Seattle NHL Brand Discussion

[Ridleylash]

Just now, IceCap said:

Counter-point: we could have known the name by the All-Star break if ownership had any sort of concrete plan

Counter-counter-point: this is the NHL. Ownership almost never has a concrete plan.  

[JayMac]

4 minutes ago, IceCap said:

Counter-point: we could have known the name by the All-Star break if ownership had any sort of concrete plan

As I had mentioned before, they are using the pandemic as an excuse to prolong it. They should have had it out before but I don't think they have a clue.

 

[Ridleylash]

Something tells me the holdup is them trying to dot the "i"'s and cross the "t"'s on "Sockeyes", honestly. If they had settled on a name like "Kraken" that doesn't seem to have any major conflicting trademarks or copyrights, you'd think they'd have already gotten to the point where they're ready to show off their uniforms and logo by the All-Star Break. It'd only make sense for the wait to be this long if they've been trying to negotiate the rights to a name that's already in use somewhere.

[SFGiants58]

2 hours ago, Ridleylash said:

Something tells me the holdup is them trying to dot the "i"'s and cross the "t"'s on "Sockeyes", honestly. If they had settled on a name like "Kraken" that doesn't seem to have any major conflicting trademarks or copyrights, you'd think they'd have already gotten to the point where they're ready to show off their uniforms and logo by the All-Star Break. It'd only make sense for the wait to be this long if they've been trying to negotiate the rights to a name that's already in use somewhere.

That’s a likely assumption, especially after the krĀkEn leak has such a poor reception. They want to go with the name that seems the most popular, while also being a new name for an NHL team (sorry, Metropolitans, you’re too old-fashioned and nowhere near stories enough). 
 

Oh Sparky, you poor soul. You won’t get your KrĀkEn, your (Embrace the) Aces, or those Halifax Highlanders. I’d feel bad for you, except I don’t.

[beachperroAZ]

3 hours ago, Ridleylash said:

Counter-counter-point: this is the NHL. Ownership almost never has a concrete plan.  

This here is what has turned me off about the NHL in recent years; lockouts, being ambivalent about the Coyotes situation for over a decade, etc. 

[Ridleylash]

21 minutes ago, SFGiants58 said:

(sorry, Metropolitans, you’re too old-fashioned and nowhere near stories enough).

I would absolutely not be shocked if they have an alternate jersey done up their first year to homage the Metropolitans, though, considering how much emphasis the team has put on the Metropolitans in their buildup.

 

But yeah, the name isn't happening for the team, especially with the Metropolitan Division's existence and all.

[spartacat_12]

44 minutes ago, Ridleylash said:

I would absolutely not be shocked if they have an alternate jersey done up their first year to homage the Metropolitans, though, considering how much emphasis the team has put on the Metropolitans in their buildup.

 

But yeah, the name isn't happening for the team, especially with the Metropolitan Division's existence and all.

 

I think the New York Mets are more of an impediment than the Metro division is. As has been stated many times, no one seems to care about the Washington Nationals playing in the National League. When you look at pro teams that share nicknames it's typically because both were established around the same time (Panthers, Kings, Jets), or in the same city (Cardinals, Giants). 

 

I do fully expect some sort of 'SEATTLE' script inside an S as an alternate logo though.

[andrewharrington]

5 hours ago, JayMac said:

As I had mentioned before, they are using the pandemic as an excuse to prolong it. They should have had it out before but I don't think they have a clue.

 

They’re actually not. They’re using the pandemic as an opportunity to focus and get the identity finished and the uniforms approved. You guys and your baseless theories... 

[JayMac]

53 minutes ago, andrewharrington said:

They’re actually not. They’re using the pandemic as an opportunity to focus and get the identity finished and the uniforms approved. You guys and your baseless theories... 

You have a lot of faith in an NHL franchise! I'll stick with my theory that they are clueless.

[MEANS]

12 minutes ago, JayMac said:

You have a lot of faith in an NHL franchise! I'll stick with my theory that they are clueless.

Maybe he speaks from experience, like having worked with the NHL? You just got some of the best insider info and you still don't believe it.......this board sometimes.....

[JayMac]

2 minutes ago, MEANS said:

Maybe he speaks from experience, like having worked with the NHL? You just got some of the best insider info and you still don't believe it.......this board sometimes.....

Calm down. I was saying that jokingly. Hence, the smiley face. I do, however, believe that this logo should have been out well before the pandemic. 

