AHL’s Charlotte Checkers Play ‘What If?’ With Alternate River Rats Identity – SportsLogos.Net News

In 2010, the American Hockey League’s Albany River Rats were sold to Michael Kahn, who relocated the team to Charlotte, North Carolina, and rechristened them the Charlotte Checkers after an ECHL team he already owned. But what if the team had retained its old moniker? That’s a question the Checkers will try to answer this weekend.

On Tuesday, February 18, the Checkers unveiled the Charlotte River Rats jerseys they’ll wear as part of What If? Night on Saturday, February 22, against the Hershey Bears.

As the team was affiliated with the NHL’s New Jersey Devils for most of its time in Albany, the modern-day Charlotte River Rats jerseys bear a striking resemblance to the Devils’ duds, with a white collar, black shoulders and black-and-white striping on the waist and sleeves of a red base.

The biggest difference is in the crest on the front of the jersey — or rather, the crest on the jersey on the crest on the jersey. Instead of “ALBANY,” the snarling, hockey-playing rat in the River Rats logo now wears “CHARLOTTE” across his chest. The logo on the front is based on the one the Albany River Rats used from 1993 to 2006.

The names and numbers on the back and sleeves are white with black outlines and are set in the same number font the Checkers until 2020 — which is, in turn, the font used by their current NHL parent club, the Carolina Hurricanes.

The jerseys were shown in Tuesday’s social media posts paired with black pants, gloves and helmets. The socks worn with the jersey will be red with the same white-and-black stripes as the sleeves.

The Checkers will also the logo of The Independence Fund — a charity that “is committed to empowering our nation’s catastrophically wounded, injured, or ill Veterans, helping them to overcome the physical, mental, and emotional wounds sustained in service” — on the right chest of the jersey.

Fans can get a Charlotte River Rats T-shirt as part of a special ticket package through the Checkers’ website. Any remaining T-shirts will be available at team merchandise locations on Saturday, along with a limited run of Charlotte River Rats souvenir pucks. Game-worn jerseys will be auctioned off online following the game.

Puck drop between the Charlotte Checkers River Rats and the Hershey Bears is set for 4 p.m. ET.