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)
c23we... LA Avengers is already an AFL team. And the Oregon St. Beavers play College Football... did you already know that?
Alaska Salmon
Long Beach Walrus
Portland Explorers
Seattle Orca
Vancouver Vikings
Alaska Mystery
L.A. Rush
Portland Pirates
Seattle Schooners
B.C. Warriors
Anchorage Aleutians - (Aleutian Islands)
Anchorage Berings - (Bering Sea)
Anchorage Highpeaks - (Alsaka's many mountains)
Los Angeles Empire - (center of industry)
Los Angeles Tremors - (earthquakes)
Portland Miasma - (fog)
Portland Volcanics - (volcanoes in oregon)
Seattle Sounders - (Puget Sound)
Seattle Stormfront - (Seattle's inclement weather)
Vancouver Needles - (pine needles, abundance of conifers/temperate rain forests)
Vancouver Shoreliners
Mattstro: Not only are the Portland (Me.) Pirates an AHL team, but as an Albany River Rats fan I hate them. Alaska Mystery more than makes up for it, so great post! Best hockey movie EVER!
I'd just like to point out one of my favourite name submissions, by Zach:
Anchorage IceQuakes
California Kodiaks
Portland Privateers
Seattle Thunder
Vancouver Riptide
They really sound like actual team names, rather than just stating the location's significance. Chris, I really think you should consider using all five of these names.
what is so hard to understand that Thunder is already used in the IHA and cant be used again....
Do people not know how to read?
I liek Riptide, Aviators, and Voyagers. I suggest L.A. Condors, or is there a ECHL team named that?
I like Burzum's submissions more than my own.
And might I add that California Kodiaks makes no sense as a team name, seeing that Kodiak Bears are native to KODIAK ISLAND, AK and are found no where else on Earth in the wild.
Alaska Kodiaks would work, but all we have here in California are Brown Bears.
That being said, California Bears would be a cool name with the CA state flag as a tertiary or secondary logo. It kind of makes sense geographically too, as we have bears less than an hour east of LA and Orange Counties in the San Gabriel Mountains.
Burzum's names:
Anchorage Aleutians - (Aleutian Islands)
Anchorage Berings - (Bering Sea)
(Both of these are cool for Alaska)
Los Angeles Empire - (center of industry)
Los Angeles Tremors - (earthquakes)
(I like both of these for LA, but I would add California Bears)
Portland Miasma - (fog)
Portland Volcanics - (volcanoes in oregon)
(Much better than Pioneers, Pirates, Explorers, etc. Although I'd go with Volcanics because the Cascades go through Oregon)
Seattle Sounders - (Puget Sound)
Seattle Stormfront - (Seattle's inclement weather)
(Don't like either of these. Sounders was a soccer name if I'm not mistaken and Stormfront sounds too minor league.)
Vancouver Needles - (pine needles, abundance of conifers/temperate rain forests)
Vancouver Shoreliners
(I'd go with Shoreliners over Needles. I can't imagine a hockey team pulling a "Stanford" with the whole Pine Tree bit.)
Nice job on the submissions overall IMO.
I liek Riptide, Aviators, and Voyagers. I suggest L.A. Condors, or is there a ECHL team named that?
There is an ECHL team, the Bakersfield Condors.
Washington Olympians (for the mountain range)
Seattle Gulls
COMPTON COP KILLERS(Z)
Alaska/Anchorage Huskies - as previously stated
Los Angeles Coast
Portland Thorns
Seattle Stealth - i didn't notice Warrior19 did this one too, but i like it.
Vancouver Timber
Washington Olympians (for the mountain range)
-
How about the Olympia Olympians? Lol...
Yeah, I'm glad used already used Thunder as an IHA name, Seattle fans already hate the name 'Thunder' because of the OKC Thunder. It's a very WNBA name, or in this league, very ECHL.
Los Angeles Fit
(when I think of LA, I think of where body building began to take prominence plus I think someone can come with with a pretty intimidating logo)
Seattle Anglers
(I think of a lot of fishing when it comes to Seattle)
Portland Brewers
(well known for their beer)
what do you guys think?
