From The Ground Up: Pacific Names
The five markets with the most votes, to be included in the Pacific Division of our fantasy hockey league are final. Over 11,000 individual votes were cast in the poll.
In this post, I'm outlining those markets (alphabetically) along with the acceptable locators (listed below) for your team name nominations — which I'll begin accepting today by comment only.
- ANCHORAGE, Alaska
Alaska | Anchorage - LOS ANGELES, California
California | Los Angeles | Anaheim | Long Beach - PORTLAND, Oregon
Oregon | Portland | Salem - SEATTLE, Washington
Washington | Seattle | Tacoma | Olympia - VANCOUVER, British Columbia
B.C. | Vancouver | Burnaby | Victoria
DO NOT SUBMIT NAME NOMINATIONS VIA EMAIL. THEY WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
Submit your team name nominations by leaving a comment below. Email submissions will be discarded. I will accept nominations for one week at which point new comments on this post will be closed. All name submissions that fit within the following parameters will be included in the name selection process which will begin next weekend.
If you want your submission included, DO NOT:
• use the name of any current or past NHL or WHA team.
• use the name of any current AHL or ECHL team.
• use the name or close variation of any current or past professional sports team within the same market or geographical area.
• use the name of any team from Project: IHA.
• use any name that would be considered vulgar, obscene or in any way inappropriate. (Sorry, this is my call.)
If you decide to use a locator not already on the list above, be prepared to have it discarded. I'm not setting that in stone as a restriction, but I'm also not guaranteeing I'll include anything not on the list. Sorry for all the restrictions but sometimes you have to "guide" originality.
Late addition: I'll also probably be weaning out some of the more ridiculous and absurd names. I don't mind fun ones, but I think you guys know what I mean.
It was suggested by a reader (ogre39666) that when submitting names you also submit a short reasoning for that name. I won't require that but I will recommend it since it might help your submission get votes later on if folks know where you got your idea.
Don't forget to make your submissions for the Central Division. You have until September 13.
Start submitting!
fantasy, fantasy pacific, info, project 
Reader Comments (201)
i'm a little disapointed that las vegas didn't get a team. But i sure am glad Anchorage did!
Anchorage Blizzard, Los Angeles Lions, Portland Storm, Vancouver Vipers...I don't have one for Seattle though
Seattle Thunder
Alaska Whiteout, Tacoma Torrent, Los Angeles Rage, Salem Sleet...my favorite is the Tacoma Torrent
Alaska Frostbite
Los Angeles Ice Zealots
Portland Riptide
Seattle Billionaires or Warhawks
Vancouver Mounties
i really like the Tacoma Torrent and the Alaska Frostbite or Whiteout
Alaska Giants
LA Rush
I agree with the Portland Riptide
Seattle Gang Green
Vancouver Burn
-Seattle Grunge: after the 90's music movement that began in Washington.
-LA Gangsters: after the gang violence there.
-Portland Tridents: after the famous portlandia sculpture welcoming people to the city.
-Anchorage Icequakes: after the 1964 earthquake there and its really cold there so instead of earthquakes, it's icequakes.
-Vancouver Elements: after the city motto of them prospering on sea, land, and air (the elements of matter).
I agree Las Vegas should've been chosen instead of portland or LA. My name for that city would've been the Las Vegas Card Sharks.
Here's a blog I found when doing research for the team names. It's how the NHL teams got their names... not sure if its entirely accurate but its worth looking through.
http://fans.nhl.com/blogs/3925
I thought it might inspire the thought process on choosing what you think the team names should be, and maybe looking into stuff before spouting off names with nothing behind them... although there seems to have been a lot of contests to pick names in the NHL.
Alaska Ice
Portland Riptide is great.
L.A. Blitzkreig
Seattle Rain
Vancouver Jackals
Anchorage Huskies- Fairly obvious. Alaska is known for dogsledding, and a more fitting name for Alaska's largest city couldn't be found. Klondikes would also work, but doesn't have the same ring to it.
