News Article: The Edmonton Rush moving to Saskatoon

[Lock]

haha.

I thought about the Calgary angle as well. Namely because it riles up the Calgary fanbase even more than this one. Calgary Puck is going ballistic with this lol.

That almost makes it worth it. But what you state may be how things originally went down as more of a in Calgarys face gesture. It is really odd that the Flames would need permission from the Oilers to call the games the same thing that we call them. Understand as well that the Oilers also have rights to any merchandise so inscribed.

I was thinking that too except that it doesnt make much sense. I see that term all over the place, sports writers and the NHL use it all the time in game previews or write-ups and no one has said a word in what, 15 years? So what, its just never come up?

The thing is, their one major obligation is to defend their trademark and they very clearly havent done it as we see it all the time and its just arisen as an issue.

So whats the more likely scenario? Someone at some point thought it would be smart to trademark, the defense of the trademark has fallen by the wayside since then but all of a sudden the Oilers feel the need to flex some muscle against the Rush who they know cant afford to defend themselves?

If the Oilers tried to prohibit the Flames from using that term they'd be laughed out of the province.

 

[Replacement*]

I was thinking that too except that it doesnt make much sense. I see that term all over the place, sports writers and the NHL use it all the time in game previews or write-ups and no one has said a word in what, 15 years? So what, its just never come up?

The thing is, their one major obligation is to defend their trademark and they very clearly havent done it as we see it all the time and its just arisen as an issue.

So whats the more likely scenario? Someone at some point thought it would be smart to trademark, the defense of the trademark has fallen by the wayside since then but all of a sudden the Oilers feel the need to flex some muscle against the Rush who they know cant afford to defend themselves?

If the Oilers tried to prohibit the Flames from using that term they'd be laughed out of the province.

As mentioned earlier the Oilers have had the Eskimos ask for permission to use the BOA slogan on multiple occasions. I think with the Rush the Oilers just consider it a lowbrow operation (which it is) don't give it the time of day and won't for sure be seeing it in the new arena. With the Rush trying to use it it probably just fired up some twitchy nerves.

The Rush btw have had run ins before. I can't remember all the details though. Urban has a talent for pissing off other businesses.

 

[Lock]

As mentioned earlier the Oilers have had the Eskimos ask for permission to use the BOA slogan on multiple occasions. I think with the Rush the Oilers just consider it a lowbrow operation (which it is) don't give it the time of day and won't for sure be seeing it in the new arena. With the Rush trying to use it it probably just fired up some twitchy nerves.

The Rush btw have had run ins before. I can't remember all the details though. Urban has a talent for pissing off other businesses.

Okay, well in my mind thats even worse. What you've just described is basically a dick measuring competition that the Oilers are so self-conscious about winning that they're making sure they beat someone infinitely smaller than them.

Man, and I thought yesterday's presser would be the low point.

 

[Replacement*]

Okay, well in my mind thats even worse. What you've just described is basically a dick measuring competition that the Oilers are so self-conscious about winning that they're making sure they beat someone infinitely smaller than them.

Man, and I thought yesterday's presser would be the low point.

You haven't been following this org long enough.

Nothing at all surprises me from these people.

That way I'm rarely disappointed.

 

[Lock]

You haven't been following this org long enough.

Nothing at all surprises me from these people.

That way I'm rarely disappointed.

Haha! Fair enough.

 

[PBandJ]

As mentioned earlier the Oilers have had the Eskimos ask for permission to use the BOA slogan on multiple occasions. I think with the Rush the Oilers just consider it a lowbrow operation (which it is) don't give it the time of day and won't for sure be seeing it in the new arena. With the Rush trying to use it it probably just fired up some twitchy nerves.

The Rush btw have had run ins before. I can't remember all the details though. Urban has a talent for pissing off other businesses.

The only lowbrow operation in this battle is the Oilers.

 

[BarDownBobo]

As mentioned earlier the Oilers have had the Eskimos ask for permission to use the BOA slogan on multiple occasions. I think with the Rush the Oilers just consider it a lowbrow operation (which it is) don't give it the time of day and won't for sure be seeing it in the new arena. With the Rush trying to use it it probably just fired up some twitchy nerves.

