The guys recorded this week’s Sound of Hockey episode on Monday, but intentionally held off on releasing it, knowing that the team name could be coming this week. So, at the beginning, you get John, Andy, and Darren’s same-day reactions to the news, then you get a full episode of standard banter and good times.
Aside from all the Seattle Kraken talk, the guys discuss the latest on the NHL’s progress toward returning to play. They also consider the NHL Award nominees and which awards in particular are downright silly.
Segments this week include Re-Torts, Goalie Gear Corner, Weekly One-Timers, and Tweets of the Week.
After years of pestering NHLtoSeattle.com founder, John Barr, with questions like, “Name?” and “What’s the team name?” and “Who cares about pictures of your dog, what’s the team name?” you finally have your answer.
It’s mean. It’s mysterious. It’s authentically Seattle. It’s the Kraken.
Before we go any further, can we pause for a moment and comment on some of the fantastic little details in the team’s logos? The tentacle in the negative space on the primary logo? [Chef’s kiss]… “Muah!” The sneaky little Space Needle on the secondary anchor logo? [Chef’s kiss] [chef’s kiss] [chef’s kiss]… “MUAH!” Even the color scheme is quite beautiful and on brand with the city, without being blatantly predictable.
The hockey world went into a frenzy back in January, when it was reported by Russian Machine Never Breaks that the name was believed to be Kraken. The rumors seemed to be unfounded at the time, as NHL Seattle did everything it could to downplay the report, cheekily stating on their official Twitter account on January 29th:
“While we’re aware of some fishy rumors surrounding our team name, please rest assured we’re doing our due diligence by scouring the depths of the ocean, the tallest mountains, and the densest parts of the forest to find the right name for our great, green city.”
Well, fast forward six months, and it turns out there was some smoke to go with that fire. On Thursday, Tod Leiweke and Heidi Dettmer of NHL Seattle finally confirmed the rumors and unveiled the team’s marketing plan at the newly monikered Climate Pledge Arena. The presentation, which was attended by the workers who are still constructing the franchise’s future home, was streamed online and officially revealed the team’s color scheme and jerseys, in addition to the long-awaited name.
Of course there are some naysayers getting in their comedic jabs…
…and that’s to be expected, but the vast majority of reactions to the name and uniforms seems to be quite positive. It’s a unique look and scheme that strays far from anything that’s out there in the NHL or the other major professional sports, and yet the branding accomplishes this deviation from the norm without being gaudy.
A peek at the full kit, which was revealed during an online interview with the Adidas team that helped design the Kraken uniform.
Leiweke said on his streaming interview with Ross Fletcher, “Our game experience should be second to none with this mark,” and he’s absolutely right. There is so much that the team can do with this from a gameday ops standpoint. It’s actually a bit chill-inducing to imagine the many different directions they can take to spark the atmosphere in the arena when the Kraken finally takes the ice in 2021.
The Kraken has been released. What say you, Seattle?
The guys recorded this week’s Sound of Hockey episode on Monday, but intentionally held off on releasing it, knowing that the team name could be coming this week. So, at the beginning, you get John, Andy, and Darren’s same-day reactions to the news, then you get a full episode of standard banter and good times.
Aside from all the Seattle Kraken talk, the guys discuss the latest on the NHL’s progress toward returning to play. They also consider the NHL Award nominees and which awards in particular are downright silly.
Segments this week include Re-Torts, Goalie Gear Corner, Weekly One-Timers, and Tweets of the Week.
EASTERN CONFERENCE #5 Pittsburgh Penguins vs #12 Montreal Canadiens Scotiabank Arena Toronto, Ontario
We keep seeing folks around the hockey Twittersphere referencing this series as one that can get stolen by Montreal’s goaltender. One could argue that such a phenomenon can happen in any of these best-of-five qualifying rounds, especially considering that we simply don’t know how netminders will respond to the long layoff, and whether the months of unexpected recuperation will end up being beneficial or detrimental to their respective performances. But there’s no denying that a healthy, rested, and focused Carey Price can be a gamebreaker—heck, he’s one of only seven goalies in history to win the Hart Trophy—especially if things go his way in the opening games of this series.
