Bloomington Bison joining ECHL in 2024-25

[No Fun Shogun]

That could obviously be anything, but I'd be okay with Bloomington Bison as a team name.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

I didn't move to McLean County until 2016, so it was before my time, but my wife is from the area and she pointed out that the old Prairie Thunder had a Bison head as part of their logo, too:

Maybe an homage to the past if they go with Bison?

 

[GindyDraws]

As with the case of Fuel and Freight, the organization just likes plural words that don't use the letter "s" to signify many.

 

[JMCx4]

As with the case of Fuel and Freight, the organization just likes plural words that don't use the letter "s" to signify many.

NOW we're gettin' some traction ... "Bloomington Brown Trout" ... "Twin City Swine" ... "Central Illinois Shrimp" ...

I didn't move to McLean County until 2016, so it was before my time, but my wife is from the area and she pointed out that the old Prairie Thunder had a Bison head as part of their logo, too:

View attachment 806174

Maybe an homage to the past if they go with Bison?

Less homage, more desperation to attract any lingering P/T fans who never escaped the area.

 

[mk80]

NOW we're gettin' some traction ... "Bloomington Brown Trout" ... "Twin City Swine" ... "Central Illinois Shrimp" ...


Less homage, more desperation to attract any lingering P/T fans who never escaped the area.

The bolded might be off the table since it's too similar to the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp summer wood bat team located a short jog up I-39 in Peru, IL

 

[Roadhog]

Bloomington Beast. There, I said it.



Okay, I'll put down the bottle.

 

[JMCx4]

Bloomington Beast. There, I said it.



Okay, I'll put down the bottle.

Pass it to me instead..

 

[VaCaps Fan]

Already have it.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

As with the case of Fuel and Freight, the organization just likes plural words that don't use the letter "s" to signify many.

I’m fine with teams that don’t end in s, but that being said Bison is a significantly better name than Fuel or especially Freight.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Name reveal coming Wednesday morning, so no name the team contest, and also some fairly optimistic financial projections, imho:

City projects hockey team deal could bring $20M at Bloomington arena over next two decades

A pro hockey team has the potential to bring more than $20 million in rent and profits over the next two decades if it plays at the City of Bloomington's Grossinger Motors Arena. That’s according to a proposal coming before the Bloomington City Council on Monday.

www.wglt.org

Hope it succeeds.

 

[jtheteacher]

Indy went a decade without *pro* hockey, but it's not like the market was dormant. There was a USHL team in town that won two Clark Cups and was pretty well-supported. Indy hasn't been "dark" since the 1987-88 season.

The Halletts have done a great job operating the Fuel. It's a professionally-run operation, and the team's attendance is very good (and growing) - and I expect it will grow substantially with the move to Fishers. There is next to zero media coverage - which is typical for a team in a major league market - but the Fuel do a really good job of promoting themselves on social media and they sell the games as a fun night out and go hard into promotions and group sales.

In Bloomington-Normal, you have the benefit of being the only pro team in town during the winter, with Illinois State the only other competition for eyeballs. With some solid marketing (and some partnerships - especially with State Farm HQ right there), I really believe they can follow the template they used in Indy and grow the game there. In a lot of markets, you just need good ownership and fans who believe the people running the show care.

And don't forget RIVIAN which now employs quite a few locals.....Since the naming rights to the building expired long ago, not to mention there aren't ANY Grossinger dealerships anywhere, how does "Rivian-rena" sound

 

[JMCx4]

And don't forget RIVIAN which now employs quite a few locals.....Since the naming rights to the building expired long ago, not to mention there aren't ANY Grossinger dealerships anywhere, how does "Rivian-rena" sound

Sounds like nonsense. So it's bound to be on the short-list.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Okay, I like it.

 

[mk80]

Interesting the colors, and the Illinois with the star are based on Chicago city flag. Also the lightning bolt on the bison face is a nod to the Prarie Thunder logo.

I personally don't consider Bloomington in the Chicagoland area but maybe it's residents do.

Edit: Here is the website Bloomington Bison | Bloomington, IL Professional Hockey

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Well, to be clear, the colors are clearly Chicago, but the star is only a five-pointer and not the six-point star of Chicago's.

And the thunderbolt is a nod, but it also looks more like an N, so also a nod to Normal?

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Bison signed a 20-year lease, so that's hopefully a pretty significant guarantee for the city, though obviously early exit clauses undoubtedly exist.

 

[JMCx4]

I hope the Bison players are issued straighter sticks than their mascot was given.

 

[Tilden Katz]

I hope the Bison players are issued straighter sticks than their mascot was given.

Whole new meaning to "illegal curve".

 

[JMCx4]

Bison better start recruiting goons, before the Komets scoop them all up.

 

[JMCx4]

Well, to be clear, the colors are clearly Chicago, but the star is only a five-pointer and not the six-point star of Chicago's.

And the thunderbolt is a nod, but it also looks more like an N, so also a nod to Normal?

The more you guys make me look at the details of this logo, the bigger the artistic cluster gets. But hopefully the logo will be too small to see on the player jerseys from the stands.

 

[JMCx4]

... And the thunderbolt is a nod, but it also looks more like an N, so also a nod to Normal?

More likely a nod to one or both previous Bloomington Thunder clubs (SPHL & USHL). Once you start counting up the former hockey teams in that town, it should give one pause if they think the Bison have an easy trail ahead.

 

[jtheteacher]

As mentioned in the press conference, the designer was from Bloomington. Bison is to represent the animals that used to roam the prairie. The shield in the back pays homage to Rt. 66. The star inside the state of Illinois represents the approximate location of Bloomington. The stovepipe hat is for Abe Lincoln. Lighting Bolt is for thunderstorms that crop up across the area.

 

[JMCx4]

As mentioned in the press conference, the designer was from Bloomington. Bison is to represent the animals that used to roam the prairie. The shield in the back pays homage to Rt. 66. The star inside the state of Illinois represents the approximate location of Bloomington. The stovepipe hat is for Abe Lincoln. Lighting Bolt is for thunderstorms that crop up across the area.

Any snacks or merch giveaways at the presser? Did they charge admission?

 

[GindyDraws]

Any snacks or merch giveaways at the presser? Did they charge admission?

They did sell at least a couple of season tickets. It's a start.

You gotta realize Bloomington hockey is still a hard sell, so they got a lot of work ahead of them to convince people that this is worth trying.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Seems like they're off to a decent start.