Rejected NHL team nicknames

[captainpierce]

-The Wild had five other finalists for team nickname: Blue Ox, Freeze, Northern Lights, Voyageurs, and White Bears.
-The Predators considered the Fury, Edge, Attack, Power, Rage, Rhinos, Saber Cats, Tigers, and Ice Tigers.
-When the Whalers announced they were moving, they considered Columbus as a destination and planned to call themselves the Xplorers.
-The Coyotes also considered the Scorpions, Outlaws, and Phreese.
-The Avalanche also considered the Black Bears, Cougars, Outlaws, BigHorns, Explorers, Renegades, Rapids and Wranglers.
-When the Flames moved to Calgary, there was a poll to see what nickname fans wanted, and the winner was the Bulls.

Does anyone know of any others?

Click to read more...

 

[MountainHawk]

The Phoenix Phreeze would have been awesome.

 

[Kitpou*]

Minnesota Northern Lights is an unreal name.

 

[Hasbro]

-The Avalanche also considered the Black Bears, Cougars, Outlaws, BigHorns, Explorers, Renegades, Rapids and Wranglers.

Most infamously Charlies Lyons put forth the name Rocky Mountain Extreme (it was 1995) for the relocated team, which was leaked to press and guffaws. most notably Keith Olberman rolling his eyes on Sportcenter.

Following the reaction Lyons insisted the name had never been in consideration.

There was some popular sentiment behind Grizzlies or Bears, which was squelched because of the supposed confusion it would have caused with the NBA and NFL teams respectively.

 

[steevy]

And of course the name that SHOULD have been rejected....Mighty Ducks....GAKKK

 

[Sensfanman]

This explains where A LOT of the symbols for the create-a-team in the NHL games come from.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

-The Wild had five other finalists for team nickname: Blue Ox, Freeze, Northern Lights, Voyageurs, and White Bears.
-The Predators considered the Fury, Edge, Attack, Power, Rage, Rhinos, Sabre Cats, Tigers, and Ice Tigers.
-When the Whalers announced they were moving, they considered Columbus as a destination and planned to call themselves the Xplorers.
-The Coyotes also considered the Scorpions, Outlaws, and Phreese.
-The Avalanche also considered the Black Bears, Cougars, Outlaws, BigHorns, Explorers, Renegades, Rapids and Wranglers.
-When the Flames moved to Calgary, there was a poll to see what nickname fans wanted, and the winner was the Bulls.

Does anyone know of any others?

In a recent broadcast, Mike Emrick said "Comets" was under consideration for Washington before Capitals was chosen.

Philadelphia: There was a Name-the-team-Contest (with ownership having the final say) and there were 11,000 entries. The Liberty Bells and Quakers got the most votes.

 

[oilers_guy_eddie]

The Phoenix Phreeze would have been awesome.

For an ECHL team, maybe. Or the XFL.

 

[Reaper45]

Outlaws or Renegades would've been rad names.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Outlaws or Renegades would've been rad names.

Both were used in the USFL, the former football league of the 1980s. Orlando Renegades, Arizona Outlaws and Oklahoma Outlaws. Tampa Bay Bandits was another good one.

 

[Hasbro]

Philadelphia: There was a Name-the-team-Contest (with ownership having the final say) and there were 11,000 entries. The Liberty Bells and Quakers got the most votes.

Inapropriate given their style of play.

 

[Andrew Knoll]

I have always wondered why Nashville went with the Meghan's law-sounding Predators when they could have just been the Tigers or Sabretooths if they were that hung up on finding some damn bones when they built that ghost town of an arena.

Philly always does contests, that is how we got the 76ers (submit a name plus a 25-word essay explaining it ... 25-words!) after the Warriors left town (although I don't see what was wrong with Nationals, anyway).

The Phillies were briefly known as the Quakers and also the Blue Jays, I'm pretty happy the Flyers didn't follow suit.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Inapropriate given their style of play.

Quakers was probably a popular choice because it was the name of Philadelphia's NHL team in the 1930-31 season which relocated from Pittsburgh where it was known as the Pittsburgh Pirates.