Los Angeles hotshots (because very one in la thinks thier cool)
Anchorage northen lights (because thats where you can see the northen lights)
I like Gulls for Seattle. Reminds me of the old San Diego Gulls, which I always thought was a cool name.
California/Oakland Golden Seals was cool too.
Alaska is harder than I thought...
Alaska Kodiaks
Alaska Huskies
Alaska Walrus
Alaska Whales/Whalers
Alaska Eskimos (or is this already a name?)
someone stole my idea for the alaska mystery
anchorage alaskans?
alaska tribe
seattle monarchs
los angeles pistols
portland inferno
vancouver destroyers
Anchorage Ice
Anaheim Rage
Portland Roses
Seattle Snakes
Burnaby Bears
Anchorage Crabs
Los Angeles Terminators
Portland Explorers
Seattle Silver Seals
Vancouver Lumberjacks (or Jacks)
Anchorage/Alaka - Grey Wolves
Portland- Bears
Seatte - Stealth
Los Angeles - Golden Tides
Vancouver- Thunderbirds
Vancouver sasquatch(previously Said)
seattle snipe
portland pirates
Alaska Mystery(the movie)
L.A. Vikings
someone said LA avengers, they're a Arena football team
plus portland riptide is a sick name
Anchorage Igloos
LA Terminators(in honor of Gov.Arnold)
PORTLAND Roses(portland is the host of a large rose festival every year)
SEATTLE Space Needles(See Sleepless in Seattle)
VANCOUVER Cedars(some of the biggest trees located in Vancouvers Stanley Park)
why are people saying Huskies? I think Malamutes is a more natural fit. Alaskan Malamutes is the dog breed, not Alaskan Huskies...
Well, there goes the "Knights of Silicon Valley" name I've been thinking of all week...
Alaska Kodiaks
(Los Angeles) Hollywood Blockbusters
Oregon Trail Hunters
Seattle Vendetta (for the Sonics deal)
Vancouver Edge
B.C. V's
Victoria V's
You know, I live near Los Angeles, and I don't think a stereotypical name should be used. Names like "Hotshots" because everybody thinks they're so cool is ridiculous.
Also, the Cop Killers and the Gangsters is just plain stupid. I'm sorry, but that's a very mean and very stereotypical.
Seattle Storm...Plenty of stormy weather there and it just sounds good.
Anchorage Tundra
Los Angeles Cyclones
Seattle Storm sounds good banditj13
Vancouver Edge sounds good arenacale
Portland Riptide is godly
Vancouver Westleys (West Coast anyone?)
Seattle Sea Devils (SEAttle, coastal city)
Alaska Eskimos
Los Angeles Lions
Portland Padres
vancouver warriors
seattle sound (reference to music scene from seattle in the early 90's)
anchorage arachnids
california cougars
portland winterhawks
Alaska Athabaskan - (Athabaskan peoples of Alaska)
Long Beach Shipmen - (Shipping industry in Long Beach)
Salem Cherries - (City's cherry fame)
Olympia Wind - ("There are windstorms that occur every year that bring power outages to Western Washington. The windstorm season runs from about the middle of October through the middle of March." HOCKEY SEASON!) (Taken from Wikipedia)
Surrey Future - (Surrey is part of 'Metro Vancouver.' I hope it may be used. The city's motto is "The future lives here.")
or
Burnaby Freemasons - (Robert Burnaby, discoverer of Burnaby, was a freemason)
I really hope Surrey can be used as a locator, because I'm a bit more proud of the Surrey Future than the Burnaby Freemasons.
Thank you
Alaska Conquest (It's referred to as the last frontier)
Los Angeles Surf (i think of the beach and surfing and douche bags when i think of LA)
Portland Hatchet Men (Oregon makes me think of logging.)
Seattle Torrent (a torrent is a rush of river water or a strong down pour. I know I'm gonna get crap about the Pontiac SUV.)
Vancouver Harbor (It's a shipping town in west Canada.)
ATTENTION EVERYBODY!!
There already is a Seattle Storm: WNBA. So per the third rule, that name can't be used:
"[Do not] use the name or close variation of any current or past professional sports team within the same market or geographical area.
The Seattle Storm is a WNBA team....
