The Totems discussion is an interesting one. I think this would be different than taking on the mascot of Indians, Blackhawks, etc. because this falls more under cultural appropriation rather than promoting harmful stereotypes. While I don't believe there's any right way to do Indians or Redskins, I think it is possible for there to be a right way to do Totems. There's a good chance you might see people wearing totem pole hats or having inflatable totem bangers which would be bad. On the other hand, I would note the Seattle Seahawks and Canucks have totem art inspired logos, but (as far as I know) don't recognize where they got these styles from. Some teams claim their names give recognition to indigenous people. Why not do more than that? A Seattle Totems name could give an opportunity to get consultation from native communities, hire native designers to create their brand, have charities that benefit native communities in Washington state, and use their brand and reach to help promote indigenous artists and authentic crafts and designs. Some of these efforts could improve the image of the team and NHL as a whole, too.
Just some thoughts. Perhaps I'm just rationalizing because I like the Totems name outside of the naming controversy.
