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 forgot Anchorage Wanderers
LA Silver Stars
Portland Voyageurs
Seattle Aeros
Vancouver Vampires
Alaska Mountain Cats
Alaska Dargonflies
Long Beach Lifeguards
Portland Vipers
Seattle Rainshadows
Victoria Warriors
Vancouver:
Orcas
Grays (the whale)
Victory
Sea Lions
Sea Dogs
Harbor Seals
BC Otters
BC Lumber / Lumberjacks
Portland Tritons
(it's the name of the state sea-shell, but it's also the name of a mythical creature... like a mermaid. It could make for some awesome logos)
Alaska Malamutes (sled dogs)
Alaska Polarniks
(Alaska used to belong to Russia, Polarnik is a slang word for people who live or work above the arctic circle.)
Seattle Fish-tossers
Seattle Salmon-chuckers
(both reference the famous fish market)
Seattle Reign (play-on-words for 'rain' and 'rule')
Oregon Evergreens
Portland Tridents
(reference the "Portlandia" sculpture.)
Long Beach Surfers
Alaska King Crabs (for the famous Alaskian King Crabs) or Alaska IceCrabs(so we know it's a hockey team!)
Los Angeles Playboys (I would love to see a logo for that!!) (and HughHefner as the owner, imagine the Ice Girls!!)
Portland Rosebuds (tribute to the first professional hockey team in the US)or Portland Brewtopia (Portland is home to more breweries than any othercity in the country)
Seattle Emeralds (It's been proposed before but I like it)
Vancouver Kermodes (The Kermode bear also named Ghost Bear or Spirit Bearcan only be found in BC) or Vancouver Orcas (because we can find Orcas!!!)
Alaska Racers (Sled dog theme)
Anaheim Hammers
Portland Jacks (Lumberjack theme)
Seattle Wave
B.C. Black Bears
Vancouver Gulls / Seagulls
Seattle Gulls / Seagulls
Portland Gulls / Seagulls
LA Hoods
LA Smog
LA Gang
LA SWAT
California Lowriders
California Captains (sailing theme)
California Roadrage / Rage
California Traffic (cars and drugs... and people)
California Beaners
California Outlaws / Illegals
California Suns
Seattle Neptunes
Seattle Poseidons
Seattle Tsunami
Oregon Otters
Washington Olympians
Portland Blasters (Mt. Saint Helen's blast)
Portland Vulcans (same reason)
Seattle Steelheads (state fish)
Seattle Sound
(refers to both Puget Sound and the music that people claim is distinctly Seattle.)
Not sure if it's been mentioned but I've always thought Seattle Sockeyes would be a fabulous hockey nickname...multiple meanings
Anchorage Steam (relating to railroads, trains etc)
Los Angeles Espanolas
Portland Brewers
Seattle Olympic (Mountains)
Vancouver Foresters
I have picked these names along a theme of geography, economy or history.
Anchorage was built as the centre of the Alaskan railway, Los Angeles started life as a Spanish colony, Portland has a thriving microbrewery culture emerging, Seattle is overlooked by the Olympic Mountains, and Vancouver has been a logging centre for centuries.
Couple more...
California Makos
Alaska Kodiaks
Portland Eels
Vancouver Goal Diggers
It may not be accepted, but if it is possible to use a regional name as opposed to that of a City or State (ie. Lake Erie Monsters and Quad City Flames of the AHL), I would like to suggest for the Anchorage team: Arctic Blast
And similar to the original naming of the Anahiem franchise, The Immortals of Olympia (I am guessing The Gods would be too politically incorect).
I'd like to see Chris make an official statement on it.
Can the team name Gods be used for the Olympia franchise. In the name's defense Devils and Angels and Demons are used so Gods is just a step up there.
Would anyone be offended by the name Gods?
(with tongue in cheek):
Anchorage Anchors
Caw-lee-for-nee-ya Schwarzeneggers
Oregon Oregano
Washington Monuments
Vancouver Weed
Seattle Sockeyes
California Kodiaks
My apologies if I've violated one of the restrictions (I'm not that versed in team names) or if I copied someone else's idea (I don't have time to read everything posted already.
Alaska Alpines/Alps (refers to those majestic Arctic mountain ranges
Los Angeles Action (refers to busy city and movie industry in Hollywood (i.e. "Lights, Cameras, ACTION!"), also indirectly to earthquakes)
Portland Parkers (reference to Portland as the "greenest city of America")
Seattle Soarers (reference to famed aviation industry, indirectly to Space Needle and coffee industry (the energy boost))
Vancouver Visionaries (refers to Vancouver as an area of leading explorers/visionaries and also today as one of Canada's leading cities)
Anchorage Sealions/ Walruses- There are sealions (seals) in Alaska
Los Angeles Lawn Chairs- lol sorry, that just made me laugh
Los Angeles Heatwave- Its hot there :P
Portland Power- Kewl
Seattle Speed- Also kewl
Vancouver Vessels- Vessel= ship/ boat
Anchorage Alaskans
Los Angeles Icers
Portland Ports
Seattle Boomers
Vancouver Totems
1. Anchorage Grizzlys
2. Los Angeles Stars
3. Portland Beavers
4. Seattle Gold Rush
5. Vancouver Olympians/Killers/Pines
-Xosell
Ya i like the Vancouver Totems
Portland Thorns. Portland has been known as "The City of Roses" with many rose gardens. And there is no rose without a thorn :)
I like the concept behind the hame Vancouver Totems but is there a different name we could use so we get the same style of logo but with a fiercer name?
