Estimated read time: 7-8 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's NHL team needs a name.
Team owner Ryan Smith revealed Monday the plan is to do a fan bracket starting with about eight names to reach a name for the new franchise. Some were excited about that news; others were nervous (can you really trust fans to make that decision?). Regardless, Smith is giving at least some power to the fan base.
So will Utahns want a local-based team name? Or does that even matter (Jazz, after all, has done pretty well here)?
With the naming decision looming, here's a look at the history of the other NHL team names.
Anaheim Ducks
Naming process: Owner's decision
Local tie: Well, Disney is synonymous with Anaheim these days. The triple deke! The flying v! When Walt Disney Company was awarded the franchise in 1992, the company named the team The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim after the movie that had been released earlier that year. When the team was sold in 2005, the new owners shortened the name.
Arizona Coyotes
Naming process: Fan vote
Local tie: There are Coyotes in Arizona — something that can't be said about some of the other names suggested in the 10,000 votes (Moon Doggies, Goal Miners, and Phreeze). Coyotes beat out second-place Scorpions.
Boston Bruins
Naming process: GM picked
Local tie: None, but a fun part of hockey history. Art Ross has an end-of-season trophy named after him, he designed the standardized puck, and he helped create the red line. And, back in 1924 as general manager of Boston's new franchise, he came up with the the moniker Bruins.
Buffalo Sabres
Naming process: Naming contest
Local tie: Actually, the franchise wanted something that wasn't just another derivative of Buffalo. More than 13,000 entries were submitted, and four of those had put down Sabres. The owners liked that one.
Calgary Flames
Naming process: Naming contest … originally
Local tie: Currently, none. But there was a meaning for the name in Atlanta. After fans submitted 10,000 names, ownership chose Flames (which had 198 votes) to pay homage to the burning of Atlanta by Union soldiers during the Civil War.
Carolina Hurricanes
Naming process: Owner's decision
Local tie: Two hurricanes hit Carolina in recent years when the Hartford Whalers moved down the coast. Maybe that's why the owners of the team chose that as the name.
Chicago Blackhawks
Naming process: Owner's decision
Local tie: More of a personal tie. Owner Frederic McLaughlin served in the 86th Infantry Division — or "Black Hawk Division" — during World War I. He named the team after that. The name was shortened to Blackhawks in 1986.
Colorado Avalanche
Naming process: Owner's decision … and then a fan forum.
Local tie: Colorado does have plenty of Avalanches. But the more interesting story is how the team was almost called Rocky Mountain Extreme. The Denver Post got wind of the name and leaked it. After the negative feedback, ownership established a fan forum and Avalanche was chosen over Black Bears, Rapids, Cougars, Outlaws, Renegades, Storm and Wranglers.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Naming process: Naming contest
Local tie: The name represents the blue coats used by Union soldiers during the Civil War. Ohio had more soldiers in the Union Army than any other state.
Dallas Stars
Naming process: Owner's decision
Local tie: Texas is the Lone Star state. So when the Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas, all the team had to do was drop the North part and the name fit right into its new home.
Detroit Red Wings
Naming process: Owner's decision
Local tie: The winged wheel logo is a nod to Detroit's auto industry, but it's more personal than that. The team began life as the Detroit Cougars in 1926 before rebranding as the Detroit Falcons a few years later. When James Norris bought the team, he wanted to pay homage to his old amateur hockey club the Winged Wheelers. The Red Wings were born.
Edmonton Oilers
Naming process: Owner's decision
Local tie: The province of Alberta has the world's third-largest oil reserves in the world.
Florida Panthers
Naming process: Owner's decision
Local tie: The team's original owner chose the name to bring attention to the actual Florida panther, which was — and still is — an endangered species.
Los Angeles Kings
Naming process: Naming contest
Local tie: None. Owner Jack Kent Cooke held a naming contest to help pick a name. He chose Kings after 7,000 names had been submitted because he was "looking for a name that would be symbolic of leadership in hockey."
