Possible Names for Seattle’s NHL Team

[Photo Credit: NHLSeattle.com]
Yes, we know. The new Seattle NHL team won’t start playing until the 2021-22 season. And the ownership group probably won’t reveal the name of that team until at least 2020. But we still can’t help but think what nickname the new team will use. Will the ownership group go retro and pick the name of a prior pro hockey team that played in Seattle, such as the Totems? Or will it go with something original? And if so, what? Members of the Puck Junk Team gave their suggestions on what they think would be a great name for the new Seattle NHL team. 

David Schauer, Assistant Editor

The Great Seattle Fire ripped through the city in 1889 and destroyed over thirty blocks. Movement was disrupted and businesses were burnt. However, it did lead to some brilliance. During the reconstruction after the fire, city planners decided to raise the city one to two stories higher than the original street grade. This can still be seen in Pioneer Square, where the Seattle Underground is a popular attraction. While visitors can wander the underground, original Seattle, light streams in from the streets overhead through “pavement lights.”
 
A perfect opportunity for a franchise brand: the Seattle Lights. These multi-colored glass mosaic tiles stream light into a dark and dreary underground; the illumination of a haunted and destroyed past. Not too bad for a hockey revival in the “Emerald City.” Emerald uniforms would be a nice touch, too.

Kyle Scully, Staff Writer

Seattle’s newest hockey team might have several options for its name but only one that really matters: the Seattle Kraken. A name like that conjures up the awesome and terrifying monster from the “Clash of the Titans” movie, originally released in 1981 and remade in 2010. 

Like the Las Vegas Golden Knights before them, this name allows countless opportunities. For instance, a Kraken mascot could skate on the ice and defeat that night’s opponent with all the absurdity and circumstance required to get the crowd excited. 

The team could then show the clip from the 2010 “Clash of the Titans” movie with Liam Neeson, playing Zeus and proclaiming “Release the Kraken,” then said Kraken being released from the abyss. Well, that would depend on if the public’s opinion on Neeson softens by 2021.

When the Kraken make the Stanley Cup Finals, perhaps Harry Hamlin or Sam Worthington, who played Perseus in the 1981 and 2010 films respectively, could be there in person to amp up the crowd and drop the puck in the ceremonial face-off. And while Red Wings fans throw octopus, Predators fans throw catfish, and Panthers fans throw plastic rats, Seattle fans could “release” plush Krakens — available from the team store for the low price of $29.99 — onto the ice after a home victory. 

Travis Shaw, Staff Writer

As soon as word got out that Seattle was getting an NHL team, my wife said “they should call them the Seattle Starbucks.” Would this ever happen? If Howard Schultz of the Starbucks Coffee empire was the team owner, then there might be a chance. But beyond that, I don’t see the team being cleared to use the name. That being said, if they were allowed to use the name and maybe put a spin on the iconic Starbucks siren logo for the team logo, then you are talking about a merchandising gold mine. People who have zero clue how the game is played or even who is playing on the team would buy Seattle Starbucks merchandise just because it ties to the coffee brand.

Jim Howard, Senior Writer

The Seattle Sockeyes have the best ring to my ears. While there is no wrong answer on this list, the SOCKEYES is the rightest answer! It’s got a rough and tumble feel that the old guard hockey fans can dig, but rolls off the tongue easily for the average local sports reporter who doesn’t actually follow hockey and will maul names like Jonathan “TOES” or Drew “DOUGHY.” 

There’s just one little problem: that name is owned by a lady named Jami Davenport. WHO? Go ask your mom. Jami writes a series of romance novels based around the fictitious hockey team called the Seattle Sockeye. Books with titles like “Crashing the BOARDS” and “Crashing the NET” and “Bodychecking” and “Crashing the SHOWERS” and … “Penalty Play.” Um, what? 

Anyway, the covers feature guys who are built like beefier versions of Jaromír Jagr, with GQ faces like Henrik Lundqvist,  and are occasionally with some puck bunny. Ms. Davenport has copyrighted the Seattle Sockeyes name to protect her material. That’s certainly fair since she’s been writing these books since 2014, so it would be an uphill battle should the NHL really want the name. But everyone has a price.

That being said, I don’t think that this will be picked and is a bit of a dark horse in the race. But THAT being said, I’ll make you, the Puck Junk avid reader, a deal. If the Sockeyes land in the top three names, I’ll review one of these books for the site. Should it actually become the name of the team, I’ll review the whole damn series. And on top of that, if the team invites Jami Davenport to sound the Salmon Call (sure, that’s a thing), I will make Sal and his beer league team pose for variant coves of all these books to go with the article! GAME ON!!!!!

Blake Isaacs, Columnist

Before I get started, I’ll preface this by saying two things:

1. I love when teams honor their heritage or culture when choosing a team name, such as the Avalanche or Coyotes. 

2. I hate when teams recycle old names that were used for a now defunct-franchise in the city.

So, I will not choose any names that previous Seattle franchises have used before, such as Totems or Metropolitans. That’s why the name I’m suggesting for Seattle’s NHL franchise is the Seattle Evergreens
 
Evergreen trees populate the forest that surrounds Seattle. I think it’s a name that is synonymous with Seattle and pays homage to something that makes the city unique. It also doesn’t recycle tired old names previously used. If there is one thing that the Seattle team should do differently than the Las Vegas Golden Knights, it’s that they should choose a name that defines them. The Seattle Evergreens would do just that and potentially make way for a ridiculous mascot. 

Tim Parish, Writer-at-Large

I cheated and asked my three children for suggestions. I figured what better way to name a team than to leave it up to the next generation of hockey fans. 
 
The youngest child suggested the Seattle Wolverines. When asked what his reasoning was, he said simply “It just sounds right.”
 
From the oldest child, the name Seattle Needles was suggested. As you can imagine, this was due to the fact that Seattle is home to the Space Needle, and he was more in tune with national landmarks. A little more thought definitely went into that idea.
 
The middle child suggested the Seattle War Hogs, which I honestly don’t hate. When asked why, he said “Because it sounds cool and their jerseys would be sweet.” I believe they would. 

Sal Barry, Editor and Webmaster 

I would name the team the Seattle Nordiques, just to troll Quebec City. ■
 

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