Reports out of Montreal’s summer training camp indicate that the former Tri-City American is in prime form, but even Price says that he can’t win this thing by himself, and he’s probably right. After all, the Penguins are waayyyyyyyy better than the Habs, and Montreal being included in this tournament at all came by the hair on Claude Julien’s chinny chin chin.
Besides, Pittsburgh has two really good goalies, which simple math says is better than just one really good goalie, so the odds are clearly in favor of the Pens on this one. Nonetheless, let’s dive in and see what we can unearth on this intriguing matchup of best versus worst of the Eastern Conference qualify-or-potentially-win-the-Draft-Lottery teams.
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
1Certainly nobody outside of Pittsburgh is rooting for the Penguins to go on a deep playoff run (right?), but this franchise does fall into the “Please, God, no!” category of teams that still have a chance to win the lottery and the gift of selecting Alexis Lafrenière. Of course, if Pittsburgh wins this and punches its ticket to the real playoffs – which it certainly should do – then it won’t be included in the final eight teams in the sweepstakes, and perhaps that wouldn’t be a bad thing. After all, this team is still scary good, and as far as the rest of the hockey world is concerned, the last thing Pittsburgh needs is another generational talent. So sliding by the inferior Habs in the Qualifying Round would probably be fine for all non-Pittsburghers.
Wait, is that what they’re called? Pittsburghers?
Anyway, one of the reasons the Penguins are so scary is because their stars have the experience and know exactly what it takes to win the Stanley Cup. It’s generally believed that Sidney Crosby doesn’t allow his robot body to run at 100% until the end of the season, when he finally flips the switch to full power and takes control of every shift he plays. This season is a little different, though, because Sid missed 28 consecutive games after surgery to repair a core muscle in November. He also apparently left practice early on Saturday and did not practice on Sunday, though according to The Athletic, this is “only a precaution,” and Crosby refused to even use the word “injury.” Something tells me he’ll be ready to go when the puck drops on this series on August 1st.
Another reason that Pittsburgh is scary is because one of its top playoff performers of the past few seasons – Jake Guentzel – has been given a new lease on the life that is this season, thanks to the long layoff. Guentzel had shoulder surgery after getting injured in December, and was then ruled out for the remainder of the regular season and part of the Playoffs, had they gone on as normally scheduled. The original prognosis was that he may be able to return if his team went on a long run, but obviously returning from such a malady likely doesn’t lead to an instantaneous impact. Instead, he’s had four extra months to recover, and now can be expected to fully contribute. Remember, this is the guy that burst onto the scene with 21 points in 25 playoff games during the march of the Penguins (get it?) to the Cup in 2017, then followed that up with 21 more points in just 12 games in 2018. Getting Jake N’ Bake back alongside Sid earlier than anticipated is a huge boon for the Penguins.
Meanwhile, the combo platter of outstanding goaltenders in Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry is quite intriguing. It was Murray that took over the net from Marc-Andre Fleury en route to the Penguins winning the 2017 Cup. But Murray has now tasted his own bitter medicine this season, and ended up splitting time almost equally with the 25-year-old Jarry, who posted an impressive 2.43 GAA and .921 save percentage in 33 games. Jarry cooled a bit just before the pause, and Murray ended up starting five of the last seven games, so we shall see which direction Mike Sullivan goes. Either way, we can hope that Pittsburgh loses one of these great goalies to Seattle next summer, so from the local perspective, keep an eye on this crease.
Another interesting angle for Pittsburgh is the old man angle. Patrick Marleau has never won a Stanley Cup, and at 40 years old, one would have to think that this former Seattle Thunderbird is likely getting his last chance.
