Team nickname comes from local lore
By Kevin Kelley
Sports
Published Jan. 31, 2007

While Cleveland’s new American Hockey League franchise has a fun and different nickname, its origin is like a story from “The X Files.”

The Lake Erie Monsters, which will begin play in October at Quicken Loans Arena, will provide fans with “a fun, but aggressive team image they can be proud of and connect with,” Tracy Marek, Cavaliers/Quicken Loans Arena senior vice president of marketing, said in a statement.

The name and mascot come from a local legend that a sea monster really does lurk in the waters of Lake Erie. According to a Wikipedia article, “Bessie” as the monster has come to be known as, reportedly has a snake-like head with a grayish-colored body 30 to 40 feet long. It has been spotted since 1817, but many sightings have occurred over the past 30 years.

Why isn’t Cleveland in the franchise’s name?

“Lake Erie obviously is associated with Cleveland all over the country,” Gilbert said. “It’s no slight on Cleveland whatsoever. It’s just a more inclusive than exclusive type of approach.”   

Gilbert said the team’s management hopes the franchise will appeal to hockey fans throughout the region.

The logo, a black scaled monster with yellow eyes peering up from the water, was developed by Cenergy Communications and the Cavaliers/Quicken Loans Arena marketing team under Marek.

Kerry Bubolz, Cavaliers executive vice president and president of the new AHL franchise, said the process of developing the name and logo was extensive.

Kerry Bubolz

“We looked at a tremendous number of different names,” Bubolz said. Since the news broke that Gilbert had purchased an AHL franchise in May 2006, area fans were able to submit suggestions for a nickname at the clevelandprohockey.com Web site. Hundred of ideas were suggested, Bubolz said.

The Cavaliers organization conducted extensive testing with focus group on potential nicknames, Bubolz said. The Fighting Walleye was rumored to be under consideration, and was even trademarked. But that was apparently a red hearing. The Cleveland Chaos was another nickname reportedly tested on focus groups.

“Lake Erie Monsters tested as the No. 1 name in terms of the focus group research that we conducted,” Bubolz said. “So it was a mandate from the masses, so to speak....While we had considered a variety of different names, it became very clear to us that this was a great name. It was unique.”

The Monsters’ team colors -- wine, blue, yellow and black -- reflect the franchise’s close association with the Cavaliers. The home jersey will be white with wine shoulders and black trim segments on the arm sleeves and will feature the secondary “M” logo on the front. The road jersey will be wine with black and white trim segments on the arm sleeves. Both home and road jerseys will have the Monster from the primary logo on each shoulder. Player numbers will appear on each shoulder sleeve and on the back of each jersey.

The team, which will be affiliated with the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League, will practice at Ice Land USA on Royalton Road in Strongsville.

Ohio Arenas, an ice rink management company which plans to open a 100,000 square foot facility on Viking Parkway in an industrial section of Westlake, had sought to be the practice home of the American Hockey League franchise.

Bubolz told West Life that the Monsters needed to find a practice facility sooner than Ohio Arenas could build its Westlake ice rink.

“We needed to deal with a known facility,” Bubolz said. “(Ohio Arenas) was still dealing with financing.”

Stephen McCann, president of Ohio Arenas, told West Life last month that his group still plans to build the Westlake ice rink.

Bubolz said he and the Lake Erie Ice Monsters wish McCann’s group success.