How NHL Teams Got Their Names (Western Edition)

Now that you know how all the eastern teams got their names, it’s time for the west.

Arizona Coyotes

The Coyotes were chosen as part of a “name the team” contest. Coyotes are, of course, endemic to Arizona, but at the time the name was seen as a reference to the Looney Tunes character, especially since there were a few teams in the region called the Roadrunners.

Chicago Blackhawks

Some people think the Chicago Blackhawks are named for the Blackhawk tribe. The problem with that idea is there is no Blackhawk tribe. Actually, the team is named for the WWI-era 86th Infantry Division. Original owner Frederic McLaughlin had been a member of the unit. This particular unit was nicknamed the Blackhawk Division after Black Hawk, a war chief of the Sauk nation who played an important historical role in Wisconsin and Illinois.

Colorado Avalanche

When the Québec Nordiques moved to Denver (yes, it still hurts), a bunch of executives considered two questions. One, should they brand the team as a Denver team, a Colorado team, or an even broader “Rocky Mountain” team? And two, what should the name be? Originally, they went with the Rocky Mountain Extreme. The name was leaked to the public by a journalist and public backlash was intensely negative. Extreme, if you will. Executives swore up and down that the story wasn’t true, and no one wanted the name to be the Rocky Mountain Extreme. They had a quick “name the team” contest and Avalanche won. Then, years later, the CEO of Comsat Corporation, Charlie Lyons, admitted he came up with the name Rocky Mountain Extreme and lied about it when the backlash was so negative.

Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars used to be the Minnesota North Stars. When they moved to Dallas, they dropped the word North but kept Stars because Texas is the Lone Star State.

Minnesota Wild

Minnesota fans wanted to resurrect the old North Stars name, but trademark issues with the Dallas Stars excluded that possibility. A number of entries in a “name the team” contest were considered by ownership, but according to one executive, “We liked the marketing potential of Wild, so we went with it.” And that’s how we got one of the most pointless names in hockey.

Nashville Predators

The Predators were named in a “name the team” contest but with a twist. They revealed the logo of a sabre-toothed cat ahead of time, and based on that, people came up with entries. The top three were Ice Tigers, Fury, and Attack. Owner Craig Leipold added his own choice, the Predators. A vote was held and wouldn’t you know it, the owner’s choice won.

St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues are named for the WC Handy song “Saint Louis Blues.” If you’re unfamiliar, here he is playing it on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Winnipeg Jets

The current Winnipeg Jets, once the Atlanta Thrashers, are named for a previous NHL team, the Winnipeg Jets (who moved to Phoenix and became the Coyotes). And that Winnipeg Jets, who were a WHA team prior to being an NHL team, was named for a WHL team who were also called the Winnipeg Jets. But that version of the Jets changed their name to the Monarchs. Basically, it’s Jets all the way down.

Anaheim Ducks

Anaheim’s team is named for the Disney movie The Mighty Ducks. The main character even mentions this in the second or third movie (we can’t remember which and we’re not going to watch both to check). New ownership dropped the word Mighty from their team’s name, going simply with the Ducks, because presumably it’s embarrassing to be named for a nineties kids movie.

Calgary Flames

This is actually a bit of a deep cut for a sports team. The Calgary Flames used to be the Atlanta Flames, and they were named such because of the campaign in the US Civil War when general William Tecumseh Sherman marched to the sea and, in the process, burned Atlanta to the ground.

Edmonton Oilers

Another refugee from the WHL, the Oilers were named for a previous Edmonton team, the Oil Kings. Plus, the original owner “Wild Bill” Hunter liked the name.

Los Angeles Kings

Kings was chosen as part of a “name the team” contest. Owner Jack Kent Cooke really liked the entry Kings, since it gave the team “an air of royalty.” Fun fact: their original colours included purple, since it’s a royal colour. But they called it “forum blue” for some reason.

San Jose Sharks

The name Sharks was the result of a “name the team” contest. Ownership didn’t like the actual winner, Blades, because of the association with weapons. The runner-up, Sharks, is a better name anyway. After all, San Jose is a coastal city and there are plenty of species of shark off the coast.

Seattle Kraken

A kraken is a mythological giant squid. That’s cool enough on its own, but there are giant Pacific octopuses off the coast of Seattle (they aren’t quite as big as kraken), which is another reason for the team name Seattle Kraken.

Vancouver Canucks

Prior to joining the NHL, the Vancouver Canucks were a WHL team dating back to 1945. They are, of course, named for a slang term for Canadians. No one is quite sure of the term’s origin.

Vegas Golden Knights

Majority owner Bill Foley says that the name Knights is because “knights are defenders of the realm,” and that gold represents the city of Vegas. Also, it probably sounds better than the Vegas Card Sharps.