Tag: 1998

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Casey Jones .. eat yir heart out !! !!

–>> A professional Hockey Club established in 1948; the Hannover Indians [ Hannover, Germany.. the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony ( Niedersachsen ) ] have been sports legacy in Deutschland since just the the post World War II era.

The ‘Indians’ are part of the Hockey Organization known as Eislauf-Club ( ‘EC’ or “Skating Club” ) Hannover Indians and have been playing under the name and slight variations of the word since the 1940s.

A unique temporary renaming & licensing opportunity with Mirage in the 1996 – 1998 Hockey seasons had the Indians playing under the moniker of the “EC – Hannover Turtles”.

Thus making the Indians the first and so far “ONLY” sports team in history to officially be sanctioned to have the TMNT as their representative Team Mascots !!

The Turtles would play in the sub-prime 1st League until late 1998 when Hannover would have the team revert back to the “Indians” moniker.

The Famous / Infamous Hannover Hockey team survives today with the TMNT serving as a special part of the team’s history.

Also, the Turtles serve here as a an interesting and rare licensing occasion in the lexicon known as ‘Sports Mascots’.

Hannover Turtles memorabilia, pennants , Hockey Jerseys and apparel can be particularly challenging ( and in some cases expensive ) to find; especially if you are in North America.

~ t

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Original “Hannover Turtles” North American Press Release ; 1996 ::

Great Oogly Moogly! The Turtles are turning pro!

Hockey is growing in popularity around the globe, and the TMNT are proud to be a part of the movement in Hannover, Germany! The Hannover Turtles made their debut in September of ’96 and are currently skating their way to the top of the iceberg!

The team formed earlier this year and features young and ambitious players. With teammates hailing from Canada, America and some hometown Hannover heroes, the Turtles are an international smorgasbord of pugnacious puck blasters.

The Hannover Turtles are part of the First League of Germany (1. LIGA) and will travel throughout the country during the season. During the Autumn of 1996, a new arena with a capacity of 18,000 spastic spectators will be built and ready for games in March 1998. This will give the Turtles one of the coolest rinks in all of Germany!

Also in the works is an in-line hockey team that will utilize the Hannover Turtles logo and jerseys!

{ Special thanks to Dan Berger.}