RAPID CITY - The Rapid City Rush unveiled its new logo and uniforms on Friday at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center along with a new office manager and assistant general manager as things started coming together for the area's latest professional sports franchise.

The nickname was submitted by Cathy Quinlivan, a math teacher at Douglas High School, and the logo and color scheme - gold, red, black and white - were put together afterwards.

"I like names that don't end with 's,'" Quinlivan said. "Since I'm originally from Minnesota, I started thinking of the Wild, and then the Colorado Avalanche and Utah Jazz and things like that. Then, the Rapid City Rush just kind of came out, and I thought it sounded good. Growing up watching hockey, I thought it kind of fit with the fast pace of the game."

Fans submitted four team names - the Rush, Road Hogs, Bison and Choppers - before the final choice was made.

The Rush recognizes the significance of the Black Hills Gold Rush. Gold deposits were discovered along French Creek in 1874 and Deadwood Gulch in 1875-76 causing thousands of gold-seekers to flock to the new town of Deadwood.

"It's an exciting time for us," Rush general manager Jason Rust said.

"Now, we can get away from the generic name and start to make an identity."

Season tickets for Rapid City Rush range in price with the most affordable tickets starting at $399 per person for the season and ranging upwards to $899 per person.

"The $899 tickets are for club level seating, which sold out within the first two days of sales," Rent said. A minimum deposit of $100 per season ticket is required to reserve your seats for Rapid City Rush's inaugural season. The team is anticipated to play a minimum of 32 home games next season starting mid-October 2008.

In addition, the civic center has sold six sky boxes for the 2008-09 Rush hockey season. For businesses and individuals interested in purchasing suites, contact civic center general manager Brian Maliske at 394-4115.

For season ticket information, call the Rapid City Rush at 605-716-PUCK. (7825). You can get all the latest news on the team at www.rapidcityrush.com.