The Rush btw have had run ins before. I can't remember all the details though. Urban has a talent for pissing off other businesses.

I don't know all the details of it, but there's definitely some bad blood between the organizations. The fact that the Oilers force the Rush to take down their retired jersey from Rexall when they're not playing there is an absolute joke, and really irks me as a Rush fan. The Flames don't do the same to the Roughnecks.

 

[PBandJ]

I don't know all the details of it, but there's definitely some bad blood between the organizations. The fact that the Oilers force the Rush to take down their retired jersey from Rexall when they're not playing there is an absolute joke, and really irks me as a Rush fan. The Flames don't do the same to the Roughnecks.

I don't understand how they can do that either. The Oilers don't own Northlands.

 

[Old Boys Club]

I don't get the people who are *****ing about Katz doing this. I hate him as much as anyone else, but this is strictly a business action. Why would you let someone make money off of something that you have paid for the exclusive right to use? It is trivial ******** (especially given the state of the Oilers franchise), but its a standard thing to do. I don't really see anything more behind this.

 

[Gunnersaurus Rex]

I don't know all the details of it, but there's definitely some bad blood between the organizations. The fact that the Oilers force the Rush to take down their retired jersey from Rexall when they're not playing there is an absolute joke, and really irks me as a Rush fan. The Flames don't do the same to the Roughnecks.

The Flames own the Roughnecks

 

[Replacement*]

I don't know all the details of it, but there's definitely some bad blood between the organizations. The fact that the Oilers force the Rush to take down their retired jersey from Rexall when they're not playing there is an absolute joke, and really irks me as a Rush fan. The Flames don't do the same to the Roughnecks.

You can't really compare the two. Calgary for some reason is one of the rare Lacrosse hotbeds. They seem to love the sport there and its close to a big tier sport there. In Edmonton the Rush are an afterthought. Lacrosse not being very high profile here at all.

Put it this way. If FCEdmonton still played some games at Commonwealth, and had retired a jersey, and wanted to put it up at Commonwealth it would kind of be silly compared to the illustrious Eskimos that are retired there.

Really I can't blame the Oilers one bit for the latter. The Retired Jerseys they do have up in the rafters are world reknowned famous players and worthy hall of famers.

Not 10 people on this board could tell you which jersey the Rush retired. (Really this is the first I heard of it and obviously I couldn't) To me it would kind of cheapen things if some Lacrosse player making say 60K in a largely unknown sport was up there with the invaluable world famous hockey players. Sorry, but its how most people at Rexall would view it.

 

[Inquiring Mind]

My guess for how things went down is like this. They applied for this trademark in 2000, this was around the time cyber squatting was a big concern, so I wouldn't be surprised if while they were busy scoping up domains to make sure some clown didn't do it first, maybe they grabbed some trademarks too to preempt anyone else doing it.

I would also suspect they told the Flames, Esks and Stamps what they were doing, and that they were free to continuing using the phrase... because if they ever pulled a stunt on one of them like they did the Rush, those guys could go to court and get that trademark invalidated in a hurry. And as far as they're concerned, as long as the Oilers just sit on it, it's better they know where it is then open so some other goof to go out and register it and cause headaches (however short term they would be).

And yes, I do think the trademark would be invalidated if anyone challenged it in court. If the people in charge of this stuff didn't just blindly rubber stamp things, it shouldn't have been awarded in the first place. As to be a valid trademark, it must be tied only to a single source... and the phrase itself implies two parties, had been long associated with Edmonton vs Calgary games in a variety of sports (and non-sport contests too for that matter), long predating the Oilers even existing, much less applying for the trademark.

This seems to be a clear case of the Oilers wanting to throw their weight around just cause they can... because they certainly wouldn't pull a stunt like that with the Flames, who would call them on it and get it invalidated.

 

[BarDownBobo]

I don't understand how they can do that either. The Oilers don't own Northlands.

I guess seeing as they own the two main tenants, along with sponsor for the naming rights; they have a huge pull in what happens there.

