jester secondary shoulder logo, we much prefer the more vibrant jersey with it's dynamic lines from 1997-98.

Colley persevered in the minors from 1999-00 to 2005-06 before finally getting a chance to play in the NHL, when he saw action in 16 games for the New York Islanders before fracturing his neck in a game against the Washington Capitals, which forced his early retirement.

Today's video section is of course, a fight. The Brass, in white, are facing off against their rivals, the Louisiana Ice Gators with the expected minor league mayhem.

Here is a genuine New Orleans brass band playing in the city's French Quarter.

2006-07 Alaska Aces Jim Dahl Jersey

July by the Numbers racks up the frequent flyer miles as we head cross-continent to Alaska for jersey #24.

The East Coast Hockey League was formed in 1988 and is widely considered the third rung on the professional hockey ladder below the NHL and the AHL, with many of it's teams having affiliations with NHL and their AHL farm teams.

The league had humble beginnings with just five teams, it underwent a fairly blistering period of expansion, more than doubling to 11 teams in it's third season, adding four more in 1991 and gaining four more in 1993, finally quadrupling it's original size in 1995-96 with 21 clubs.

It continued to add clubs at a nearly unabated pace, netting two more in 1996, 1997 and 1998 plus one more in 1999. It lost three teams in 2000 and responded by adding four total the following season! It again contracted by two and reacted once again by adding four in 2003 when it accepted ten clubs primarily from the defunct West Coast Hockey League but lost six teams in the southeast to reach 31 clubs - six times it's original size in 16 seasons and a now vastly increased footprint across North America.

Since reaching it's high of 31 clubs, the recent economic downturn has taken it's toll on the ECHL, as it began to shed teams, losing three total in 2004, three more in 2007, two in 2008 and three more in 2009 to drop to a 15 year low.

It's also not as simple as two or three clubs folding in a given year either, as the unstable league has seen many clubs leave each season, offset by a number of new arrivals. In 2008-09 for example, five clubs left the league while two new ones joined for a net of minus three. Even in an apparent run of "stability" when the league stayed at 25 clubs for two consecutive seasons, 2005-06 saw two leave and two join and 2006-07 had another three join only to be balanced out by three who left! Since 2004, 24 clubs have left the league while 13 have joined.

Many colorful team names have been a part of the ECHL, such as the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies, the Greenville Grrrowl, the Lexington Men O' War, the Louisiana IceGators, the Louisville River Frogs, the Mobile Mysticks, the Pee Dee Pride and who could forget the Macon Whoopee?

Through all the franchise comings and goings, one team remained, the Johnstown Chiefs, who sadly announced in February of 2010 that they would be relocating to Greenville, South Carolina after a run of 22 seasons, a virtual lifetime in the lower minors.

While there have obviously been many franchises that have folded outright or sought greener pastures in other places through relocation, three former ECHL clubs have moved up to the AHL, seeking a greater challenge. The Hampton Roads Admirals joined he ECHL in 1989 and won three championships (1991, 1992 and 1998) before joining the AHL and changing their name to the Norfolk Admirals.

The Peoria Rivermen entered the ECHL in 1996 and played until 2005 before their owners bought the Worcester IceCats of the AHL and moved them to Peoria and renamed them the Rivermen for the 2005-06 season.

In a similar maneuver, the owner of the Charlotte Checkers purchased the Albany River Rats of the AHL and will move them to Charlotte for the 2010-11 season while maintaining the Checkers identity.

The winner of the ECHL playoffs receives the Kelly Cup and to date 15 teams have won the ECHL championship with the Hampton Roads Admirals and the South Carolina Stingrays having the most championships with three each.

The Anchorage Aces were an amateur national championship club formed in 1989 and turned professional in 1995 as a member of the WCHL. They then moved to the ECHL in 2003 with the demise of the WCHL and were then renamed the Alaska Aces, which necessitated a new logo and new uniforms. Since becoming a member of the ECHL, the Aces have made the playoffs every season and made the finals twice, losing in 2009 and winning the championship in 2006.

To date, former Aces of note who have gone on to play in the NHL are Wade Brookbank and D. J. King, both of whom have over 100 games of NHL experience on their resume. The best known former Ace is Alaska native Scott Gomez, who returned to Alaska to play for the Aces during the NHL lockout of 2004-05 and led the league in scoring on his way to being named league MVP.