Minnesota Wild
Naming process: Naming contest
Local tie: Wild was selected from 13,000 submitted names due to the vast outdoors of Minnesota. The name won over Blue Ox, Northern Lights, Voyageurs and White Bears.
Montreal Canadiens
Naming process: Owner's decision
Local tie: The founders named the team "Les Canadiens," a term identified at the time with French speakers. It was to be the team of the francophone community in Montreal. The nickname "Habs" is short for Les Habitants, which refers to the French settlers and inhabitants.
Nashville Predators
Naming process: Owner's decision … and then fan vote.
Local tie: In the early 1970s, excavators in Nashville discovered a fang and a leg bone from a saber-toothed tiger. Team owners revealed the saber-toothed tiger would be the mascot and logo, but had a fan vote to decide on the name. The name Predators was chosen over Fury, Attack, and Ice Tigers.
New Jersey Devils
Naming process: Naming contest
Local tie: The Jersey Devil is a mythical creature said to live in the Pine Barrens region in southern New Jersey. The name was chosen from among 10,000 submissions.
New York Islanders
Naming process: Owner's decison
Local tie: The team was based out of Long Island, so it was a way to distinguish from the other New York-based teams. Many even expected them to use "Long Island" in the name — Long Island Ducks was a fan favorite.
New York Rangers
Naming process: Organic? Local press? Owner's decision?
Local tie: Not much of one, but a fun anecdote. Madison Square Garden president Tex Rickard was awarded the team in 1926. The players were quickly referred to as "Tex's Rangers" as a pun that ended up sticking around.
Ottawa Senators
Naming process: Owner's decision
Local tie: The original Ottawa Senators were founded in 1883 and won the Stanley Cup 11 times. The franchise revived the name when Ottawa was awarded an expansion franchise in 1990.
Philadelphia Flyers
Naming process: Naming contest/owner's decision
Local tie: None. While there was a naming contest, it wasn't really used. The team owner's sister suggested the name Flyers over dinner one night. It had good alliteration and represented how players would speed down the ice. It worked. So the fans that had submitted the same name were put into a drawing to win the contest.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Naming process: Naming contest
Local tie: The Pittsburgh Civic Arena opened years before the city was awarded an expansion franchise and was known as "The Igloo" due to its large dome. The Penguins, therefore, were a pretty good fit — at least that's what 700 of the 26,000 entries in the team's naming contest thought.
San Jose Sharks
Naming process: Naming contest
Local tie: There are a lot of species of sharks that live off northern California.
Seattle Kraken
Naming process: Team chosen
Local tie: The Kraken — which is part of Scandinavian folklore — resembles the native giant Pacific octopus, which is found in the waters of Puget Sound.
St. Louis Blues
Naming process: Owner's decision
Local tie: The name comes from W.C. Handy's song "St. Louis Blues"
Tampa Bay Lightning
Naming process: Team chosen
Local tie: Tampa Bay is known as the "Lightning Capital of North America," so there you go.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Naming process: Owner's decision
Local tie: Conn Smythe bought the Toronto St. Pats in 1927 and changed the name to the Maple Leafs in honor of Canada's World War I soldiers who wore the Maple Leaf while fighting.
Vancouver Canucks
Naming process: Team chosen
Local tie: "Canuck" is slang for Canadian, and there had been a long-running minor league team called the Vancouver Canucks before Vancouver got an NHL team.
Vegas Golden Knights
Naming process: Owner's decision
Local tie: Um, there's a personal one. … Team owner Bill Foley graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point — they're the Black Knights. He just changed the color for his NHL team.
Washington Capitals
Naming process: Naming contest
Local tie: This one is pretty obvious.
Winnipeg Jets
Naming process: Originally owner's decision
Local tie: When the Atlanta Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg, the team was renamed the Jets after the NHL team that played in the city from 1979-96. But there really wasn't any local reason to have the Jet name in the first place. The original owner was supposedly just a big New York Jets fan.