MONTREAL CANADIENS
A huge question mark surrounding Montreal was whether or not Max Domi would end up participating in this return-to-play process. He is a type 1 diabetic and a celiac, making him high risk for COVID-19, so the original decision was that he would wait a week or so to see how things were going in Phase 3. Domi did return to the ice with his teammates on Monday, indicating that he and the Montreal medical staff have decided that it’s safe for him to participate.
Domi’s inclusion makes this a much deeper team, which is important, because there simply are no individual superstars here. Tomas Tatar and Brendan Gallagher led the way with 22 goals each during the regular season, while Domi added 17 goals and 27 assists.
As mentioned, to have a chance, Price will have to play out of his mind, while everyone up front will need to contribute in little ways for the Habs, with secondary and tertiary scoring being key.
PREDICTION
There’s just too much firepower in Pittsburgh’s lineup. We didn’t even talk about Evgeni Malkin, Jason Zucker, or Patric Hornqvist, but those guys are all in the mix as well. Montreal is lucky to be involved, and while it’s still very possible that Price can have an outstanding series, it won’t be enough to knock off the mighty Penguins.
It’s probably stated almost weekly, but seriously, super fun episode this week!
John, Andy, and Darren have a lot to talk about, as there’s been some great recent content on NHLtoSeattle.com, and hockey is inching ever closer to a return to play.
Andy and John give a quick Seattle update, and Darren shares some “Breaking Minn-news-tiae.”
Also, John leads another thrilling round of Would You Rather?, the gameshow where there are no correct answers (though this week, there are definitely correct and incorrect answers).
Other segments this week include Weekly One-Timers and Tweets of the Week, which leads us to our new proposed team name of the Seattle Planets.
It’s probably stated almost weekly, but seriously, super fun episode this week!
John, Andy, and Darren have a lot to talk about, as there’s been some great recent content on NHLtoSeattle.com, and hockey is inching ever closer to a return to play.
Andy and John give a quick Seattle update, and Darren shares some “Breaking Minn-news-tiae.”
Also, John leads another thrilling round of Would You Rather?, the gameshow where there are no correct answers (though this week, there are definitely correct and incorrect answers).
Other segments this week include Weekly One-Timers and Tweets of the Week, which leads us to our new proposed team name of the Seattle Planets.
Is there a more beautiful word in the hockey labor vernacular than “ratification?” Hearing it, reading it, and seeing it, as it pertains to the approval of a new collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA, is enough to send tingles down the spine of pretty much any hockey fan who remembers recent lost seasons due to unnecessary and maddening labor strife. Thankfully, the Players’ Association did agree to the new deal, which extends the working relationship between the two sides, meaning we don’t have to worry about a work stoppage for six more seasons.
This is great for Seattle fans in particular, who certainly didn’t want to have a lockout—arguably the stupidest thing in the world aside from COVID—hanging over their heads during their new team’s inaugural season.
Speaking of COVID, what’s especially important in the near-term about this CBA ratification (again, beautiful word), is that it also meant that the players had agreed to the NHL’s proposed return-to-play plan. Lest you forget, the season was suspended on March 12th, when the world was visibly collapsing around itself. There are plenty of arguments to be made as to whether that collapse has slowed down enough to warrant playing hockey again, but regardless of your opinions on if it should happen, this new deal means that—unless something really bad happens in the next few weeks—a return absolutely is happening.
So, with that in mind, we at NHLtoSeattle.com thought it was time to start talking hockey again. And we don’t mean talking about coronavirus, CBA’s, Phase 4 Secure Zones, or any of that boring dribble that we’ve been forced to chat about over the past four (!) months. We mean actual brass tacks hockey, which despite having no fans in the stands and teams being forced to live in hotels sequestered from their families, should be a welcome addition to the lives of quarantined hockey fans everywhere.
