The PWHL's original six proposed names were unique, but is unique the way to go? Or should the league have looked at historic connections to the markets they're in?
The PWHL's original six proposed names were unique, but is unique the way to go? Or should the league have looked at historic connections to the markets they're in?
Nothing is set in stone. The PWHL wants to get their branding right for the inaugural PWHL season, and beyond. That includes team names and logos.
After the initial aversion from fans to the names Wicked, Echo, Torch, Sound, Superior, and Alert, there's some belief the league is serious about revisiting these names, a process which is now in the hands of PWHL senior vice president of business operations Amy Scheer.
As reported by the Toronto Star, this week a pair of Toronto players gave their feedback, with Sarah Nurse saying she'd vote for Toronto Dynasty, and Renata Fast giving her blessing to Toronto Reign.
The open votes of confidence away from the proposed Toronto Torch, hints that things may not be finalized, and that the PWHL is listening to fans.
Here's a deeper look at some of the historic names that could be tapped into.
Looking At The PWHL's Canadian Teams
Across Canada, historic clubs like the Edmonton Chimos, Edmonton Monarchs, and Edmonton Rustlers, Calgary Crescents, Calgary Regents, Calgary Hollies, Cornwall Victorias, Winnipeg Eatons and Winnipeg Olympics, Charlottetown Islanders, and of course the Preston Rivulettes.
Here's a look at some of the hockey history in Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal that could be tapped into for names.
Ottawa
It's obvious Ottawa was attempting to honor the historic Ottawa Alerts, but the dropped letter does make a difference. This name is salvageable, as it would stand to reason local fans would embrace an homage to the Alerts, as they did to the NHL's Ottawa Senators.
There are also the original NWHL Ottawa Raiders, later the Capital Canucks, both names that could surface in discussions, although choosing a name from another Canadian city's NHL team might not fly. In the 1930s, one of the top women's teams in Canada were the LOHA's Ottawa Rangers, a strong team, which could turn into a popular name in the area.
Moving to men's hockey, the Stanley Cup champion Ottawa Silver Sevens had a vintage "O" logo that would look timeless in Ottawa's current color scheme. This club was also referred to as the "Capitals" for a period of time, a name few would oppose in Canada's capital city, although the name is currently used by a historic lacrosse franchise in Ottawa. The other name this club was referred to later in time was the Ottawa Super Six.
While the team played just down the road in Cornwall, the name "Royals" has long been tied to the area given Ottawa's connection to royalty, including Isobel Stanley, the first woman ever photographed playing hockey in Canada, and a member of Ottawa's women's team in the 1890s. She was the namesake for the PHF's Isobel Cup, and of course her family name is still held by the Stanley Cup. The Ottawa Royals has a nice ring to it. Perhaps a name like Ottawa Reign or Ottawa Monarchs could also fit noting the local origins of women's hockey.
Ottawa also featured a team known the Rideau Hall Rebels, founded in 1884 involving Lord Stanley's sons, and likely a club that Isobel Stanley watched avidly as she and other women at Rideau Hall were some of the first to play organized hockey in the 1880s. The Ottawa Rebels name could strike a cord in the city given the connection to the birth of women's hockey in Canada. The main women's teams in the city pre-1900 were the Ottawa Alphas and the Ottawa Rideaus, followed by the Ottawa Busy Bees and Ottawa Union Jacks later on. When the Eastern Ladies’ Hockey League was founded, which was home to the famed Ottawa Alerts, other clubs in the league based in the city went by names like the Stanleys and Westerns.
Another name that found its way into Ottawa's hockey history was the brief stint of the WHA's Ottawa Nationals. From the Ottawa City League, a few teams emerged as Memorial Cup contenders including the Ottawa Gunners and Ottawa Primroses, as well as the Quebec League's Ottawa Flyers, and the Interprovincial Amateur Hockey Union's Ottawa Cliffsides.
In terms of women's hockey history tied to the city, finding a way to tie the team's identity to the first ever women's World Championships of hockey played in PWHL Ottawa's home rink, TD Place Arena, in 1990. The "90s" might not be in play, but then again, considering the other club calling TD Place Arena home is the OHL's Ottawa 67s, don't rule it out.
Top Names: Ottawa Alerts, Ottawa Rangers, Ottawa Rebels, Ottawa Royals, Ottawa Reign, Ottawa Monarchs.
Montreal
Victorias, Wanderers, Shamrocks, and Maroons were all historic hockey teams in Montreal. The city has a wealth of former names, from the Montreal Royals to one of the first teams established in the city, the Montreal Crystals.
