Vancouver and British Columbia have a long and rich history not only of women's hockey, but of professional and amateur sport. The many teams and organizations that have called the province home have built that history, but they've also claimed many of the potential team names PWHL Vancouver could utilize.
Women's hockey in British Columbia spans back to 1900 when the Rossland Winter Carnival became the West's top women's hockey event. In Vancouver, organized teams and leagues were formed by 1914, and by 1916, the University of British Columbia had a women's hockey team.
Some of those historic teams included the Vancouver Amazons, Victoria Kewpies, Nelson Ladies, and Fernie Swastikas. Many years later the original NWHL featured Vancouver's first modern elite team for women, the Vancouver Griffins.
But the city and region's team name history extends even beyond those.
In recent years, the city has featured pro teams including the Canucks, Lions, Whitecaps, Warriors, Bandits, and Rise. Other teams in the city have included the Giants, Thunderbirds, Red Leafs, Canadians, Beavers, Capilanos, Mounties, Blazers, Millionaires, Knights, and Grizzlies. The list goes on with many other past and present teams like the Dragons, Ravens, Voodoo, Royals, Nighthalks, and Riptide.
Girls and Women's Hockey In Vancouver
While it's not a model the PWHL has yet taken, most areas with professional hockey teams also have minor hockey organizations share the name. Typically the pro team is first, but it would not be unfathomable to see naming move in the opposite direction at some point. Involved in PWHL Vancouver's expansion announcement were members of the Vancouver Angels. Other local organizations include the North Shore Avalanche and Greater Vancouver Comets and if you extend the reach farther the Fraser Valley Rush, Vancouver Island Seals, Richmond Ravens, Northern Captials, Thompson-Okanagan Lakers, and previously the Kootenay Wild and Kootenay Wildcats were girls hockey teams playing in BC. Some of these teams also held names like the Rockets, Cougars, and Phantom.
What are PWHL Vancouver fans saying?
It's a long list. Here's a look at what fans are suggesting on X, Reddit, Facebook and other platforms. The names include Vancouver Tempest, Vancouver Breakers, Vancouver Orcas, Vancouver Coast, Vancouver Lynx, Vancouver Stellar, Vancouver Quake, Vancouver Glaciers, Vancouver Quake, Vancouver Reel, Vancouver Seadogs, Vancouver Cyclones, Vancouver Fog, Vancouver Mist, Vancouver Evergreens, Vancouver Valkyrie, Vancouver Edge, Vancouver Eagles, Vancouver Vanquish, Vancouver Rain, Vancouver Pride, Vancouver Swell, Vancouver Storm, Vancouver Spirit, Vancouver Cascades, Vancouver Torrent, Vancouver Vipers.