We thought the best way to get the conversation focused back on games themselves was to start talking about the games themselves. So, over the next couple of weeks leading up to the resumption of the season, currently slated for August 1st, we will have full previews of all eight of the qualifying round best-of-five series. The aim is to bring you back up to speed with what was happening with each team and what kind of seasons they were having respectively, so that as the squads take the ice, you too will be in playoff form. Get excited.
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Western Conference
#5 Edmonton Oilers versus #12 Chicago Blackhawks
Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta
We start our series of previews in the West, at the beautiful hub city of Edmonton, Alberta, which was lauded in this fantastic video this past week.
One very intriguing aspect of this qualifying format is that after the shocking events of the recent NHL Draft Lottery, it was determined that one of the eight losing teams in this play-in round will receive the top overall pick in the NHL Draft. Being entered into that eight-team pool will be a fine consolation prize for all of the losers of this first collection of games. Among the sixteen teams that have a chance to win the lottery, three teams stand out as clubs that would be particularly infuriating to see, should their logo be on the card when Bill Daly flips it over at Draft Lottery 2.0. In the East, Pittsburgh would be quite maddening, thanks to the dominance that they’ve shown ever since drafting Sidney Crosby first overall in 2005. In the West, it is easy to imagine the hockey world completely imploding, should either of these teams—Chicago or Edmonton—be the ultimate lottery victor.
But we aren’t talking about that or worrying about that because it totally isn’t going to happen. The games… we’re talking about the games here.
EDMONTON OILERS
The Oilers put together a pretty solid campaign under friend of the pod and former Seattle advisor, Dave Tippett, who turned in a 71-game record of 37-25-9 in his first season behind the Edmonton bench. The associated 83 standings points were good enough for second place in the Pacific Division, but not enough to overtake Dallas for the last spot in the unnecessary round robin tournament of automatic advancers.
The dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl lead the way in Edmonton.
Leading the way—very unsurprisingly—for the boys in the heinous orange jerseys will be Connor McJesus McDavid and Leon “the Deutschland Dangler” Draisaitl, the best one-two punch in all of hockey. When the season was suspended, Draisaitl was first in the NHL in points (110) and assists (67), while McDavid was second in both of those categories with 97 (he loves that number) and 63.
Beyond McDavid and Draisaitl, the Oilers get some secondary scoring from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and James Neal, who we recall had a ridiculous start to the year with seven goals in the team’s first four games but went quiet after the calendar turned over to 2020. After the Nooge and the Real Deal, though, things drop off pretty dramatically.
In net, Edmonton has an interesting platoon of Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith. Neither has been especially great this season, but I do generally appreciate teams heading into playoffs that have split time between netminders, because it gives the coach the ability to go with the hotter hand.
There is an interesting local perspective to keep an eye on here too, as former Seattle Thunderbird Ethan Bear skated himself into top-four minutes with exceptional playmaking on the blueline, and Spokane’s Kailer Yamamoto was on the second forward line with Draisaitl and Nugent-Hopkins when the season was suspended.
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
[Does double-take, spits out coffee] “The Chicago Blackhawks made the playoffs?!”
Well, not exactly… yet… but they are certainly one of the biggest beneficiaries of the expanded field that was created by the league. The 24-team tournament was set up to allow for teams on the bubble who still had a mathematical chance to sneak into the playoffs, had the season been played out in its entirety. It’s hard to imagine Chicago to even be a bubble team, though, so its inclusion was a bit surprising.
Young Jeremy Colliton, who took over from the ousted Joel Quenneville in November of 2018, has never really seemed to fully get his group playing the brand of hockey from Blackhawks squads of yore, but that may not be his fault. After all, Quenneville is one of the best coaches of all time, and if he wasn’t able to get the team back up to GM Stan Bowman’s snuff, it’s hard to say that a first-timer like Colliton has ever really been dealt a great hand.