Portland Cascades- The state of Oregon is famous for Mt. Hood and the Cascade Mountains that run down the center of the state. Therefore, the Portland Cascades are a logical choice.
Vancouver Orcas- The famous orca whales that cruise the waters of the Pacific Northwest are the first thing that comes to mind when considering a team name for Vancouver. I could imagine a nice Haida-based logo.
Seattle Emeralds- The Emerald City is known for its green appearance, so there you go. Also, green looks great on hockey sweaters.
Los Angeles Lions- I like the alliterative ring of L.A. Lions, and gold comes to mind when I think of Los Angeles.
Alaska Drillers(oil industry)
LA Stars?(celebs)
Portland Volcanoes?
Seattle Bucks(like starbucs(colours green, brown)
Vancouver Tribe(or some native type name)
Los Angeles Snapshots: after the paparazzi taking photos of celebrities there and also after the type of hockey shot.
Vancouver Vanquish
Alaska Blizzard - Like the sound of "Alaska Blizzard" over "Anchorage Blizzard"
Los Angeles Riot - Probably a low point (or points) in LA history, but would give the team an identity.
Portland Voyagers - A synonym for "trail blazer", sortof plays on the idea (from an outsider, anyway) that Portland was a hub for early settlers in the West.
Seattle Aviators - Seattle was an aviation hub that served as Boeing's headquarters for a long while and still is home to manufacturing plants.
Vancouver Mounties - Love the patriotism of that suggestion, and one doesn't really associate Mounties with other municipalities in Canada.
Vancouver Voodoo
Vancouver Vision
Vanocuver Velocity
Vancouver Vandals
Vancouver Vikings
Vancouver Venom
Any of these soud good?
Anchorage Bears - big black bear population in Alaska
Long Beach Lizards - known lizard population
Portland Speed-or-Portland Speedsters - named after the Portland International Raceway
Seattle Jets - former home of Boeing
Vancouver Tribe - many Aboriginals live in and around Vancover
Seattle Matrix (alluding to software industry)
Vancouver Dragons (recognizing many Vancouverites' Chinese heritage)
Anchorage Aurora (for the Northern lights)
Oregon Lumberjacks (working heritage)
Los Angeles Majesties (thinking of Purple Mountain Majesties; is this different enough from Kings?)
california gold rush (after the gold rush of the mid-1800's)
california redwoods (the state tree)
california terminators (after the governator)
california grizzly bears (the state animal)
Alaska Blizzard
Compton Cop Killers
Portland Pariahs
Tacoma Thunder
B.C. Bobcats
LMAO @ compton cop killers.
thanks for the shout out Chris
I like the idea of naming a team tribes... but I think its better suited for Seattle, which is based where the Duwamish tribe lived... and I don't think anyone wants to name a team Duwamish... so here's my suggestions
Seattle Tribe or Tacoma Tribe-for reason stated above. (if that fails I like logocruncher's Seattle Emeralds)
Alaska Rush-the Gold rush, being a big part of the history there and in the Yukon.
B.C. or Victoria Mounties-(I liked the mounties idea, but I want this to be as different from the NHL as possible) That and the fact that the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) are our Provincial Police force being that we don't have our own.
Long Beach Surf or Long Beach Tide-California being one of the hot spots for surfing, and again trying to make it different then the NHL so not going with LA.
And I don't have on for Portland so I second the Cascades.
To Logocruncher Although I like the idea of the Vancouver Orcas, I think it would be too similar to the Canucks current logo, it already being an orca in a stylized Haida art. But outside of that your names are the best so far (seeing as I promoted two of them already). props to well thought out names instead of what may sound cool but has no relevance whats so ever.
Alaska Frostbite (it's so cooold up there)
Long Beach Doggs (Snoop Dogg's hometown)
Oregon Slushers (known for its heavy rain, plus rain on ice makes slush)
Seattle Invaders (Space Needle-could have a UFO theme)
Vancouver Sasquatch (believed to appear around these parts, plus one of the mascots for the 2010 Winter Olympics)
Oh, and to all those posting teams with thunder as the name Stockton Thunder is in the ECHL being one of the band leagues. It doesn't take very long to do a quick search of the leagues to see what can't be used. Although I do realize that its easy to miss one or two, I did too, I wanted to suggest Seattle Chiefs but I had missed Johnstown Chiefs until the last second, which sucked cause I liked the name. So not trying to bash anyone, just do a little more research on what you can't use.