Vancouver Natives
Vancouver Shamans
Vancouver Mystics
LOL, how bout Vancouver Wooden Poles?
0_o Wooden Poles? That's naughty.
Vancouver Magic Sticks?
Vancouver Captains (City named about Captain Vancouver)
Oregon Spirits (Oregon has the most ghost towns in the USA)
Los Angeles or Long Beach Riptide (for their beach history and surf history)
Seattle Skirmish (small battle throughout Seattle's history, plus it sounds good)
Ancourage or Alaska Bowheads (The state whale, plus it would make for a great logo)
Veneholdem12:
The Los Angeles RipTide are a Major League Lacrosse team. Sorry
Apologies if any of these have been posted; I was reading through people's ideas but there were just too many!
* Anchorage Pilots (since air travel is so common in Alaska)
* Anchorage Malamutes (after the sled dog)
* Anchorage Caribou (local wildlife)
* Portland Parrots (no reason...just like the sound of it)
* Portland Thunderbirds (after the mythological bird...this could also work for Vancouver, and only the WHL team keeps it from working for Seattle)
* Portland Chinook (the name of an indigenous nation, a type of salmon, and a wind)
* Seattle Slayers (an oblique reference to Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew)
* Seattle Robots (for the high-tech companies in the area)
* Vancouver Ravens (for the place the Raven holds in the mythology of the Tlingit and other nations...you could use this name for Portland and Seattle, too)
* Vancouver Lumberjacks (lumber was a major part of the town's economy early on)
No names for LA...couldn't come up with anything good.
The Vancouver Ravens was a lacrosse team for a few years, so probably should be disqualified. I've also seen a couple submissions for Thunderbirds. There is both a Seattle Thunderbirds, and a UBC (university) Thunderbirds.
I can't believe I've read 187 comments, and haven't seen LA Riot submitted.
Alaska Frontier
California Stars
Vancouver Explorers
Oregon Timbermen
Seattle Emeralds
LA Riot
My bad mwchad, that was actually the only major sport league I did not check. haha..
Make it...
Los Angeles or Long Beach Surf or Swell...
I know its close to riptide, but the logo for the riptide is a shark fin. I would try and make it some cool looking wave or something.
Update to my comment 9/7 3:04 am
Anchorage Axemen since Anchorage Axe Murderers may be a bit extreme
So, this is a submission for the LA area team even though it doesn't use one of the specified locations:
Santa Monica Muscle
Rationale: Based off of the relatively famous Muscle Beach in Venice, CA (near Santa Monica. A better name might be Venice Muscle, but Venice isn't immediately recognizable as LA area). Santa Monica is right next to the city of Los Angeles and is still in LA county (unlike Anaheim).
Alaska Frontier
Alaska Polar Stars
Alaska Kodiaks (species of bear)
Los Angeles Highwaymen (tons of interstate highways)
Portland Orcas
Portland Pumas
Seattle Cascade
Vancouver Villains
British Columbia Brutes
Alaska Wolves
Vancouver Truckers
Vancouver Longshoremen
Vancouver Dockers
Portland Roses
Washington Olympia
Alaska Icequakes
Seattle Squall
1. a sudden, violent gust of wind, often accompanied by rain, snow, or sleet.
-Alaksa Icequakes (9.8 magnitude Good Friday Earthquake with a twist), Alaksa 67's (Year U.S. bought Alaska from Russia), Alaska 49ers
-Los Angeles Frieghtors (largest port in United States)
- Portland LumberJacks (large logging history), Portland Clearing (before being named, Porland was called "the clearing")
- Washington Olympia (Mount Olymus very close to Washington)
- Vancouver Elements (motto "by sea, land, air), B.C. Bobcats (found throughout the province), B.C. Grizzles, B.C. Monarchs (British Columbia named after Britian, which has a monarchy), B.C. Stellers or Jays (after the provinces official bird)
Alaska Huskies (The Iditarod "Husky Sled Race" is held anually in Alaska).
Portland Riptide (Portland is right by the coast and the name just, works)
Seattle Ravens (totem pole logo similar to the Seahawks)
Los Angeles or California Quakes (Commonly known for earthquakes and the San Andreas' Fault)
Vancouver Grizzlies (Bring the Grizzlies back to where they belong)