There is some good youth in the Windy City, and Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane remain impactful stars in the league, but the holes on this roster are quite evident. “Showtime” Kane shines brightest in all categories, with 33 goals and 51 assists for 84 points on the year, while 24-year-old Dominik Kubalik was very impressive with a 30-goal rookie season. Meanwhile, fellow youngsters Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome add some more youthful exuberance, while veterans like Brandon Saad (21 goals) and Duncan Keith (27 points) still contribute.
The health of Corey Crawford is always a question, and apparently that’s no different this time around. The oft-concussed netminder started 39 games and was present and
Corey Crawford was ruled “unfit to play” in Phase 3 of the NHL’s Return to Play
playing quite well when the season paused. In all, he turned in a 2.77 GAA and .917 save percentage, but just a 16-20-3 record on the year. News broke over the weekend that Crawford has been mysteriously ruled unfit to play, at least initially. With Robin Lehner traded away to Vegas at the deadline, that leaves Colin Delia, Malcolm Subban, something called Kevin Lankinen, and something else called Matt Tomkins to compete for the goalcrease, assuming Crawford can’t return.
PREDICTION
What’s interesting is that these two teams have similar make-ups in a lot of ways; two superstars up front, a few veterans sprinkled through, some impressive young players, and question marks in net. The franchises are just in very different stages of their lifecycles, though, with Edmonton seemingly ready to reach its apex, and Chicago feeling very much past its prime.
As was stated previously, anything can happen in a five-game series, but with a Crawford steal appearing to be off the table, the smart money is definitely on McDavid and Draisaitl here.
The NHL was back on the ice this week as twenty-four teams opened training camps in preparation for the qualifying rounds of the Return to Play Plan set to kick off at the beginning of August. The seven teams that didn’t make the postseason are home, preparing for October’s NHL Draft with hopes of improving their rosters.
But what about the league’s 32nd team?
How does the new CBA that was ratified as part of Return to Play affect Seattle? How does the pause and the expanded postseason impact Ron Francis and his hockey operations staff?
For now, they’re on the sidelines preparing as best they can without a clear picture of where the league will be next year.
“Technically we’re not in the NHL until we make our final payments,” Francis said from his home last week. “I don’t get to go to the GM meetings and we’re not on the GM calls or those kinds of things at this point. A lot of our information comes secondhand or by reading media reports. I think we’re probably like a lot of people, for a long time it’s been clear as mud and I think everybody at this point is speculating on where we go from here and what may happen moving forward.
“We‘re looking at all the different scenarios that may take place and what direction we may go in.”
Seattle did not have a say in how the league moved forward but the new collective bargaining agreement should have a positive impact as the club looks forward towards next year’s expansion draft.
For starters, the agreement between the league and the player’s association means that Seattle will not have to worry about a lockout the summer following its inaugural season. The biggest benefit to Seattle however, is the flat salary cap.
Prior to the NHL going on pause in March due to COVID-19 the salary cap was expected to go up from $81.5 million to somewhere in the $84 and $88 million range. The cap is calculated based on rising revenues the league brings in. With the stoppage in play, those revenues went stagnant, and in turn so has the salary cap.
Instead of $88 million the cap for 2020-2021 will stay at $81.5 million and will not go up until the league reaches revenues of $4.8 billion. For the next two seasons, a significant rise in the salary is not expected.
This is going to put some teams in cap trouble and force them to make tough choices as they try to manage their rosters, sign free agents — both their own and others around the league. Some are facing cap issues and at the end of this season, 18 teams have spent to within 98-percent of the upper limit of the cap.
“It’s certainly a possibility,” Francis said. “Some people are saying it could be a benefit for us but there’s still a long runway from where are today to until we get there. It will be interesting to see as we move down the road, where teams are at.”
As Vegas did, Seattle will be in position to leverage cap problems with teams during the expansion draft. Most clubs will leave high salaried, and perhaps under performing, players exposed. While Seattle may not want those players long term, there will be opportunities to make deals.
