President/CEO Bart Rogers of the Peoria Rivermen, proud primary affiliate of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues and member of the American Hockey League (AHL), announced today that the team has unveiled a new color scheme for its primary logo, which will still feature the Rivermen Captain and the Captain’s wheel.
Rogers also announced that 1,309 full season tickets, an increase of nearly 200 more than last year at this time, have been sold to date.
New rink and ice surface configurations have been announced, along with a re-launching of the team’s Web site, www.rivermen.net, with the new colors.
The Rivermen logo, which parallels the Blues colors, features navy blue (PMS 282 Blue) on the inset of the word “Rivermen,” the Captain’s jacket, the Captain’s hat and the river streams on the inset of the Captain’s wheel. The Captain’s glove, which used be to red with a gold highlight across the top of the hand, is now all navy blue. The Captain’s wheel, which used to feature red on the wheel, the spokes and the silhouette of downtown Peoria, is now colored in gold (PMS 123 Gold). The “R” on the Captain’s hat, which used to be black outlined in red, is still black but now outlined in white and gold.
“Across the board, we want to align ourselves with the St. Louis Blues,” Rogers said. “Altering our color scheme with the logo and ultimately our jerseys in the coming weeks are the first steps toward making it happen with a Rivermen/Blues integrated marketing approach.”
The team has sold 1,309 full season tickets, which is nearly 200 (197) more than last year at this time. Full season tickets are available in the Lower Bowl for $595 per seat and in the Upper Bowl for $407 per seat. They include Priority Seating for the AHL Calder Cup Playoffs, a Commemorative Rivermen AHL Gift, Free Game Day Stat Sheet, Free Rivermen Game Program, Free Rivermen Pre-season Meet-The-Team Party, Complimentary Tickets to Rivermen AHL Pre-season Games and Unused Ticket Redemption Nights.
“The response of our season ticket holders and their willingness to step forward at such an early date is fantastic,” Ticket Sales Manager Wendy Mitchell said. “Our tremendous staff is also to be credited for their hard work and diligence in serving and communicating with our valued ticket holders. We encourage those considering season tickets to contact us early, so they may secure the best seats possible.”
The new Carver Arena ice configurations for the 2005-2006 AHL season will see the home and visiting team penalty boxes glassed in, allowing for continuous glass from one end of the ice to other across from the team benches.
Per AHL rules, the goal lines will be moved back two feet, creating 11 feet of space from the endboards to the goal line instead of 13. There will also be two lines painted on the ice, beginning six feet from either goal post along the goal line and extending back to the end boards on diagonals to points 28 feet apart. In an effort to increase offensive opportunities without wholly eliminating a goaltender’s ability to assist his defensemen, AHL goaltenders are not permitted to play any puck behind the goal line that is outside this trapezoid; violation of this rule results in a minor penalty for delay of game against the goaltender.
Additionally, the AHL ice surface features blue lines and a center red line that are 24 inches wide (rather than 12), creating additional playing space to the neutral zone.
In association with Infinity Pro Sports (www.infinityprosports.com), the team Web site – www.rivermen.net – will be re-launched and feature a new Macromedia Flash header consisting of the re-colored logo, the AHL logo and the Blues logo layered over a nighttime scene of the Peoria Riverfront. A full redesign will take place in July.
