A Couple of Quick Rumours I Need to Address
Apparently, there's going to be some big changes in Elejamian ice hockey. Either massive ones that'll really shake everything up or small minor changes that everyone can live with. At least, there are according to a few emails I've gotten and conversations I've overheard while I was out and about. And, to be fair, most of them aren't really going to happen. For example, I don't really see Cerin Meloten leaving the Rosetta Sparrows anytime soon, especially since he's renewed a five year contract for them; I don't think Stacy Saunders will replace Franny Solano on the first line (even though it would be the logical choice in my honest opinion); and Pedro Cervantes probably won't take his uncle Toni's #1 jersey after he retires (especially since they're going to retire it at the first game of the 2018-19 season). So, using my best guesses, I've compiled a list of three (more than a couple but I'm not going to change) of these rumours that I feel that I should talk about in depth. They're not my top three, they're just three that I feel I could go into detail with.
Let's get started, shall we?
It's a possibility. Why do I think it's going to change? My best guess is because the logo didn't really feature any Spanish or Iyilim, which isn't really a great idea for a trilingual country such as ours. After all, we've got a new national anthem, one where all the verses and choruses are in each of our three languages. Another good guess is that we call it "ice hockey" over here rather than just simply "hockey"; I don't know why since the other kind (field hockey) isn't really that popular over here, only played in universities and that. There are probably some other reasons why the logo might be changed but I can't think of any. Besides, I won't be mad if they do change it, I'm just guessing that they will.
So what do I think our new logo will look like? Presumably the same as the old one, except maybe a darker green, maybe a larger elephant and, of course, the phrase "Elejamie Ice Hockey" in English, Spanish and Iyilim. Maybe a different colour for each individual language, so it'll stand out more. That being said, I'm not a part of the EIHB so there's a good chance they could go with a new design altogether. Maybe something that reflects our nation. Maybe a literal elephant made out of ice. Either way, we'll just have to wait for the next World Cup of Hockey to find out, so let's just enjoy the one we have for the time being.
And yes, there will be shoulder patches for our WCoH33 jersey. How do I know? The EIHB announced it a while back, saying that they'll use the Elejamian flag. Simple but it still gets the job done. I'm not sure if it'll also be the alternate logo we use for our black jerseys, very unlikely in my opinion, but it won't be a surprise if it does.
Again, another possibility. He's had a strong first season for the Elejamie City Ice Elephants, appearing in all 60 games and bagging seventeen points; three goals and fourteen assists. Granted, he didn't really perform that well in the play-offs, when they went down 3-1 in their Quarter-final series against eventual winners Ángeles (only winning 3-2 in overtime in game one), but he did manage to get a couple of assists. He's also played in a few games so, naturally, he does have some international experience. And, according to his stats, he does have some growth potential, maybe becoming a second-liner in the next three years and first-liner in the next five. So, obviously, you can see why there's such a big buzz around him.
But, if this does happen, there's a big question as to who'll be the other scratched defenceman? After all, ever since the 28th edition (when we went from ten scratches to six), we've always kept two spare defenceman just in case anything bad happened and we needed a replacement; one to play on the left and one to play on the right, much like a left and right winger up front. And I know what you're thinking. "Why can't you move Rafinho up to the third line?". While moving lines and hoping that Rafinho would be fine playing on the left instead of the right might seem like a good idea in hindsight, it would probably feel a bit alien to the folks watching it in the stands or on TV back home, a couple of players won't really be all that happy with the changes and it means we need to find two more reserve defencemen.
So who will replace Neil Cuevas as backup LD? I would probably say Diego Pinto, third-liner for our fourth-placed WJHC8 team (who was fortunate enough to be too old for the ninth edition, which to this day can't be talked about over here without the word "shenanigans" cropping up), as he's still playing professional ice hockey to this day; Ryan Larsson, who was touted to be one of the next big stars in Elejamian ice hockey, now plays for a team somewhere in Neu Engollon and Bill Sutton's currently with the Blackport Raiders in the ENIHL2. Pinto, who signed to the Mainsborough Icemen immediately after he graduated from university, has managed to score 20 goals last season, as well as 25 assists. And, of course, he won't be the first WJHC8 member to play for the senior team; Stacy Saunders helped us win the World Cup of Hockey last time, Bill Judge has played a few WCoH games (and appears to be a mainstay at Shamrocks games) and Antonio Cervantes' nephew Pedro's currently a backup backup goalie for us. hoping to take over for his uncle once he hangs up his skates.
Of course, I could be wrong but it's safe to say that, since we've got plenty of time before we have to wait for Mr. Cruickshank's replacement, there's nothing wrong with a little speculation.
Not very likely. After all, something that big would probably be more trouble than it's worth. Also, there are 16 teams in the ENIHL and 20 in the ENIHL2, so unless we expand to make it 18 in both leagues, this idea's not really going to float off the ground. And, finally, they'd have to find a replacement for the Commiseration Cup - where the five teams in each ENIHL2 conference that didn't make the run for promotion will face each other in a double round robin group, with the top eight teams playing each other in a best of three series until there's only one winner - which would probably cause some commotion among the minor leaguers.
But I can see why people would think that. After all, some teams in the ENIHL have ties to teams in the ENIHL2: Green Hills Stoners players usually end up playing for the Puffins; Pikestown Panthers players tend to play for the Stars; and there's a more than likely chance that you'll end up with the Elejamie City Ice Elephants (no relation to the Icy Elephants, our national team) if you've played with the Auckhampton Fathers. Not to mention that I'm not sure why we've got a promotion/relegation thing going on when it doesn't really make that much sense. Personally, if it weren't for the fact that the whole thing would be a confusing mess buried under a mountain of red tape, I'd be up for this.
And, while I'm on the subject of new leagues: no, there won't be a third professional men's hockey league just for the Dockers, Stars, Puffins and all the other big Elejamian ice hockey teams. I get that having an all-star league would rake in all the dough but, to be brutally honest, it'd probably be a bit boring.
And that should hopefully clear things up. If I've missed any good ones, just send me an email and I should look into it. Either way, I'll get back to the World Cup of Hockey, keeping an eye on our Icy Elephants. Will we get that third star? Here's hoping!
P.S. Please stop sending me memes about the Natanians and Nosts game. They're only funny if it's a massive team (i.e. Valanora, Gregoryisgodistan or the Royal Kingdom of Quebec) who lose by that scoreline. If it's a minor team, like N&N, then it's just cruel.