IceHogs to Rebrand as Rockford Mighty Oaks for April 5 Game

To pay homage to a piece of franchise history, the Rockford IceHogs will rebrand under the name Rockford Mighty Oaks on Saturday, April 5 for the team's annual postgame live jersey auction, presented by Insurance King.

In 1999, as Rockford was about to welcome a new sports team to its great city as the newest member of the United Hockey League, a "Name the Team" contest was held in conjunction with the Rockford Register Star. The name IceHogs, submitted by Belvidere resident Breanna Roush, was selected as the name of the new Rockford hockey franchise, edging out other finalists, including Ice Rangers, Rhinos, Ricochet, Rockets, Roughnecks, and Mighty Oaks.

The April 5 rebrand will envision what might have been had Mighty Oaks been selected as the team’s name. The rebrand includes the design of two Rockford Mighty Oaks logos and a specialty jersey that pays tribute to Rockford’s history and one of its best-known nicknames – “The Forest City.” The jerseys will highlight the team’s primary red, black and white color scheme and will feature a “character” named “Mighty Oak”’ on the crest. The secondary logo ties together the theme of “The Forest City” with a rendition of a mighty oak tree supported by hockey sticks at the tree’s base.

Fans can read The Tale of Rockford’s “Mighty Oak” at IceHogs.com/MightyOak to learn where the inspiration for the name Mighty Oak may have been conjured.

Rockford players will wear the Mighty Oaks jerseys on April 5 for the team’s 7 p.m. game against the Grand Rapids Griffins. The annual postgame live auction serves as the lead fundraiser for the IceHogs Community Fund. Through the generous support of IceHogs fans who will bid on the player-worn Mighty Oaks jerseys that night, the IceHogs Community Fund hopes to be positioned to make a tremendous impact again this year in the community. Last season's live jersey auction alone raised close to $85,000 for the IceHogs Community Fund. Over the last two years, the IceHogs Community Fund has awarded over $250,000 in grants and sponsorships to local nonprofit organizations in the greater Rockford region.

Tickets for the Mighty Oaks April 5 game are on sale now!