B.C SeaKings or Superhawks ( Canadian military helicopters)
paploo youre also forgetting the Spokane Chiefs
Alaska Anchors. Guess why.
Alaska Denali
Los Angeles Conquerers
Portland Pioneers
Seattle Stealth
Vancouver Millionaires (technically was never an nhl team)
Alaska Ice was one I cam up with too- Anchorage Ice doesn't sound bad either.
Seattle Evergreens
Seattle Rain
Seattle Rainers (after the mountain)
I've got nothing for the rest.
CrossoverT true I did miss them... good thing I only needed one to cancel the idea.
Seattle Downpour after the city being rainy.
Alaska Inuit
Los Angeles Looters
Oregon Trailers
Seattle Salmon
Burnaby Burn
Anchorage Aces
Los Angeles Lions
Portland Pirates
Washington Warriors
cant think of one for vancouver
Oregon Trail
Portland Cascades is nice, but I don't know how close they close they actually are, so...Oregon Cascades?
I like Seattle Downpour,
but can we PLEASE make an exception for the Supersonics?
or "Seattle Soundbreakers"
or "Tacoma Hypersonics"
California Wayne (does anything else say "hockey in Cali" to you?)
California Waverunners
BC Green
Anchorage Antlers (the moose share the city with the people)
I think "Alaska Aurora" sounds nice too.
I agree with the following suggestions:
Seattle Emeralds. Gives the team it's colour, and it just sounds nice...
Vancouver Sasquatch, I just love this name, it fits very well, it opens the door to some nice logos, maybe combining Native and Chinese art?
And I suggest:
Anchorage Glaciers
Los Angeles Angels, it is the "city of angels" heh.
Portland Privateers. Privateers were pirates hired by the government to rob ships from other nations. Ships rest in a PORT. One famous Privateer was Sir Francis Drake, who explored the Pacific Northwest, which is obviously where Portland is.
Seattle Snowcaps (Cascade Mountains nearby, they get a ton of snow)
Portland Loggers (Top exports of lumber)
Eh that's all I can think of for now.
Alaska Denali - the highest peak in North America.
California Kodiaks - The state flag (you know, the one with the bear) could easily be used in designs.
Portland Pioneers - Inspired by the Oregon Trail.
Seattle Rinkrats - Always loved this as a possibility for a team name; Seattle just seems like such a great fit, especially with all of the "wildlife" in the city's underground.
Vancouver Totems - A recognition of the area's aboriginal history.
@ bulldogx2010
although there based out of Maine and not Oregon, there's already a Portland Pirates of the AHL
Anchorage IceQuakes
California Kodiaks
Portland Privateers
Seattle Thunder
B.C. Riptide, or Breakers
Seattle Pike
or
Seattle Fishmongers (yes, this will likely get thrown out)
in recognition of the Pike Place Fish Market
Portland Pioneers
Seattle Settlers
Alaska Malamutes
Umm people, Thunder has already been used in the IHA project... Plus Thunder is not that common in Seattle...
Alaska Tuskers (Walrus logo)
Oregon Victory (in honor of Nike)
LA Scene
BC Kermodes (a specific type of Bear found only in BC; thank you wikipedia!)
I like Seattle Salmon
Vancouver Vikings For sure and The Tacoma Towers in way of the Space Needle which is a form of tower
Vancouver Vikings... I like it.
Alaska Huskies
California Bears
Portland Scouts
Seattle Argonauts
Vancouver Mounties
Vancouver Northmen
Alaska Frontiermen
Los Angeles Skyliners
Portland Explorers
Seattle Volcanoes
Vancouver Traders
Los Angelas Avengers
Portland Beavers