Gomez signs with the Aces

Today's featured jersey is a 2006-07 Alaska Aces Jim Dahl jersey. It's a very nicely executed jersey with unique arm and waist striping that ties in with their really nice logo, especially considering some of the wild creations sometimes seen in the lower minors. While the number font is not unique to the Aces, the speed flashes on the upper left corner also relate nicely to the flashes on the waist and arm stripes making for a very cohesive package.

This jersey also sports several sponsorship patches, two on the back and one in the traditional right chest location often found in the minors, which is balanced by the braggadocios 2006 Kelly Cup Champions patch on the upper left chest which reminds the rest of the league of the Aces reign over them.

Overall a very professional effort.

In today's video segment, the Aces win the 2006 Kelly Cup. And there was much rejoicing.

2002-03 Charlotte Checkers Chad McIver Jersey

July by the Numbers visits the southeast for jersey #23.

Located in the heart of NASCAR country, the Charlotte Checkers were formed in 1993 as members of the East Coast Hockey League. The ECHL ranks third on the ladder system of North American hockey leagues below the top rung of the NHL and the top minor league, the AHL.

The Checkers, a clever reference to both body checks in hockey and the checkered flag in racing, have been a bright spot in the ECHL, with the team averaging nine or ten thousand fans a game, with some crowds reaching 12,000.

Attendance has been helped by the team's success on the ice in the early years, with the team posting winning records in their first two seasons prior to winning the ECHL championship and the Kelly Cup in just their third season of existence in 1995-96. Two more winning seasons followed, giving the club five consecutive years of playoff appearances from their inception.

Even their first season below .500 was just barely so with a record of 29-30-11. The club qualified for the playoffs in the next two seasons before perhaps setting a record for the best team to miss the playoffs in any hockey league anywhere, when the Checkers posted a 41-20-3 mark, a .665 wining percentage, yet failed to make the ECHL playoffs despite having more points in the standings than six other teams and 21 points more than the Greenville Grrrowl, who did qualify!

After one more season out of the playoffs, the Checkers ran off a string of six consecutive postseason appearances, including the 2009-10 season when they tied a club record set during their championship season of 1995-96 with 94 points in the standings.

The 2009-10 season was the last for the Checkers in the ECHL, as the team owner relinquished their ECHL membership after purchasing the Albany River Rats of the AHL and relocating that franchise to Charlotte where they will adopt the Checkers identity, moving the Charlotte market up one level of play from the ECHL to the AHL. The only alteration will be to the team's colors, changing from light blue, navy blue and black to red, black and silver to reflect the team's new affiliation with the Carolina Hurricanes of the NHL, located just 150 miles up the road.

Darryl Noren was the all-time leading scorer for the Checkers during the ECHL era. Noren skated for Charlotte from 1994 to 2000, scoring 174 goals and 229 assists for 403 points in six seasons to lead the franchise in all three categories. Defenseman Kurt Seher was the longest serving Checker, having played 10 seasons in Charlotte, four more than anyone else.

Notable players to have played for the Checkers include Eric Boulton, Eric Cairns, Antti Laaksonen, Jason LaBarbera and Peter Worrell.

Today's featured jersey is a 2002-03 Charlotte Checkers Norm McIver jersey. During their early years the Checkers were known for their frankly horrific jerseys, which all seem to have been designed by someone unfamiliar with ice hockey and for some reason reminds us more of the kind of interior decorating you'd find in a breakfast cafe along the interstate while on vacation in North Dakota.

Despite their checkered past, Charlotte's jersey situation has been on the upswing as of late, thanks in no small part to an excellent new logo which was introduced in 2007 after a change in ownership, replacing the amateurish, cartoony logos of the past.

Still, you cannot erase the past, and Charlotte has some real skeletons in their jersey closet, not the least of which are their jerseys from the early 2000's, a checkered flag trimmed jersey with the body and sleeves adorned with "speed stripes", parallel stripes of decreasing width separated by contrasting color stripes of increasing width. The overall effect, when combined with the cartoonish logo, was a loud assault on the eyes better suited to mid-90's roller hockey.

In our video section today, Charlotte shows it's connection with the citizens of Charlotte, the kind of connection only possible in the minors.

Here's another funny ad campaign from the Checkers.

They did it, and did it rather well, but we can't really figure out why they did it. The Checkers mascot, by the way, is the brilliantly named "Chubby Checker".