Other names suggested that can't be used:
Seattle Rain- similar to Storm, WNBA team
Seattle Dounpour- similar to Storm, WNBA team
Seattle Thunder- similar to Storm, WNBA team, and IHA name
Seattle Stormfront- similar to Storm, WNBA team
Seattle Orca- too similar to Vancouver Canucks, very close to Seattle
Los Angeles Angels- already an MLB team
Los Angeles Avengers- already an AFL team
Alaska Whalers- former NHL team (Hartford)
Seattle Torrent also sounds too similar to "Storm", although it's a pretty awesome name.
Vancouver Escorts (to honour the large escort business in Van City.)
Seattle Mist (in reference to the climate where they get little rain, but it falls as mist which gives the appearance of constant rain)
Alaska(n) Mammoth (after the State Fossil)
Los Angeles Capitols (Capitol tower, bad i know)
Oregon Craters (after Crater Lake)
Alaska Frontiersman (From the nickname The last frontier
California Bears (Bear on the state flag. However, University of California are called the Golden Bears)
Portland Craters (Crater lake)
Seattle Steamrollers (Steam from Starbucks coffee but steam doesnt sound that scary)
Vancouver Whalesmdv
you can Seattle Sound to that.
Seattle Sounders FC is a soccer team there.
Going to be MLS soon.
Alaska Blizzard/Blizzards
Alaska Eskimos
Anchorage Sled Dogs (from the Iditarod Race)
Anchorage Mushers
Los Angeles Golden Stars (based on their entertainment industry)
California Grizzly Bears (since I can't suggest Grizzlies)
California Bears (although this is the informal name of Berkeley, they're not a pro team)
Long Beach Waves/Tsunami
Long Beach Captains (based on their shipping industry)
Long Beach Internationals (from the city's nickname)
Oregon Beavers (the beaver state, and OSU is not a pro team)
Seattle Rockets (loosely applies to the nickname jet city)
Vancouver Lumberjacks (for their forestry industry)
Alaska Aleutians
L.A. Earthquake
Portland Beavers
Seattle 757s
Vancouver Caribou (Cariboo)
Anchorage ICE
L.A. MAGIC
Portland PITTBULLS (BULLS for short)
Seattle STINGRAYS (Either RAYS or STING for short)
Vancouver TIDE
It hasn't been 24 hours and it looks to me like we're already running out of good ideas. Good being the operative word there. To cut down on superfluous posts, let me make a few suggestions.
Read the rules before posting names. If you post an ineligible name, you're just wasting my time and your own.
Don't post a comment just to second someone else's idea. If it follows the rules, it'll be included. You can show your support by voting for it when the time comes.
If you're not sure whether your idea has already been posted and you don't want to read through ALL the suggestions, do a quick search of the page. Almost every browser has some sort of page search feature. Try the menu under Edit > Find. Works wonders.
Also, because of the incredible response in less than a day, I'm going to have to set a new limit on these naming nominations, unfortunately. We're probably averaging about 30 to 40 eligible names for each team. That's absurd.
I'm going to have to set a limit on the number of names available in the selection process. I'm thinking I'll pick the 20 or 25 names that seem to have the best chance at being finalists and you can pick from those.
I hate to do that because I said I'd include them all but I wasn't expecting so many submissions — and just within the first 24 hours. This would be an insane amount of work for me and I just simply don't have the time for it.
Anchorage Harbor - play on the term anchorage
LA SWAT - Named after the world's most famous police force
Portland Trail - Oregon trail
Seattle Aero - The presence of Boeing and other aeronautics in the Pacific Northwest
Vancouver Express - The termination point of the Trans-Canada railway
Alaska Pipeline (it's the biggest thing coming out of that state)
-Though I would definitely take Malamutes over Huskies
-and Anchorage Alaskans is kind of funny. And works at least as well as Montreal Canadiens.
Alaska 49ers (for being the 49th state)
or
Alaska 59ers (for being admitted in 1959)
Vancouver Vanquish
Seattle Sorcerors
California Grizzlies - California's state animal is the California Grizzly.
Portland Lumberjacks - Posted for other cities, but works for Portland too.
Seattle Deluge - Known for its heavy rain.