Category: NHL

Possible Seattle NHL Expansion Team Names

Seattle has just been unanimously approved to be the home of the NHL’s 32nd team in the latest expansion. There are plenty of problems remaining like the expansion draft, coaching, money, etc., but I don’t care about any of that. Their biggest problem to me, a guy who doesn’t know what icing is, is that Seattle doesn’t have a name yet.

The way I see it, there’s a couple of ways that they can go about this. 

Old School: I have seen the name Metropolitans pop up quite a bit on Twitter recently. I am guessing from context that this was the old Seattle team’s name. Stop living in the past. Not only is there already a Big 4 team with this name (NY Mets), there is a division in the NHL already named exactly that. Imagine if there was an NFL expansion and they called that team the Las Vegas NFC Souths.

Ownership: Jerry Bruckheimer is a part owner for the Seattle expansion team. He has said “ever name has a chance right now.” I think he secretly wants the team to be named after one of his movies so might I suggest: Seattle Lone Rangers, Seattle Bad Boys II, Seattle Crimson Tide, Seattle Dangerous Minds, or the Seattle Pearl Harbors. Okay, maybe not that last one. I did not say the Glory Roads because I assume that it will be used over a billion times in promotions.

Corporate: If they want some serious money to get poured into the franchise very quickly, they should do exactly what the NY Red Bulls did in the MLS. Obviously, the Red Bulls are owned in some way by the energy drink giants and have loads of money because of it. Luckily for Seattle, there are a ton of wealthy Seattle-based businesses that are right around the corner. Possibilities are the Seattle Amazons, Seattle Starbucks, Seattle Costco Wholesalers, Seattle Microsofts, or even the Seattle Alaskan Airlines. 

Minor League Baseball:I’m not saying that Seattle should straight up jack another team’s name, but if they want a WOW factor, this is the type of energy they need to bring. Here’s how you create a minor league baseball team name: either take something that is not intimidating at all OR combine 2 words that have no business being together. Just some examples to get the ball rolling: Montgomery Biscuits, Akron RubberDucks, Modesto Nuts (my favorite), Binghamton Rumble Ponies, Pensacola Blue Wahoos, Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, Fort Wayne TinCaps (yes, literally metal hats), or the New Orleans Baby Cakes. You can look all of these up if you want. I promise they are all real.

I hope Seattle goes as ridiculous as possible with their team name. I’d pay money to see the Top Guns play. Even though Seattle seems to be very happy with the decision and the new team, I am sure they just want the SuperSonics back.

Apparently, the NHL Season has Begun

To be completely honest, I love hockey.  Behind baseball, it is my favorite to watch in person.  An atmosphere created at a hockey game is second to none.  Another thing I have to be honest about is how much I watch.  I watched very rarely.  Mainly start watching during Christmas break around the Winter Classic.  This is not because I don’t care, it’s just too long of a season to keep up with.  When I do watch, I am a huge St. Louis Blues fan (S/O Han).  I got to go to my first game last March and it was wild to say the least.  They have been underwhelming, firing Mike Yeo after a 7-9-3 start to the season.  After naming his interim, Craig Berube, the Blues have leveled out with the record 9-13-3.  It’s going to be a long, disappointing year, but hey, tickets will be cheaper I guess. Let’s move onto the big news of the week, Seattle. 

Image result for nhl seattle

Seattle was officially named as the city that will host the 32nd NHL team in a new expansion.  They were approved unanimously after seeing the success of Vegas.  However, it is not cheap.  Vegas had to pay $500 million while Seattle has to pay $650 million, which is up 30 percent.  A few things are weird about this.  They will start in the 2021-2022 season but they do not have a name.  So hopefully they get it figured out quickly, because the Seattle Supersonics sound way too good (even though they WERE a basketball team). Seattle already has a stadium but they are upgrading it with $800 million in renovations.  To me, it feels like it is too soon.  The NHL saw the success in Vegas and LA so they went after the money.  Another thing that I do not like is the expansion draft.  It’s just a wild concept. They get to pick a player from each team, excluding the Vegas Golden Knights.  They can claim 14 forwards, 9 defensemen, and 3 goalies, BUT every team can protect 7 forwards, 3 defensemen, and a goalie.  Also rookies and second year players are protected.  It’s just a wild concept if you ask me.  

KeyArena in Seattle

The NHL is definitely an interesting league.  Right now, the Penguins are absolute trash, but they were 3 years ago too around this time and won it all.  After a rough start, the Capitals are surging and I believe they are top 5 in the league again, especially after regaining Tom Wilson.  I absolutely cannot wait until New Year’s Day because we get to watch the Bruins and the Blackhawks play in South Bend on Notre Dame’s field (which will finally host a good team playing real competition). I am going to keep writing about Hockey starting next week with my power rankings.  Folks, it is officially hockey season.