Hello XIC Hockey Community,

As we prepare for the 2020-21 season, we want to share an important update with you. We recently notified the Charlotte Rush that the Extreme Ice Center will no longer use the Rush logo or name for our youth hockey programs after the 2019-20 season. Starting today, we will begin the rebranding process for all XIC Youth Hockey programming. The decision to rebrand comes after careful thought and consideration. We feel that rebranding our youth hockey program will contribute to a positive and healthy future for the XIC Hockey community. As a member of the youth hockey community, please see some answers below to questions you may have. 

XIC Hockey Rebrand FAQs

Q: What does rebranding mean exactly?
A: For our youth hockey purposes, rebranding means that we will use a new logo and name to identify our youth hockey teams and programs throughout the rink.

Q: Didn’t we just rebrand from the Jr. Checkers to the Charlotte Rush? 
A: That is correct. In anticipation of the logical next question, …we will not be rebranding back to the Jr. Checkers. 

Q:  Do we know what the new name and logo will be?
A: Not yet, but we are hoping you can help with that. We understand that our players, coaches, managers, volunteers, and parents have an invested interest in the XIC Hockey program. We want the community’s help to determine what the new name will be and hope that you will submit some ideas.

Q: This sounds exciting! What is the process going to be for us and our best friends to submit ideas?
A: We will be accepting community submissions via the link below through Friday, January 3rd, 2020. At that time, we will select the top 4 submissions and put them up for a community vote. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5M8PLNG

Q: What is the reasoning behind a rebrand?
A: Rebranding our youth hockey program really boils down to brand management. The Charlotte Rush is a professional organization that relies on a polished public image to recruit, develop, and market their players. In youth hockey, we need more brand flexibility to create age-appropriate visuals and generate team pride. By managing our own brand, we will have more marketing agility and directly manage the team apparel/jersey ordering process. Not only will this simplify the ordering process for our families, but it will also grant us the ability to let teams leverage the logo for fundraising purposes. Additionally, XIC Hockey is exploring the possibility of being added as a USA Hockey Model Club ahead of the 2020-21 season. Since the USPHL and Charlotte Rush are not governed by USA Hockey, it would provide brand confusion if we retain the Rush name and logo while serving as a USA Hockey Model Club.

Q: So does this mean that the Charlotte Rush are leaving XIC?
A: No. The Extreme Ice Center is proud to be the home rink for the Charlotte Rush Junior program and plans to support them in the foreseeable future. 

Q: That all sounds great, but I just bought brand new Rush apparel this season. Does this mean I have to buy all new sets of team apparel, jerseys, etc. for next year?
A: The short answer is yes. The long answer is that we are aware of the costs associated with rebranding a youth hockey program and want to make it as easy as possible for our families. While we don’t have anything to share at this time, we are exploring solutions aimed at helping families with this transition. 

Please don’t hesitate to reach out should you have any additional questions. We hope that you will have some time over the holidays to talk amongst family and friends to generate some name ideas.

Thank you for being a member of our XIC Hockey community and happy holidays!

Sincerely, 

Andy Gibson
Extreme Ice Center Hockey
(704) 882-1830
www.xichockey.com