Name Nominations: Hartford & Yellowknife
The time has come to start suggesting names for the IceHL's 2012 expansion franchises. Last week it was announced they were awarded to Hartford, Conn. and Yellowknife, NT.
To nominate team names for consideration, simply post them in a comment below. If you see someone before you has suggestd a name you like, say so in your comment. The more popular suggestions are more likely to be among the 25 selected for the voting process. I will base those 25 on whether they are creative, unique, and of course, popular.
Here is a list of locators you may use to precede your team nicknames:
- Hartford
Connecticut | New England - Yellowknife
Northwest Territories | Northwest
You can be creative and suggest other names. The worst that could happen if they're not acceptable is they won't be included in the voting. But so as not to waste anyone's time, don't bother submitting Whalers. It won't be considered.
There are some other important don'ts. You may NOT use the name of any current or past IceHL, NHL or WHA team, nor any current ECHL, AHL, CHL, WHL, QMJHL or OHL team. You may NOT use the name (or any variation thereupon) of any current or past sports franchises in the market or geographical area. And if your suggestion is vulgar, obscene, or in any way inappropriate, it will not be considered.
Only names nominated in the comments of this post will be considered. Do not email or tweet your suggestions if you want them to be included in the voting process.
Submission period ends: Monday, March 26
Voting on eligible name nominees is scheduled to begin on April 6, following the end of the Pacific Division jersey voting. (That begins this Thursday, March 15. Submissions closed on Sunday night.)
Some other upcoming IceHL events: Later this month, I'll start accepting jersey design submissions for the Southeast Division and then we'll hold a poll to determine how the IceHL will be realigned after it expands to 32 teams this year. In April, we'll vote on Southeast Division jerseys after we wrap up the Pacific. We'll also get to some other minor questions that I think the community should decide. Fun year ahead for the IceHL!
We're barely a day into this, but I feel the need to chime in on these name nominations. I want to encourage you guys to stop trying to hard to find a name that "means something." If you have to try so hard that the name sounds absolutely awful for a hockey team, then it's not worth it.
Ask yourself one question about the names you suggest. Can you imagine chanting them alongside 20,000 other screaming fans without feeling like a dolt? If not, it's probably not worth recommending.
Also, the name Hartford Harpoons or any variation of it or "Whalers" will NOT be accepted for voting. This league is not going to be a rehash of the NHL. We're going to do something original here. There are so many creative people in this community that I know we can do better than simply copying history.