Francis can offer to take that player in exchange for a younger, better player coming via a trade. For an example of this, see the Vegas expansion draft selection of Clayton Stoner and his $3.5 million salary from the Anaheim Ducks. In return, the Ducks sent former Seattle Thunderbirds defenseman Shea Theodore – who was not exposed in the draft — to Vegas.
The consensus among NHL media is that the league’s general managers have learned from the Vegas experience and won’t make these same kind of deals this time around.
“I think there’s a lot of differences in what we’re going through with what Vegas went through,” Francis said. “Vegas certainly didn’t have as long of a runway as we have but the other teams didn’t have the longer runway like they will now. Guys have gone through it. They didn’t have a team sitting on the sidelines, we have Vegas sit on sidelines. There’s a lot of differences in the ways this could go, and my staff will look at all the ways we can put together the best team for us in Seattle.”
One of those differences is the flat cap that Seattle will be able to exploit to its benefit.
While GM’s around the NHL will look to protect themselves from losing quality players and avoid helping Seattle the way they did with Vegas, the temptation of clearing cap space may be enough to lure them into a deal. Whether it be in exchange for a young player, a prospect, or draft capital, Seattle has leverage.
Expansion Draft Eligibility
The NHL will allow Seattle to select players in the expansion draft under the same criteria that Vegas used in 2017. The Golden Knights will not have to take part in the expansion draft and will not be sharing in the expansion fees that Seattle pays the league.
Among the players that teams expose they must include a minimum of two forwards and one defenseman who is under contract for 2021-2022 and played in 40 or more NHL games last season or played in 70 or more games over the past two seasons.
Those games played requirements are based on an 82-game season, which we did not get this year. Will the NHL make a change?
“We’ve had no discussions,” Francis said about possible changes. “Quite honestly, the league has had their hands full in trying to get the CBA done and phase 2 and phase 3 and once they’ve got that all in place, then they’ll revisit with us. I don’t expect anything to drastically change. I think you will have to look at the games required since you didn’t finish the season. Who knows how next year will go, in a perfect world we get to start and play 82 games and if not, does that change and does that affect the games played rules? I don’t know. That’s something we’ll have to address with the league.”
We’ve already seen a team like the Calgary Flames make decisions about playing time for young rookies to keep them from having to be protected in the expansion draft.
With everything still fluid, it makes it tougher for Francis and his scouts to plan for the expansion draft. In January, he gathered his pro scouts, and they went through mock drafts, looking at different scenarios.
Moving forward there may be more mock exercises but Francis says that until the league gets into the 2020-2021 season they won’t have a clear picture of who might be available to draft.
“I think we’re doing a lot of things,” he said. “We’re trying to make decisions that are best for the organization and for our owners and the fans of Seattle moving forward. I think Brian Burke was quoted as saying this isn’t a lunar landscape because men have walked on the Moon, it’s more like a Mars landscape because nobody’s been here before. As challenging as it is to start an expansion team normally and when you throw a pandemic on top of it, it becomes more challenging but we’re going to do the best we can to be prepared.”
I don’t fit the bill for your average hockey fan. I’m a liberal arts graduate who spends most of my time re-watching Sherlock and reading YA novels. I didn’t like hockey, despite growing up in Minnesota, until a few years ago. With a job at a non-profit, I can’t afford an NHL Network subscription, let along tickets to a live game more than once a year. But I have become completely overwhelmed with excitement over the new Seattle NHL team.
When it was announced, it felt like my team – one I could really get behind. It was in a place I was excited to be moving to and didn’t have the baggage that other teams have. I also love the Wild, but with years of history baked into the franchise that I didn’t know about, it felt hard to call myself a fan. The Seattle team would be a fresh start and my true entry-point into a sport I was beginning to love. Planning would be ramping up just was I arrived in town, so the timing of it was perfect. (Am I a little annoyed to have lived in Seattle for almost two years with no team yet? Yes.)
Then the name debate started. I quickly realized that there were some names I and my other female friends who love the sport wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole. Female hockey fans have had to learn how to be discerning. We’ve carved out a place for ourselves in a league that has never made us feel welcome. We name favorite players hoping they won’t be revealed to be misogynistic messes. And while this new NHL franchise feels like a fresh start, the choice of a name could throw it all over the precipice.
Ahead of the much anticipated and much delayed name announcement, here is my definitive ranking of possible names. (These are the 15 names that have registered trademarks in place.)
Let’s start with the name that will make me erase this team from history: 15 – Totems – As well as having a misogynism problem, it’s no surprise that hockey has a racism problem. Recently, when a private group chat that (now former) player Brendan Lepsic was a part of was leaked, the NHL took the basic step of condemning his language and actually calling it misogyny, while also ignoring the racist language used in those messages. Players of color are taunted on ice, both by fans and other players. This attitude makes even die-hard fans reticent to introduce new people to a sport that feels unable to treat BIPOC with respect.
The Totems, being the minor league team in Seattle from 1958 – 1975, was one of the first names that got floated around for this hockey revival. The history of this team does not justify choosing a name that will be used derogatorily towards Indigenous people. Diehard fans of sports teams such as the R*dskins or the Blackhawks like to believe their names show respect to Indigenous people, while at the same time engaging in racist caricatures at games. Choosing the name Totems would give fans an implicit excuse to show their hidden (or not hidden) racist thoughts. Though I am hopeful this name will not be chosen, I know if it was there would be protests and I would be outside with them, not spending money on the team.
14 – Metropolitans – I know there’s history to this name, being the first team from the US to win the Stanley Cup, but let’s be truthful – it’s boring. Seattle is not so metropolitan compared to other cities in the league. I would fall asleep at a Metropolitan s game.
13 – Eagles – I’m allergic to patriotism.
(I would leave it at that, but there are also like 100 other teams called the Eagles, so let’s not.)
12 – Whales – While not a terrible name, and actually relevant to our area, the closeness of the Canucks and the history of the old Hartford Whalers NHL team make this a perplexing name choice.
11 – Emeralds – Seattle may be known as the Emerald City, but to me using a precious gem stone as a team name turns me off. Hockey is not a sport easily accessible for the proletariat. I already mentioned that as a fan I barely get to watch games (with the exception of my darling MN Whitecaps, which stream their games for free) and if you want to play hockey, there’s an extreme money mountain you need to overcome for gear and travel. I wouldn’t be disappointed if this was the name, but nor would I be filled with joy.
With the reveal of Amazon’s Climate Pledge Arena, which heavily features green-washing, the Emeralds gains a point for increased likelihood of being chosen.
10 – Seals – This name moved up and down a few times, before settling here. There is nothing wrong with it. Seals are lovely creatures. It simply doesn’t excite me. It doesn’t have the fierceness I’d want for a hockey team.
9 – Firebirds – I actually love this name a lot. It has a juxtaposition that delights me – a creature of fire & flight skating around on ice. The pitfall comes from its lack of connection to Seattle. Nothing about it makes me think of this town. When trying to find a connection, I discovered that the firebird is a figure from Slavic folklore. While King County’s population comes from all around the world, it’s not known for having Slavic immigrants. I’d rather this name go to a city that can do it justice.
8 – Cougars – Another perfectly wonderful name. I had this up higher on my list until someone reminded me that we already have the Washington State Cougars. Let’s not overcrowd it.
Now on to the good names!
7 – Rainiers – Oh mighty Rainier, it’s always a good day when we can see you in the distance. I’m not a super fan of this name for two reasons. First, the beer. I think there might be a few copyright issues that come up. Second, the history. Mt Rainier’s original name is Tahoma. Rainier comes from Rear Admiral Peter Rainier, the friend of a white explorer. I don’t think we need to add this accolade to his name.
6 – Steelheads – This name fills my two major criteria, connection to Seattle and fierceness. I would love to see an old man on the river as a mascot. More than simply the fish, this name is connected to the sports history of Seattle – there was a West Coast Negro Leagues baseball team called the Seattle Steelheads. If this name was chosen, it would be wonderful to acknowledge this history, perhaps with an exhibit in the arena or inviting the families of former players to games. Unfortunately, this could also be a huge misstep if the previous history of the name is ignored. Its main downfall though comes from how little it excites the community. Most people aren’t overjoyed with a fish taking the center stage.
5 – Sea Lions – I think this could be a really fun name. Sea lions are both playful and strong. It can highlight our connection to the water and I can already see a personality video of players meeting sea lions. One small negative on this could be logo design – a large grey mass isn’t the most interesting to look at.
4 – Sockeyes – Similar to the Steelheads, this is a pretty good name, with an unfortunate fish tie-in. I like it a bit better, because of the pun, but I can almost guarantee it will not be chosen. Romance Novelist Jami Davenport has a series of books on the love lives of the fictional Seattle Sockeyes hockey team and she is unwilling to give up her trademark. You go girl.
3 – Renegades – When I polled my friends on this name idea, I was the only one to have Renegades this high, but I’m keeping it there because it’s my list. I love the idea of going against the system. I believe it could easily tie into the Seattle punk and grunge scenes and I would be excited to support a team with this name. I will add that with the team’s new tie to Amazon, this contain a bit more irony than I can handle.
2 – Evergreens – In case you couldn’t tell by this list, I consider myself a bit of a hippie. I love the idea of our team being trees. Evergreens tops the list of names that tie in with Amazon’s Climate Pledge Arena, which does put a sour taste in my mouth. To be clear, I am overjoyed by the construction of a carbon neutral arena, no fracked “natural” gas, and all of the other wonderful environmental features that are planned. Maybe there could be environmental tie-ins at events, including volunteering opportunities? But the fact of the matter is that this whole thing is a goodwill-buying PR grab by Bezos, whose company is one of the biggest contributors to the climate crisis. Amazon has fired organizers who want to hold the company accountable to the climate crisis and Amazon’s emissions continue to grow despite claiming they will be reduced. Bezos may believe naming the stadium Climate Pledge Arena will get concerned people off his back, but he couldn’t be more wrong.
My extreme emotions about Amazon aside, I still love the name Evergreens. I don’t think the team could go with a tree for the mascot, but I would hope they don’t choose a lumber jack either. I would hope for a forest ranger, or, if they really want to go wild, a hermit.
1 – Kraken – You knew it was coming. Say it with me, “Release the Kraken!” How can you pass up this line? If there’s any name that can secure a young fan base, it’s this one. I know the odds are against its selection, but I’ve already promised myself I would be buying Seattle Kraken merch, no matter the official name.
Late breaking edition, I have heard a rumor that Kraken is the official name. But it came from someone who thought Kraken had to do with crabs, so it’s not entirely reliable.
If I had to choose which name I actually think will be picked, I will be placing a very loose bet on the Evergreens or the Steelheads. I don’t have an insight on what the Powers that Be will choose, but I have to hope it’ll be exciting. This team could be a chance to listen to hockey’s wide array of fans, instead of playing it safe with the old (white) standards. I’m looking forward to an announcement, whenever it comes.
Hockey is *almost* back, as news has broken this week that a new collective bargaining agreement and return to play plan could be ratified in the coming days. Lots of… uh… exciting stuff to break down here, and John, Andy, and Darren do their best to accomplish this.
The guys also take a look at an article from The Athletic this week that utilizes the local knowledge of its writers to put together a mock expansion team on Seattle’s behalf. This leads to a new gameshow from John, in which nobody wins.
Also, at a listener’s request, John, Andy, and Darren share a few of their favorite games to go back and watch in preparation for the NHL potentially returning on August 1st.
Segments this week include Goalie Gear Corner, Weekly One-Timers, and Tweets of the Week.
