Ownership group takes next step in bringing the NHL to Seattle

The ownership group behind Seattle’s potential new NHL team registered 13 domains for possible team names, including some old favorites. 

Seattle is on its way to becoming the NHL’s next market. Recently, the ownership group behind the potential team, The Oak View Group, registered 13 potential team names. The names include the Seattle Renegades,  Evergreens, Totems, Sockeye, Cougars, Firebirds, Eagles, Emeralds, Rainiers, Sea Lions, Seals, Kraken and the Whales. Many of these names relate to the area of Seattle — Emerald for the Emerald City, Rainiers for Mount Rainier — and there’s a handful of re-purposed team names like Cougars, Seals and Whales.

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The Hartford Whalers had one of the NHL’s best logos of all time; many fans loved the whale tail. Fans of the old logo will be excited about Seattle registering the Whale name. The old logo would fit well by changing the “W” under the tail to an “S.” The colors of green and blue would also fit in with the city’s other professional teams. MLS’ Seattle Sounders and the NFL’s Seahawks both wear the colors.

Even though the Whale will be a popular choice among fans, Seal will be the front-runner. This is also a retread of the California Golden Seals, who last took the ice in 1976. The reason this could be the winner over the whale is because Hartford left the league more recently. There have also been rumors that a team in the future could be moving back to Hartford, so the NHL would be hesitant to give up the Whaler’s name or anything close to it.