ECHL Peoria Rivermen

Rivermen Renew Affiliation with the St. Louis Blues; Unveil New Jersey Design

Published on July 29, 2004 under ECHL (ECHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


Peoria, Ill. (July 29, 2004) – President Bart Rogers of the Peoria Rivermen of the ECHL – in association with Larry Pleau, the St. Louis Blues (NHL) Senior Vice President/General Manger and the Worcester IceCats (American Hockey League-AHL) General Manager of Hockey Operations – announced today that the team has renewed its secondary affiliation with the Blues. The Blues' primary affiliate is the IceCats. Rogers also announced that the team has unveiled a new home and away jersey design for the 2004-2005 season.

The Rivermen will be entering their seventh season as the secondary affiliate of the Blues, who will reassign players from the IceCats for conditioning and development.

Rogers said the Rivermen and the Blues have established a long-standing and successful relationship.

"Our association with the Blues organization over the past 20 years, when you include the IHL (now-defunct International Hockey League), is something we feel privileged and proud to be a part of," Rogers said. "Fans have been able to make a great connection between our organization and the Blues through player development. The best example is Jeremy Yablonski making it happen with his NHL debut last season after seeing significant ice time with the Rivermen.

"One week, he was playing with us, and the next week, he was skating for the Blues against the Philadelphia Flyers at Savvis Center," Rogers continued. "Our goal is to continue to assist the Blues in developing players for the AHL and NHL levels. We believe Jason (Christie) and Luke (Gruden) continue to excel at providing the proper preparation and development for the players the Blues place with us."

Rivermen Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jason Christie said working with the Blues has been tremendous for the organization.

"We're excited and pleased to have the opportunity to continue to work with such strong hockey operations people in Larry Pleau, Don Granato and Kevin McDonald," Christie said. "Assisting in the development of Blues players in the ECHL and seeing them continue to the next level has been extremely rewarding for and beneficial to our organization. We look forward to seeing more Curtis Sanford's, Jeremy Yablonski's and Mike Stuart's in Blues jerseys in the years to come."

The new home and away jersey design was coordinated by the Rivermen and their official jersey supplier, SP Apparel (www.spapparel.com).

The Home White design incorporates a white jersey body with dark blue gusseting and a dark blue hem. The signature feature of the new design is the name "PEORIA" is spelled out down the left arm in gold lettering with red trim over a dark blue background. The numbers and captain's lettering is red trimmed in gold and dark blue.

The Away Blue design incorporates a dark blue jersey body with red gusseting and a white hem. The signature feature of the new design is the name "PEORIA" is spelled out down the left arm in dark blue lettering with gold trim over a red background. The numbers and captain's lettering is white trimmed in dark blue and red.

The Peoria Rivermen are a proud affiliate of the NHL's St. Louis Blues and a member of the ECHL – America's Premier "AA" Hockey League. The Rivermen open their ninth season in the 28-team league on Friday, October 22, 2004, when they host the archrival Dayton Bombers at Carver Arena. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Season ticket packages for 2004-2005 are available by calling the Rivermen at 309.676.1040.

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ECHL Stories from July 29, 2004


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