While some attribute the Montreal Maroons name simply to men's hockey, that is categorically false. The Montreal Maroons were a dominant women's team who in the 1930s advanced three times to the Eastern Canadian championships, only to be defeated by the legendary Preston Rivulettes.
On the women's side, the Stars and Canadiennes were prominent clubs in the CWHL, and of course there were the one and done Montreal Force formed in the PHF's final season (a name we already know will not be returning). Much of the early women's hockey history in the area was played at local university's, including at McGill University where women's hockey made its debut in 1894, but those teams are still in operation, meaning names aren't likely to come from those early teams.
Playing in the original Ladies Ontario Hockey Association, the Northern Electric Verdun were a team of note. Given the new Montreal club is playing in Verdun, could the Montreal Electric become a name? The team was a powerhouse in the 1920s, but weren't the only women's team to play in Verdun, a location also featuring the Verdun 500s. The Montreal Royals were another key women's hockey club not only in this region, but in the growth of women's hockey in America. Playing against a Toronto team, the Royals travelled to play a six game series in the USA, helping to spark interest in the sport of hockey south of the border. The Montreal Telegraphers were yet another club in the LOHA.
The original NWHL also saw the Avalanche playing as a previous iteration of pro women's hockey in the region.
The province has a long history of French names as it's an important part of the identity of any Quebec-based hockey team. If the city is looking for French names that have been used by Quebec teams in the past, they could look at Harfangs, Lynx, Citadelles, Phénix, and Castors. Lynx could become a popular name both in and outside of Quebec as it's the same in both French and English and has been successfully donned by the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx.
Prior to the Quebec Nordiques relocation, the NHL team was set to rebrand with a logo that many thought would fit the name "Huskies."
In various leagues, the Montreal Eagles and Montreal Flyers have both been used on multiple occasions. It's hard to believe either name would meet resistance like the Echo did.
Top Names: Montreal Canadiennes, Montreal Stars, Montreal Electric, Montreal Maroons, Montreal Lynx, Montreal Eagles, Montreal Royals, Montreal Castors, Montreal Harfangs.
Toronto
One of the predecessors to Toronto's Marlies were known as the Saints, which could be a name to consider, given PWHL Toronto are now sharing practice facilities with the club, while Nurse's Dynasty and Fast's Reign could come into play too.
The Toronto Furies were a beloved name from the CWHL that in the early excitement of the PWHL was one name that fans supported for a comeback.
Two names that could be considered to honor pioneers of the game from the area would be the Toronto Hurricanes in honor of "Hurricane" Hazel McCallion or the Toronto Riders to honor Fran Rider. Without these two, women's hockey would not be where it is today. The Toronto Hawks could be another option honoring Canada's first ever national team, which was represented by the nearby Hamilton Hawks.
Long before these teams, the Toronto Pats were Ontario women's champions in 1929, and runners up in multiple seasons. In 1929, the Toronto Pats took on a team from Quebec in front of a reported 29,000 fans at the Montreal Winter Carnival. The Pats were led by Canadian legend Bobbie Rosenfeld. There were also teams like the Picture Hats of Victoria College, and the Toronto Wellingtons
Other women's hockey names to grace jerseys in the Greater Toronto Area include the Thunder, Aeros, Sting, Ice, Lightning, and Dolphins.
To dip into the men's side of hockey in Toronto, many names exist like the Arenas, Millionaires, Falcons, Granites, Victorias, Majors, Sea Fleas, Pros, and Marlboros.
Top Names: Toronto Furies, Toronto Hawks, Toronto Hurricanes, Toronto Saints, Toronto Pats, Toronto Thunder, Toronto Riders.
Looking At The PWHL's American Teams
There are general names that could work for multiple PWHL teams in the USA. On the east coast, both Boston and New York share the color green. While they are unlikely to take the name of any NCAA program, hockey in the region began with Ivy League schools like Yale, Brown, and Harvard. Perhaps the Boston Ivy or New York Ivy could become a name to go with the green as a nod to the history of these programs building women's hockey on the East coast...although Boston Ivy may get confused with the plant of the same name. Another point for discussion in honoring hockey's history in the USA, would be to come up with a Title IX related name. The Washington Capitals came up with an impressive Title IX inspired jersey last year that many fans would be proud to wear. The jersey was designed by former professional hockey player and PWHPA board member Kimberly Sass. Billie Jean King called the women in the league "Trailblazers" which is a name that has been used before as well.
Here's a look at geographically specific names from hockey's past in the PWHL's three American cities.
Boston
One of the original women's hockey clubs in Boston was known as the Back Bay Hockey Club. Since then, many iterations of women's teams and organizations have called Boston home, including the professional Boston Blades of the CWHL, and Boston Pride of the PHF. Minor organizations in Boston who might be happy to share their names with the city's PWHL team include the Boston Whalers, Boston Eagles, Boston Shamrocks, and Boston Terriers.
