Here are some composite questions that have come our way, generated by this week’s official introduction of the Newfoundland Growlers, along with the new ECHL team's team’s logo:
What will be the team colours be?
Predominantly off-white and black, with the possibility of a small bit of another unspecified colour (blue? green?). If you want to get an idea of what that white will look like, check out the Newfoundland Regiment-themed third jerseys which were worn by the AHL St. John’s IceCaps or those of the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts.
The dogs head logo revealed Tuesday left some with the impression that a sort of gold or bronze hue was being incorporated, with many commenting that it looked similar to the colour scheme of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, but that’s not the case. You probably should think coffee choices — cream and black.
Even though the Growlers will be affiliated with the Toronto Maple Leafs, there will be no Leafs logo on the shoulder of the uniforms,
When will sales begin of team merchandise?
We’re told the timeline has some Growlers merchandise being available within the next couple of weeks before the official revelation of the actual jerseys the team will be wearing; those are still being finalized. There will be online sales of merchandise, but the team also working at setting up its own shop at some yet-to-be-determined location apart from Mile One Centre, where both Growlers and St. John’s Edge merchandise will be sold.
Why isn’t the team named the Newfoundland and Labrador Growlers?
It appears that it was never really considered, simply because it was felt the name would be just too long. Even using an ampersand (&), it would outdistance the mouthful that is minor league baseball’s Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, which as far as we can determine is the longest team name in North American pro sports. But for those concerned with political correctness, can we also point out that this is a professional hockey team and not a branch or agency of the provincial government? If it’s any consolation, the Growlers’ website is NLgrowlers.com.
A growler can also mean a small iceberg or a beer jug, but did you also know that in England, “growler” can have a not-so-nice definition?
Yes, it has been pointed out, and like most everyone, we have access to a myriad of online slang dictionaries which can provide what we’ll call “alternate” meanings. But since the Newfoundland Growlers aren’t probably counting on a big fanbase in the United Kingdom, it shouldn’t be much of a concern. And after all, when the English can have top-level soccer teams nicknamed Baggies (West Brom), Toffees (Everton), Smoggies (Middlesborough) and Tricky Trees (Nottingham Forest), they appear to have plenty enough to keep them occupied.
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