The Flames own the Roughnecks

Fair enough, didn't know that.

 

[PBandJ]

Sorry, but its how most people at Rexall would view it.

They'd be wrong then.

Thankfully, only one more year. Then the Rush can hang whatever they want and the Oilers can shove it.

Also, it's Jimmy Quinlan that got retired.

 

[Replacement*]

My guess for how things went down is like this. They applied for this trademark in 2000, this was around the time cyber squatting was a big concern, so I wouldn't be surprised if while they were busy scoping up domains to make sure some clown didn't do it first, maybe they grabbed some trademarks too to preempt anyone else doing it.

I would also suspect they told the Flames, Esks and Stamps what they were doing, and that they were free to continuing using the phrase... because if they ever pulled a stunt on one of them like they did the Rush, those guys could go to court and get that trademark invalidated in a hurry. And as far as they're concerned, as long as the Oilers just sit on it, it's better they know where it is then open so some other goof to go out and register it and cause headaches (however short term they would be).

And yes, I do think the trademark would be invalidated if anyone challenged it in court. If the people in charge of this stuff didn't just blindly rubber stamp things, it shouldn't have been awarded in the first place. As to be a valid trademark, it must be tied only to a single source... and the phrase itself implies two parties, had been long associated with Edmonton vs Calgary games in a variety of sports (and non-sport contests too for that matter), long predating the Oilers even existing, much less applying for the trademark.

This seems to be a clear case of the Oilers wanting to throw their weight around just cause they can... because they certainly wouldn't pull a stunt like that with the Flames, who would call them on it and get it invalidated.

This is more than a good guess. This is a pretty astute post.

Damn straight it is the Oilers throwing their weight around though. They have had conflict with Urban before and I wish I could remember the details. This is slapping the little dog in the face because they can. Not something the Oilers org is particularly averse to doing either.

 

[BarDownBobo]

You can't really compare the two. Calgary for some reason is one of the rare Lacrosse hotbeds. They seem to love the sport there and its close to a big tier sport there. In Edmonton the Rush are an afterthought. Lacrosse not being very high profile here at all.

Put it this way. If FCEdmonton still played some games at Commonwealth, and had retired a jersey, and wanted to put it up at Commonwealth it would kind of be silly compared to the illustrious Eskimos that are retired there.

Really I can't blame the Oilers one bit for the latter. The Retired Jerseys they do have up in the rafters are world reknowned famous players and worthy hall of famers.

Not 10 people on this board could tell you which jersey the Rush retired. (Really this is the first I heard of it and obviously I couldn't) To me it would kind of cheapen things if some Lacrosse player making say 60K in a largely unknown sport was up there with the invaluable world famous hockey players. Sorry, but its how most people at Rexall would view it.

I guess that's your opinion, but personally I disagree with it a ton. Even though the Rush don't have the popularity of the Oilers, they've still been a constant tenant of Rexall for 10 years now, making Northlands a fair chunk of change. Seeing as they're likely to be the only permanent tenant in the arena after next hockey season, you'd think Northlands would show them a bit of respect in that sense. It's not like they're throwing this number up right beside #99 or something stupid like that, it's in a totally different area of the rafters.

 

[Replacement*]

They'd be wrong then.

Thankfully, only one more year. Then the Rush can hang whatever they want and the Oilers can shove it.

Also, it's Jimmy Quinlan that got retired.

No, they wouldn't be wrong.

Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, are world famous. Even in regions that don't play hockey.

Vast majority of people in Edmonton wouldn't know who Jimmy Quinlan is or have ever seen him play a minute of Lacrosse. I would be one of them and certainly don't think his jersey should be up there with some of the best players in the history of the game, in what is our National sport.

One of these is not the same no matter how you want to slice it;

"retiring his (Jimmy Quinlan) number 81 to the rafters of Rexall Place, joining the ranks of NHL Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky, Paul Coffey, Jari Kurri, Al Hamilton, Grant Fuhr, Glenn Anderson"

It would be ridiculous to suggest otherwise.