In the early 1900s, the Boston Athletic Association created a men's team filled with ex-Harvard hockey players nicknamed the "Unicorns." The B.A.A. soon fielded a women's team tying this historic name to women's hockey in the area. The Unicorn can still be seen tied to one of the world's most notable athletic events, the Boston Marathon, due to this history of the B.A.A's Unicorns. Perhaps no name would be more historically significant to the city as a whole. The Boston Arenas, Maples, Victorias, and Westministers were other teams playing in the first half of the 1900s in Boston.
Playing in the Can-Am Hockey League were the Boston Tigers, later the Boston Cubs, and in the Eastern Hockey League, the Boston Olympics.
For women, even before the Back Bay Hockey Club, women were wbelieved to be playing hockey at Mount Holyoke College in Massachussettes, where today the team is nicknamed the Lyons. By 1916, the Arena Girls Hockey Club had launched in Boston playing intercity competitions.
Top Names: Boston Unicorns, Boston Tigers, Boston Ivy, Boston Eagles, Boston Cubs.
New York
Perhaps the most important women's hockey team to play in the Connecticut or New York City region over the past half century was the Connecticut Polar Bears. It was the first all-girls program in Connecticut, and remains in operation today. While there are no polar bears in Connecticut or New York state, there is a large population of Black Bears in the region.
In New York City however, two women's teams, the St. Nicholas Blues and Manhattan Reds were the initial clubs on the ice in 1916. Either name gives the timeless feel of an original six or early era team. The only problem with these names is, the PWHL tied teams to a color scheme before deciding on names, limiting future choices.
Much like the name Riveters implied with the New York and then Metropolitan Riveters, hockey took leaps for women in the early 1900s, and continued to grow throughout World War I, but died off drastically during World War II.
Other early teams to play in New York and area included the Brooklyn Crescents (1896-1918) and New York Wanderers (1903-1918). The Crescents were one of the most dominant teams in the era, winning nine American Amateur Hockey League titles during their time. The Crescent name also holds significance to this discussion as following their time in Brooklyn, the club played in New Haven, Connecticut, tying the name to New York and Connecticut, which will share a claim to the PWHL as well.
Playing against the Crescents and Wanderers were other more obscurely named clubs like the New York Athletic Clubs' "Winged Footers" or "Mercury Footers," but the names could be parsed and used as New York Wings or New York Mercury.
Alongside the New York Rangers, the NHL held another New York franchise from 1925 to 1942 in the New York Americans. When the club disbanded at the start of World War II, it launched the Original Six era. The Bronx Tigers were another short lived pro team in the area, as were the New York Rovers.
One of the earliest teams to win a national championship from New York State were the Clarence Fighting Saints who won back to back titles in 1981 and 1982.
Top Names: New York Blues, New York Crescents, New York Wanderers, New York Tigers, New York Americans, New York Wings, New York Rovers.
Minnesota
Similar to Montreal and New York, one of the first teams in Minnesota was known as the Minneapolis Wanderers from 1907 to 1909. The name could fit into women's hockey well given the nomadic tours from the Dream Gap Tour to the Rivalry Series that have become common in women's hockey, and growing the visibility of the sport.
One of the first hockey towns in Minnesota was Eveleth, known for being a productive town in producing iron. The town, due to this resource, was connected tightly to railroads, and one of the town's first teams was known as the Reds, members of the short lived United States Amateur Hockey Association. They later played as the Rangers, perhaps recognizing the Iron Range that fed the economy of the region. Eveleth was the center of the American hockey world and growth in Minnesota for years. Also playing in the USAHA were the Minneapolis Millers, Minneapolis Rockets, and Duluth Hornets. The Millers were one of the top teams of the era. Other Minnesota teams to play in the era between Wars, included the Minneapolis Warriors, and the St. Paul Saints, which given the location of Minnesota's new team, could be a historic name to revive. The Saints, Millers, and Eveleth Rangers all spanned multiple leagues in the State of Hockey.
On the women's hockey side, no name carries more history in. the sport than the Minnesota Whitecaps, but that name, according to new league ownership, is unlikely to return.
In 1979, the Minnesota Checkers were the state's first national champions in women's hockey, which could create a logical opening to connect to historic women's hockey in Minnesota predating the Whitecaps. The team won titles in four consecutive seasons being officially called the Wayzata Checkers and then Minneapolis Checkers.
Top Names: Minnesota Saints, Minnesota Checkers, Minnesota Rangers, Minnesota Hornets, Minnesota Rockets, Minnesota Wanderers.