Possible NHL Expansion: Logo and Name Ideas

[JMROWE]

Quebec City - Nordiques , Huskies & Bulldogs

Hamilton \ Ontario - Tigers , Falcons , Destroyers , Red Coats , Eagles , Steelheads & Stags

Seattle - Metropolitans , Totems , Ravens , Cascades & Orcas

Kansas City - Warriors , Hawks , Storm & Tornados

Houston - Longhorns , Roughnecks , Mustangs , Cowboys & Outlaws

Milwaukee - Warriors , Wolvereins , Thunder , Lakers & Lagers

Las Vegas - Gamblers , Bandits , Black Knights , Silver Hawks & Greenbacks

[Mingjai]

Part of me has always been curious with Salt Lake City as well. Sort of a mini-Denver. They've supported the Jazz through thick and thin since their move to town.

Well, we already have a readily expandable hockey stadium that has been getting regular use since the Olympics.

I'd LOVE for the NHL to come to Utah, I really would. The one small thing that kind of worries me though is they'd have to compete with the Jazz because of the seasons running at the same time. That said, from what I've been able to observe, the Grizzlies fare okay and have for a long time, so who knows. But my gut says the Jazz would drown them out.

As far as names are concerned? Probably a generational thing, but I would take "Utah Grizzlies" over "Salt Lake Golden Eagles" a million times over. Much less of a mouthful and that's the name I associate best with hockey in Utah. Anything else would just seem weird to me. But if they decided to do something entirely different, something like "Salt Lake 47's" (Pioneer/1847 reference) or "Salt Lake Trappers" would be great.

I'm skeptical of Salt Lake City ever being a good NHL market. There's just not enough grass-roots hockey in the state to generate critical mass to make all a team to compete with the Utah Jazz and the colleges. From a cultural standpoint, Utah is very much a basketball state, as demonstrated the popularity of the Utah Jazz, the general success of local collegiate basketball programs (BYU, Utah, Weber State, and Utah Valley along the Wasatch Front, and Utah State and Southern Utah a little further afield), as well as strong participation in basketball throughout the state. Many people may not know that all Mormon churches have indoor basketball courts (ever wonder why Danny Ainge was so feisty? Try playing in a Mormon basketball league and you'll soon find out).

The lack of a hockey culture plus the competition with NBA and D-I basketball leads me to believe that the NHL would struggle to gain a foothold in Utah. While I was similarly skeptical over the MLS expansion to Utah, that move was successful because of the international experience of Utah Mormon citizens, the emerging Latino population in Utah, and the lack of direct competition from other sports (only the AAA Bees for most of the MLS season until BYU and Utah football start in the fall). I don't see similar "plus" factors for hockey.

That said, I would prefer the Golden Eagles to the Grizzlies, but concede that Salt Lake (or Utah) Golden Eagles is a mouthful.

[2001mark]

Seattle Rainiers

Quebec Nordiques

Las Vegas Rollers

[BrianLion]

Can we all agree that Florida, Texas, and Arizona are too warm for hockey and their teams should be moved first?

I'll never, for the life of me, understand this argument? At least not coming from anyone who's been alive since refrigeration technology has become prevalent. They don't play NHL hockey outside (normally) the local climate should be irrelevant

[kw11333]

Tampa and Orlando (confusingly) actually put up good TV numbers for the NHL. A cup win, and a lot of transplanted Canadians helped that market.

FLA is dead though. Were in a playoff race, and still dead not get over 10k (on paper they did, but clearly less than a half full arena)

Can we all agree that Florida, Texas, and Arizona are too warm for hockey and their teams should be moved first?

I'll never, for the life of me, understand this argument? At least not coming from anyone who's been alive since refrigeration technology has become prevalent. They don't play NHL hockey outside (normally) the local climate should be irrelevant

Dallas was one of the strongest NHL markets for a while. It does not snow in Vancouver, Nashville, Seattle, or Portland that much, and those markets love hockey. What does weather have to do with liking a sport? Most players do not grow up playing hockey outdoors anymore. They did that back in the day because of lack of arenas.

[TBGKon]

Can we all agree that Florida, Texas, and Arizona are too warm for hockey and their teams should be moved first?

I'll never, for the life of me, understand this argument? At least not coming from anyone who's been alive since refrigeration technology has become prevalent. They don't play NHL hockey outside (normally) the local climate should be irrelevant

The OP needs to visit a Lightning game in Tampa before talking smack. We're just as dedicated to hockey as the Habs, Red Wings, etc.

The Panthers on the other hand...not so much. They're just a date filler for an arena.

