Ontario Minor League Basball team has a bizarre nickname

[Stay Golden]

Naming your team the Rippers with a Jack the Ripper logo is not the brightest idea. Check out the logo.

London Nightstalkers is clearly a much better idea.


http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/top/blog/...?urn=top-wp807

[Coys1882]

I like it.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

When Sydney got a major junior team back in the late 1990's I totally wanted them to be called the Sydney Tar Ponds instead of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.

Blinky the 3-Eyed Fish for a mascot
Glow in the dark jerseys


That said, I do think the name Rippers is in poor taste. Like Charlestown having a team called the Mansons, or Jefferson having the Dahmers.

[YYC in LAX]

I'm cool with it...better than a logo of a 350 lb lady rippin' ass.

One could argue Devils, Indians, Blackhawks, Redskins, Eskimos, etc are more offensive. Me, I don't give a ####. Just saying.

[Sainters7]

I like it too actually.

Reminds me of the stink people made back in '95 with the Hitmen logo before their inaugural season, and they had to change it to that ridiculous lettered, starburst "Hitmen" logo for a year. Though I guess this is a little different because its based on an actual person. Meh, I still think its cool.

[troutman]

Hitmen isn't much better, for a family-themed hockey team.

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

That said, I do think the name Rippers is in poor taste. Like Charlestown having a team called the Mansons, or Jefferson having the Dahmers.

I think the difference is that Jack the Ripper has become romanticised in our current society, hence the dark'ish but still almost light-hearted Johnny Depp, Jack the Ripper movie a few years ago.

I do agree that in reality he's no better than the Mansons or Dahmers you mentioned, it is kind of silly he's viewed differently right now. Maybe its because it was well over 100 years ago, or because he was part of Victorian England, which is a heavily romanticised setting already. But whatever it is, I can see this not becoming too big of a deal. I still think its cool, though a little perverse.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Sainters7

I think the difference is that Jack the Ripper has become romanticised in our current society, hence the dark'ish but still almost light-hearted Johnny Depp, Jack the Ripper movie a few years ago.

The year is 2011, Lady Gaga is in vogue, and people are talking about the rage that fedoras.

That movie, 'From Hell' was ten years ago, back in the days when we were still blessed with the lives of George Harrison.

[Stay Golden]

The Burlington BTK's

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by troutman

Hitmen isn't much better, for a family-themed hockey team.

True, as well as having pink in your colourscheme, especially back then when it wasn't all trendy. Man that was embarassing.

[GFG4Life]

At least it's still better than the old Edmonton Cracker-Cats

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by Sainters7

I like it too actually.

Reminds me of the stink people made back in '95 with the Hitmen logo before their inaugural season, and they had to change it to that ridiculous lettered, starburst "Hitmen" logo for a year. Though I guess this is a little different because its based on an actual person. Meh, I still think its cool.

[YYC in LAX]

Better than the Swallows

[Sainters7]

Haha ya I know its based on Bret Hart. My family actually had seasons my first year and I chatted with him a few times in the concourse when I was a kid, he was always there back then.

I just meant in later years, now that he's sold the team and they've changed their colours, I think people just see it as "hitmen" now (especially fans of other teams), like troutman was saying. Suppose I could've worded it better.

On a side note, I miss that first year when they played at the old Corral. Man it was rowdy in there, 6,000 seemed more like 15,000.

[Resolute 14]

What's most interesting about the Hitmen is that the Flames were among the organizations chastising the new team for its logo and "violent image" in 1995. When they bought the club two years later, the name was never changed.

Reason? When the name and logo were announced, people chose to make a big stink about it so they could make themselves feel important. By 1997, nobody cared anymore, and the name was accepted as legitimate.

The same thing is happening now with the London Rippers. Two years from now, nobody will even care.

[transplant99]

the minor league hockey franchises in Macon Georgia always will be the best in my opinion..

The Macon Bacon
The Macon Whoopee
The Macon Trax

Awesome.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by troutman

Hitmen isn't much better, for a family-themed hockey team.

Wasn't there actually some contraversey about that when the team started? I seem to recall that they had to change the logo because it was too violently suggestive.

edt: Nevermind.... just read Resolute's post.

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Wasn't there actually some contraversey about that when the team started? I seem to recall that they had to change the logo because it was too violently suggestive.

edt: Nevermind.... just read Resolute's post.

Ya, they had to change it from this:


to this:



It was really lame. They changed it back after the first season due to popular demand.

[dustyanddaflames]

Still like our neighbouring town's - The Castor Raiders. Who in their right mind, puts their children thru this type of ridiculing. Why it was never changed, it well beyond my scope.

[Barnet Flame]

I'm not surprised that the choice of name has created a bit of a stink.