For once, it looks like the sports gods are shining down on the city of Seattle. The ownership group of David Bonderman and film producer Jerry Bruckheimer officially applied for Seattle to receive an expansion team, and paid the $10 million expansion fee that came with it.
While nothing is totally set in stone, it sure looks like Seattle will one day be home to the NHL’s 32nd team. With the recent addition of the Las Vegas Golden Knights, the NHL currently has 31 teams, so a Seattle franchise would even out the league.
Not only that, the Oak View Group was approved to renovate KeyArena by the Seattle City Council in December and plans to be finished just before the 2020-2021 NHL season.
There are still some questions to be answered. How successful will the ticket drive be? How will the NHL divisions be aligned once Seattle enters the league? Is there really a natural hockey fan base in Seattle?
But there is one question that overshadows them all. What will Seattle’s hockey team be named?
Seattle Metropolitans
People love nostalgia, so it makes sense that a segment of Seattleites would want to name the expansion team after the 1917 Stanley Cup Champions. That said, the Metropolitans would not be the best name for a Seattle NHL team.
The name ‘Metropolitans’ sounds outdated for a sports team in the 21st century. It reminds me of the Rochester Royals or the Houston Colt .45s. Also, there is nothing about the name itself that relates to the city of Seattle.
Another issue is that people naturally shorten the name and call them the Mets. Since a professional sports team called the Mets that already exists, it would be a better idea to come up with an original name.
We can remember the Metropolitans, but it is not necessary to name the team after them.
Seattle Sockeyes
When I first saw this name I was excited. The name ‘Seattle Sockeyes’ smooth alliteration pleased my eardrums, and it would be named after the Sockeye salmon that are native to Washington State.
Perfect! We have a name for the new NHL team … Or so I thought.
(Photo: National Geographic)
That’s a picture of a sockeye salmon – one of the ugliest fish I have ever seen.
I’m sorry, but how is anyone going to make a cool logo out of that? It’s a great animal and the name sounds good on paper, but the fish is just too ugly to pass. Swipe left on the Seattle Sockeyes.
Seattle Kraken
I don’t know how this name came to light, but I’m all for it, mostly just to hear the PA announcer yell “RELEASE THE KRAKEN” at home games.
Seattle Cougars
Really? Maybe a better idea would be to not name it after one of the main universities in Washington. Plus, if the Seattle Cougars are anything like WSU, then they won’t win many games, so don’t ‘Coug it by having that be the team name.
Seattle Rainiers
Solid choice, but the name ‘Rainiers’ is already taken by the nearby Tacoma Rainiers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.
Seattle Totems
I like this name, as long as it is done correctly. That means no racist native American mascot, no comically offensive logo, and please, for the love of everything holy, no tomahawk chop in the arena, let the Chiefs and FSU keep that.
Seattle Emeralds
This is the best name for the team. The name is unique, while still sounding cool enough to be considered a name for a professional sports team. A green logo of an emerald would look cool and it obviously pays homage to Seattle’s nickname as the Emerald City.
Seattle Evergreens
A good name for most of the same reasons as the Emeralds, and while I personally like the Emeralds better, you cannot go wrong with the Evergreens.
So there you have it, the Seattle NHL team should be named the Seattle Emeralds or Seattle Evergreens, sorry Sockeyes and Metropolitans advocates.
Other possible names listed in this article
https://www.si.com/nhl/2018/01/19/seattle-expansion-team-names-list