 

[Doc Scurlock]

Minnesota should have brought back the North Stars name if they could. If the CFL could have had two teams with the same name then I don't see why the NHL couldn't have two teams with Stars in their names. The Wild is just an odd name.

 

[Analyzer*]

Minnesota should have brought back the North Stars name if they could. If the CFL could have had two teams with the same name then I don't see why the NHL couldn't have two teams with Stars in their names. The Wild is just an odd name.

Don't forget about the CFL.

Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Ottawa roughriders... out of 6, or 8 teams?:S

 

[Hasbro]

Quakers was probably a popular choice because it was the name of Philadelphia's NHL team in the 1930-31 season which relocated from Pittsburgh where it was known as the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Yeah I know. It would just be incongruous that Ray Shero's team would have been named after a pacifist sect.

However if Nixon could be a Quaker I guess Bobby Clarke and Dave Schultz could be a Quaker.

Imagine the heated rivalry they would have with the Pittsburgh Amish.

 

[WingsFan95]

Maybe it's because of my love for the band, but Scorpions would be completely awesome!

 

[Big Phil]

Minnesota should have brought back the North Stars name if they could. If the CFL could have had two teams with the same name then I don't see why the NHL couldn't have two teams with Stars in their names. The Wild is just an odd name.

Never did care for it either. I've never been a fan of the nicknames that weren't plural. Just sounded strange

 

[habsfan87]

Rocky Mountain Xtreme is the only one I've heard of.

 

[captainpierce]

Maybe it's because of my love for the band, but Scorpions would be completely awesome!

Here's another great rock reference: there used to be an ECHL team called the Jacksonville Lizard Kings. I wonder if before they exited the locker room they'd all say: "We are the Lizard Kings, we can do anything!"

BTW, what happened to that long post(don't remember the poster's name) with the info like what nicknames the Sharks considered? That was a great post.

 

[Puck Dogg]

When NHL arrived to San Jose, the team name winner by fans voting was actually Blades. Gunds turned this down as he was afraid the name would be associated with gangs. Among other suggestions for San Jose's new team were "Ice Breakers", "Fog" and "Waves". Sharks were selected as a name due the reason sharks actually live nearby in Pacific Ocean.

Sharks combined smart logo with unique teal colors to a jersey that sold extremely well for a hockey team. It's easy to say afterwards that they made a right choice.

 

[polarslam]

I remember during the whole Save the Jets thing, one of the groups that emerged to raise funds was called the Spirit of Manitoba and a few Winnipeg Free Press sports writers wanted the team name changed to that. I think they even had a mock Spirit of Manitoba logo done up and everything.

And the Phoniext Phreeze would have been even worse than the Mighty Ducks. Dear god, bad enough the Jets had their colours changed to that god awful mess of an orginal Phoneix jersey, but that name would have just made the francise more of a joke than they actually are.


What was it about the mid 90's that resulted in such a glut of horrible team names, logo's and colours? What on earth made marketing people think that crap like Xtreme or Phreeze or even stuff that came to be like the Raptors with their Purple (love the Red and Whites they wear now) was a good idea

 

[Lou is God]

Maybe it's because of my love for the band, but Scorpions would be completely awesome!

I thought the Scorpions was the going to be name as well, I was shocked it wasn't and Coyotes won out. Still think Scorpions would have been better.

 

[Hoser]

Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Ottawa roughriders... out of 6, or 8 teams?:S

8-13 teams, depending on the year (9 from 1958 to 1986, 8 from 1987 to 1992, 9 in 1993, 12 in 1994, 13 in 1995, 9 in 1996).

It's Saskatchewan Roughriders and Ottawa Rough Riders. They originally played in separate leagues (Western Interprovincial Football Union and Interprovincial Rugby Football Union, respectively) before joining the CFL, and rather than ignore the 48 and 82 respective years' worth of history they kept their names.

 

[potvins4cups]

One of the final names for the Devils was Swamp Dragons.