[FinsUp1214]

I'm skeptical of Salt Lake City ever being a good NHL market. There's just not enough grass-roots hockey in the state to generate critical mass to make all a team to compete with the Utah Jazz and the colleges. From a cultural standpoint, Utah is very much a basketball state, as demonstrated the popularity of the Utah Jazz, the general success of local collegiate basketball programs (BYU, Utah, Weber State, and Utah Valley along the Wasatch Front, and Utah State and Southern Utah a little further afield), as well as strong participation in basketball throughout the state. Many people may not know that all Mormon churches have indoor basketball courts (ever wonder why Danny Ainge was so feisty? Try playing in a Mormon basketball league and you'll soon find out).

The lack of a hockey culture plus the competition with NBA and D-I basketball leads me to believe that the NHL would struggle to gain a foothold in Utah. While I was similarly skeptical over the MLS expansion to Utah, that move was successful because of the international experience of Utah Mormon citizens, the emerging Latino population in Utah, and the lack of direct competition from other sports (only the AAA Bees for most of the MLS season until BYU and Utah football start in the fall). I don't see similar "plus" factors for hockey.

That said, I would prefer the Golden Eagles to the Grizzlies, but concede that Salt Lake (or Utah) Golden Eagles is a mouthful.

I think you're absolutely right on every point (including and especially Churchball - I played baseball and football all through high school and still got roughed up way more on Saturday mornings at Churchball than I ever did elsewhere! ).

Right now the NHL in Utah is just a very big wish with little to help make it happen. A grassroots hockey movement down the road will help, but even still, again, you'll run into the boss level that is the Jazz. They're just so darn well-supported and well-loved that it'd be very difficult to be a big attraction in competition with them. Maybe a long time down the road it can work - and for the record, I hope it does (given that it wouldn't harm the Jazz any). But for right now, it's just not going to work; unless you're given an ultimatum between hockey and the Jazz, and I'm certain even then that the whole state (myself included) would unhesitatingly choose the Jazz.

[The_Admiral]

Yes, please name the Las Vegas team after healthy scratches. I want to lol. It'd be like if the Jets were called the Taxis because New York is known for its taxicabs.

And I don't know why people are being willfully obtuse about the fact that winter gets the gears turning for hockey in a way that warm weather doesn't. Of course there are diehard fans everywhere. Same with soccer. But I'd find it hard to get jazzed about baseball if there were a foot of snow on the ground all year, no matter how easily I can watch people play it on TV.

[seattlesonicsofsacramento]

And I don't know why people are being willfully obtuse about the fact that winter gets the gears turning for hockey in a way that warm weather doesn't. Of course there are diehard fans everywhere. Same with soccer. But I'd find it hard to get jazzed about baseball if there were a foot of snow on the ground all year, no matter how easily I can watch people play it on TV.

^this. I grew up in SoCal and Central Florida and thus don't care about hockey or lacrosse. Sure, one of my next door neighbors is playing DI hockey and I remember playing roller hockey with their ice hockey equipment (with rollerblades instead of skates obvs) as a kid, and a couple of my other neighbors were getting into lacrosse just as the possibility of a club team started spreading into SoCal, but those are both exceptions and not the rule. The vast majority of us played basketball, soccer, baseball, and football exclusively and didn't care about the NHL at all until the Ducks and Kings started winning Stanley Cups.

I was born in Seattle though and that's why I cheer for every Seattle team, so if the NHL grants us a team I'll start paying attention to how they do, but if they're like the Mariners, forever doing badly in a sport I don't care about, then they won't hold my attention for long.

[UTampaSpar10]

Clearly you have never been to a game in Tampa or spent any time here. The owner does not give away free tickets and a building is sold out just about every night with extremely high TV ratings. Not sure why there is this trolling of Tampa just because it's not a cold weather location. Since we are just past the 20 year mark we are finally at the point where we have a 2nd generation of fans and the support is strong and there are many youth leagues in the area now because of the Lightning and have won tourneys against other youthh teams from Boston, Montreal and Detroit. Know your facts.

This is very simple.

Coyotes to Quebec.

Tampa to Kansas City. (The only reason why Tampa sells out is because ownership gives away free tickets)

Florida to a Midwest state.

Expansion in Seattle

Expansion in Markham.

[The_Admiral]

Tampa's fine. Fans there are highly fortunate to have ownership that treats the team as a really fun toy (and as a means to have gobbled up dirt-cheap downtown real estate in a distressed-asset sale). Oh, and Bill Davidson, too; apparently Tampa must vacillate between prestige ownership (Davidson, Vinik) and OITGDNHLers (Saw guy, that one dumb cracker, the goddamn Japanese mafia)

[JMROWE]

I see within the next 10 - 15 years 6 new NHL. cities 2 by relocation & 4 by expansion

Coyotes - Seattle

Panthers - Quebec City

Expansion - Las Vegas *

Expansion - Hamilton (Ontario)

Expansion - Kansas City

Expansion - Houston \ Milwaukee

* May not happen if the BOG. thinks it's to much of gamble & high risk for failure

A Hamilton NHL. team most likely in my opinion will be called Ontario since would be a regional team for the GTA. , Niagara Region , Hamilton (GHA.) & southwestern Ontario

markets especially western parts of southern Ontario because that is where the vast majority of out towners that would come to a Hamilton NHL. team play .

