Seattle has a long history of professional sport, both on the men's and women's side. Soon, PWHL Seattle will be added to this history, but what will the team be called?
Currently, Seattle boasts teams with names like the Kraken, Sounders, Reign, Seahawks, Mariners, Storm, Seawolves, and Orcas.
But their sporting names go beyond top level pro teams. Seattle and neighboring Everett to the North and Tacoma to the South have many other well established teams. Those include teams with names like the Thunderbirds, Grizzlies, Redhawks, Huskies, Cascades, Saracens, Totems, Silvertips, Majestics, Wolfpack, Thunder, Defiance, Rainiers, and more.
Looking at past teams, the list grows longer - SeaDogs, Stealth, Breakers, Metropolitans, SuperSonics, Pilots, Hawks, Raptors, Mist, Rangers, Rockets, Bombers, Sabercats, Americans, Ironmen, Stars, and SeaDragons.
With so many names seemingly out of the picture, what will PWHL Seattle call themselves?
If you consider the six original names chosen by the PWHL, the league went with less than conventional names for most. If only New York could re-brand and send the Seattle Sirens onto the ice, things would be much easier.
The league itself however, has not leaned into alliteration, yet.
Then there's the historic Seattle Vamps, which is highly unlikely to make a comeback. Other historic Seattle women's hockey names include the Royalettes and Knitters. But Seattle will have no shortage of options.
Looking At Trends
PWHL Seattle announced their expansion team will wear "Emerald Green." It ties into Seattle's nickname as the "Emerald City." Seattle is also known for technology, grunge music, mountains, sea life, coffee, and being a proud hub in the Pacific Northwest.
While the PWHL found ways to tie their existing names to their various markets, not all were obvious. As many leagues have done the PWHL has likely been watching fan voice for Seattle's team name.
What are PWHL Seattle fans saying?
It's a long list. Among the most mentioned were Seattle Hydra, Seattle Emeralds, Seattle Selkies, and Seattle Grunge.
Here's more we found from X, Reddit, and Facebook: Seattle Evergreens, Seattle Ferries, Seattle Valkyrie, Seattle Strike, Seattle Selkies, Seattle Seals, Seattle Pod, Seattle Squall, Seattle Clippers, Seattle Serpents, Seattle Pikes, Seattle Freeze, Seattle Talons, Seattle Ospreys, Seattle Tsunami, Seattle Seismic, Seattle Sea Cats, Seattle Beacon, Seattle Sea Otters, Seattle Aurora, Seattle Smoke, Seattle Solstice, Seattle Seagulls, Seattle Power, Seattle Code, Seattle Speed, Seattle Empire, Seattle Gems.