[Ridleylash]

15 minutes ago, JayMac said:

I do, however, believe that this logo should have been out well before the pandemic. 

I can't imagine the original plan wasn't to reveal them in either February or March, depending on name timeline. But of course, then the COVID-19 pandemic happened and everything gets thrown completely out of wack, especially since Seattle right now is a hotbed for COVID-19. They're obviously waiting for the right moment at this point, and the right moment isn't in the midst of a pandemic.

 

Seattle wants their team name to be the big news item when it releases, I have to imagine, and they can't exactly get that if they put their name out in the midst of a bunch of NHL players getting infected by COVID-19 and the far bigger story of every major sports league but the NFL (for now, at least) shutting down their seasons for the time being.

[JayMac]

4 minutes ago, Ridleylash said:

I can't imagine the original plan wasn't to reveal them in either February or March, depending on name timeline. But of course, then the COVID-19 pandemic happened and everything gets thrown completely out of wack, especially since Seattle right now is a hotbed for COVID-19.

 

You can't sell merchandise to fans in the midst of a pandemic like this, especially with how bad it's getting; and for a new expansion team, that's not ideal. Seattle wants their team name to be the big news item when it releases, I have to imagine. And they can't exactly get that if they put their name out in the midst of a bunch of NHL players getting infected by COVID and the far bigger story of every sports league but the NFL shutting down operations.

I think it was the all-star break which, I believe, was a bit before COVID-19 hit Washington state. But they waited, so of course the safety of all takes precedence over a logo and team name unveiling (along with everything else in the world).

[andrewharrington]

On 4/9/2020 at 11:39 AM, JayMac said:

Calm down. I was saying that jokingly. Hence, the smiley face. I do, however, believe that this logo should have been out well before the pandemic. 

I don’t know what to tell you. It’s literally not done yet.

[JayMac]

7 hours ago, andrewharrington said:

I don’t know what to tell you. It’s literally not done yet.

Which is fine but why did the owner say that it should be done by the all-star break? 

 

I'm not blaming the creative team at all. Management has somewhat mishandled this.

 

[KittSmith_95]

Everything points to the name being Sockeyes as this point.... and I assume the plan was to reveal the team name before the outbreak without a logo.... however, due to the copyright issues that sprung up, they opted to delay it until said logo was finished and finalized as well as said paperwork on the copyright. 

At least, that's what I assume.... they want to get this just right and have the news be this big thing... honestly, dropping it on us randomly like the Chargers did with their new logo reveal might be best at this point, given you can't hold a big event at the moment. At least... if the logo is ready and merch has gone into production.... there's no need to delay this any further. 

[spartacat_12]

3 hours ago, JayMac said:

Which is fine but why did the owner say that it should be done by the all-star break? 

 

All the organization talked about was the name. We haven't heard anything about when a logo might be unveiled.

[hawk36]

4 hours ago, JayMac said:

Which is fine but why did the owner say that it should be done by the all-star break? 

 

I'm not blaming the creative team at all. Management has somewhat mishandled this.

 

My worry is that the management is wavering and can’t make up their minds. Not a good sign for the organization moving forward. Overthinking can kill great things. Paralysis by analysis. 

[Brian in Boston]

On 4/9/2020 at 11:56 AM, JayMac said:

I think it was the all-star break which, I believe, was a bit before COVID-19 hit Washington state.

The first person confirmed to have tested positive for COVID-19 in the United States was reported in the State of Washington on January 21st. The 2020 NHL All-Star Weekend ran from Thursday, January 23rd through Sunday, January 26th.

While NHL Seattle management may well have already made the decision to push back a franchise name - and, potentially, logo - unveiling prior to the COVID-19 case being reported in Everett, Washington, said team identity roll-out was certainly moved to the backburner once the pandemic arrived in the United States.   

 

[Ridleylash]

13 minutes ago, hawk36 said:

My worry is that the management is wavering and can’t make up their minds. Not a good sign for the organization moving forward. Overthinking can kill great things. Paralysis by analysis. 

My wonder is if the holdup was them trying to secure the rights to "Sockeyes", given that was the favourite from the Seattle Times poll. "Kraken" crashed out in a first-round upset in that same poll, which makes me pretty skeptical they'd pursue a name that doesn't seem to have a whole lot of local support when there's so much emphasis on the fan-based side of things so far.

 

Especially since, at least IIRC, that poll was explicitly mentioned by ownership as being a reference point for them.