[Oso]

Bill Foley announced the Vegas team colors are going to be black, gold and gray after the US Military Academy. I am convinced the team is going to be named Black Knights.

[SJAnfield]

Bill Foley announced the Vegas team colors are going to be black, gold and gray after the US Military Academy. I am convinced the team is going to be named Black Knights.

This team is so going to make it. New hockey town USA people!

[Josh.0]

Part of me has always been curious with Salt Lake City as well. Sort of a mini-Denver. They've supported the Jazz through thick and thin since their move to town.

Well, we already have a readily expandable hockey stadium that has been getting regular use since the Olympics.

I'd LOVE for the NHL to come to Utah, I really would. The one small thing that kind of worries me though is they'd have to compete with the Jazz because of the seasons running at the same time. That said, from what I've been able to observe, the Grizzlies fare okay and have for a long time, so who knows. But my gut says the Jazz would drown them out.

As far as names are concerned? Probably a generational thing, but I would take "Utah Grizzlies" over "Salt Lake Golden Eagles" a million times over. Much less of a mouthful and that's the name I associate best with hockey in Utah. Anything else would just seem weird to me. But if they decided to do something entirely different, something like "Salt Lake 47's" (Pioneer/1847 reference) or "Salt Lake Trappers" would be great.

I'm skeptical of Salt Lake City ever being a good NHL market. There's just not enough grass-roots hockey in the state to generate critical mass to make all a team to compete with the Utah Jazz and the colleges. From a cultural standpoint, Utah is very much a basketball state, as demonstrated the popularity of the Utah Jazz, the general success of local collegiate basketball programs (BYU, Utah, Weber State, and Utah Valley along the Wasatch Front, and Utah State and Southern Utah a little further afield), as well as strong participation in basketball throughout the state. Many people may not know that all Mormon churches have indoor basketball courts (ever wonder why Danny Ainge was so feisty? Try playing in a Mormon basketball league and you'll soon find out).

The lack of a hockey culture plus the competition with NBA and D-I basketball leads me to believe that the NHL would struggle to gain a foothold in Utah. While I was similarly skeptical over the MLS expansion to Utah, that move was successful because of the international experience of Utah Mormon citizens, the emerging Latino population in Utah, and the lack of direct competition from other sports (only the AAA Bees for most of the MLS season until BYU and Utah football start in the fall). I don't see similar "plus" factors for hockey.

That said, I would prefer the Golden Eagles to the Grizzlies, but concede that Salt Lake (or Utah) Golden Eagles is a mouthful.

I have some of those same feelings about SLC being able to have a NHL team. I would LOVE if we got one, but you'd really have to work harder than most teams to attract a fanbase because of the lack of hockey culture. It can be done, but hard.

Name wise, I like the simple name Utah Eagles with colors of kelly green and gold.

[Dexter Morgan]

Totem, Metro, and St. Pat's are all terrible names. With Totem, the obvious logo is going to be a totem pole and that is not going to look good. Metro sounds like a city rec league team and why would you want to be have the original name of your competitors which they aren't going to give up anyways. And it's a horrible, horrible name. Leave history in the past and live in the now.

After giving it some more thought, I still say Aces would be tops for Las Vegas (whether a team in Vegas makes sense in the first place). Second could be Renegades. For Toronto, how about Blizzard since the last few winters have been horrible there. And if the team is going to be in Hamilton, it should be the Steelheads.

You critizise a solid name like Seattle Metropolitans, and then recommend the Toronto Blizzard? What's the logo gonna be a Oreo Blizzard or a Heath bar Blizzard? I like Heath bar myself.

[Dexter Morgan]

Seattle "Metros"? Is the mascot going to be a bus?

What do you need a mascot for?

[Dexter Morgan]

The Yankees and Mets are technically located in NYC, just in different boroughs (Bronx and Queens respectively).

Giants and Jets in NJ is a different story.

they aren't technically located in NYC, they are located in NYC. lol

NFL.

New York Giants - New York City

New York Jets - State \ New Jersey

Arizona Cardinals (Phoenix) - State

New England Patriots (Boston) - 5 States

Carolina Panthers (Charlotte) - State

New England = six states.

Why is this different? They both playing in Northern NJ in the same stadium.

[ICTknight]

Would it really be that much of a problem for the hypothetical new KC team to be called the scouts? And if Hamilton gets a team i would think they will be called Ontario instead of Hamilton.

[jrodsep]

This video was posted on uni watch back in late February or early March. Video submission to a Las Vegas NHL team branding: