DULUTH, GA – The 2014-2015 ECHL season was one that the Gwinnett Gladiators would soon forget. The team fired its coach early and struggled mightily to find victories throughout the year. On March 31st, interim head coach Andy Brandt had the “interim” tag taken off his title, giving him the opportunity to fully put together a team for the 2015-2016 campaign.
Brandt’s title change may not be the only name alteration that Gladiators fans will have to get used to. Spurred on by an email from a fan, ProHockeyNews has learned that the team has taken steps to possibly re-brand itself. It is also possible that the team could be looking at a change of venue thanks to a possible upgrade to the Gwinnett Center.
In a search through the website who.is, PHN has found that the web domains atlantagladiators.com and atlantagladiators.net have been registered through GoDaddy.com by the Gwinnett Gladiators (Duluth is 30 miles northeast of Atlanta). According to who.is, the web domains were registered on July 10, 2014 with information updates being made on April 30 and May 25 of 2015. Both domains are the property of the Gladiators until July of 2016 when a renewal is due.
A second search, this one based on trademarks, turned up even more information. On February 20th of this year, a trademark filing was made for the name “Atlanta Gladiators” for both merchandise use and for “entertainment services – namely professional hockey exhibitions”. According to the listing in the TESS system, the logo would consist of “a gladiator in red and gold holding a sword and shield above the stylized words Gladiators Atlanta”.
What is interesting is that the applicant for the trademark is listed as ECHL, Inc out of Princeton, New Jersey. In the past, the ECHL has gone out and done such registrations when a team name comes about or a new franchise enters the league as a precursor to an announcement.
The potential name change could be an attempt to lure hockey fans in Atlanta to jump on the Gladiators bandwagon. Georgia’s biggest city has been without hockey since the Atlanta Thrashers were sold and moved to Winnipeg to become the Jets a couple of years ago.
It could also be a long range change because of plans that Gwinnett County has for the facility the Gladiators presently play in. County commissioners have begun looking at ideas for improving the Gwinnett Center. Several plans have been presented to the commissioners that include adding more seating to the arena.
Any work done to the arena could force the Gladiators to find another place to play for a time. One option would be to strike a deal with the Philips Arena in Atlanta – the former home of the Thrashers – to use the building on a temporary basis.
As of this point, no official announcement has been made regarding any of the potential changes. ProHockeyNews will stay on top of the story and provide updates as more news becomes available.
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