 

[PBandJ]

No, they wouldn't be wrong.

Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, are world famous. Even in regions that don't play hockey.

Vast majority of people in Edmonton wouldn't know who Jimmy Quinlan is or have ever seen him play a minute of Lacrosse. I would be one of them and certainly don't think his jersey should be up there with some of the best players in the history of the game, in what is our National sport.

One of these is not the same no matter how you want to slice it;

"retiring his (Jimmy Quinlan) number 81 to the rafters of Rexall Place, joining the ranks of NHL Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky, Paul Coffey, Jari Kurri, Al Hamilton, Grant Fuhr, Glenn Anderson"

It would be ridiculous to suggest otherwise.

Lacrosse is our national sport as well.

It's hung in a completely separate part of the arena. Anyone that has a problem has some major insecurity issues.

 

[MoneyGuy]

I've about had it with this joke of a team. I've pretty much abandoned them, haven't watched a game in TV for years and have turned down free tickets the last couple of years. This is virtually the last straw for me. Incompetence is forgivable. I find it harder to forgive a lack of class and this is no class.

The Rush should tell them to shove it and use an alternative. War of Alberta or something to that effect.

That makes no sense. Using some other name isn't telling them to beat it.

 

[MoneyGuy]

I don't get the people who are *****ing about Katz doing this. I hate him as much as anyone else, but this is strictly a business action. Why would you let someone make money off of something that you have paid for the exclusive right to use? It is trivial ******** (especially given the state of the Oilers franchise), but its a standard thing to do. I don't really see anything more behind this.

Because it's the right thing to do. Which is why they haven't done it, because they don't have a clue what's right.

 

[Replacement*]

I guess that's your opinion, but personally I disagree with it a ton. Even though the Rush don't have the popularity of the Oilers, they've still been a constant tenant of Rexall for 10 years now, making Northlands a fair chunk of change. Seeing as they're likely to be the only permanent tenant in the arena after next hockey season, you'd think Northlands would show them a bit of respect in that sense. It's not like they're throwing this number up right beside #99 or something stupid like that, it's in a totally different area of the rafters.

The Rush have had average attendance this year of around 6,400. With a lot of give aways, promotions and low priced tickets in general being the deal. Really I wonder how many people pay regular price to go to games or how much that "chunk of change" is.
Theres overhead in operating a facility, staffing it, utilities, etc. The rush have drawn a total of 50K people all season. That ain't much.

Eskimos would exceed the Rush's sesonal gate $ in one home game.

lol that the entire salary cap for a NLL club is less than the lowest NHL contract. Yeah, theres no way I can take seriously the notion that a Lacrosse player, any Lacrosse player, should have his *retired* jersey up there in the rafters. Not to mention the player wouldn't be retired at all but having to earn his continued living like any working stiff given that his maximum pay was 25K.

 

[PBandJ]

So you have to make lots of money before being worthy of a jersey retirement?

 

[StupidGenius]

It would be ridiculous to suggest otherwise.

So is it ridiculous they don't take down the Oil King banners before every Oiler game? I'd hate to compare the Memorial Cup championship to the Stanley Cup and cheapen it.

 

[Replacement*]

Lacrosse is our national sport as well.

It's hung in a completely separate part of the arena. Anyone that has a problem has some major insecurity issues.

In 1800 and something...

C'mon. Its something you learn in school like some piece of trivia that has no relevance to anything in modern day.

The number of people I've known my entire life that have played lacrosse or even own a stick is zero. The amount of times I've seen pickup lacrosse played in any city facility anywhere is zero.

Lacrosse is a nothing sport in the world and the top league in the world has what 9 franchises with it being hard to keep track because theres usually some folding/relocation going on. Really you can't even call it a professional league given nobody is being paid professionally.



Really I don't even know why this is being a topic. Anything else the Rush getting stiffed for?

 

[Connor Mcdavey*]

As if they have the right to use Battle of Alberta exclusively...because it's been anything but a battle in the last 5 years.

This organization gets sillier by the second. Getting really sick and tired of it tbh.

Just now you're getting sick? what took you so long lol