1. New York Rangers
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In 1925, the New York Americans joined the National Hockey League and
played their home games at the old Madison Square Garden. Tex Rickard,
the boxing promoter and ex-gold prospector who built and owned the
arena, decided he wanted his own NHL team, which he was awarded in 1926.
Rickard's team was immediately dubbed "Tex's Rangers" as a pun
referencing the paramilitary force founded in Texas during the 1830s.
The Americans folded in 1942, while Tex's Rangers remain.2. New Jersey Devils
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Given that New Jersey has never been known for its mountains, the
team needed a new nickname after the Colorado Rockies relocated to the
Garden State in 1982. The New Jersey Sports and Exhibition Authority
sponsored a statewide newspaper contest to determine the new nickname
and some of the other finalists included Americans, Blades, Coastals,
Colonials, Gulls, Jaguars, Meadowlanders, and Meadowlarks. While some
fans objected to the winning selection on religious grounds—one
threatened the life of a reporter who was covering the search—the Devil
has an entirely non-religious folk history in New Jersey. According to
legend, a harmless creature known as the Leeds Devil, or the Jersey
Devil, roamed the Pine Barrens in the southern part of the state from
1887 until 1938.3. New York Islanders
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When New York's expansion Major League Baseball franchise held a
name-the-team contest in 1961, Islanders finished third behind Mets and
Empires. Eleven years later, Islanders was selected as the nickname for
New York's new hockey team, which plays its home games on Long Island.4. Philadelphia Flyers
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The team sponsored a name-the-team contest after Ed Snider, then-vice
president of the Philadelphia Eagles, brought hockey back to the City
of Brotherly Love in 1966. Snider's sister, Phyllis, reportedly
suggested the name Flyers, which sounds good when paired with
Philadelphia but doesn't have any real meaning.5. Pittsburgh Penguins
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The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sponsored a name-the-team
contest, but Carol McGregor, the wife of one of the franchise's part
owners, Jack McGregor, was the one responsible for the nickname. In his
book, Pittsburgh Penguins: The Official History of the First 30 Years,
Bob Grove describes how Carol McGregor came up with the name. "I was
thinking of something with a P. And I said to Jack, 'What do they call
the Civic Arena?' And he said, 'The Big Igloo.' So I thought, ice ...
Pittsburgh ... Penguins." More than 700 of the 26,000 contest entries
were for Penguins.6. Boston Bruins
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When grocery store tycoon Charles Adams brought a team to Boston, he
hired former hockey great Art Ross to serve as his general manager.
Adams tasked Ross with coming up with a nickname, with one of the
requirements being that the team's colors would be the same as his
grocery store chain's: brown and yellow. Ross decided on Bruins.7. Buffalo Sabres
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When Buffalo entered the league in 1970, owners Seymour Knox III and
Northrup Knox wanted the nickname for their new team to be unique. The
brothers sponsored a name-the-team contest and decided on Sabres, with a
buffalo featured prominently in the team's logo.8. Montreal Canadiens
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In 1909, John Ambrose O'Brien created the Club de Hockey Canadien.
Ambrose wanted his team, a charter member of the National Hockey
Association, to appeal to Montreal's francophone population and he hoped
to drum up a rivalry with the city's established team, the Wanderers.
The Canadiens are often referred to as "The Habs" or "Les Habs," an
abbreviation of "Les Habitants," the name for the early settlers of New
France.9. Ottawa Senators
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The original Ottawa Senators, founded in 1883, won 11 Stanley Cups.
When an NHL team returned to Ottawa in 1992 after a nearly 60-year
hiatus, the nickname, a reference to Ottawa's status as Canada's capital
city, was an obvious choice.10. Toronto Maple Leafs
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Conn Smythe purchased Toronto's hockey team in 1927 and one of his
first orders of business was renaming the team. The franchise that began
play as the Arenas in 1917 changed its nickname to St. Patricks in 1919
to attract Toronto's Irish population. Smythe eventually decided on
Maple Leafs, for a couple possible reasons. Smythe fought in the Maple
Leaf Regiment during World War I, and there was a former Toronto hockey
team called the East Maple Leaves.11. Winnipeg Jets
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The Winnipeg Jets, formed in late 1971, got their moniker from a team of the same name
that played in Canada's Western Hockey League. The current franchise is
actually the second incarnation; the first relocated to Phoenix,
Arizona in 1996 and became the Phoenix Coyotes. The current franchise
was originally called the Atlanta Thrashers— named by Ted Turner after
Georgia's state bird, the brown thrasher—before it was sold to a
Canadian group, True North Sports & Entertainment, in 2011, and
relocated.12. Carolina Hurricanes
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After the Hartford Whalers moved to Raleigh in 1997, new owner Peter
Karmanos, Jr. named his team after the devastating storms that regularly
ravage the region.13. Florida Panthers
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Had Tampa Bay been awarded a baseball team in the early '90s, they
likely would've been called the Florida Panthers, a reference to the
endangered species of the same name. Instead, the nickname was adopted
by Florida's second NHL team. When Panthers president Bill Torrey
revealed the nickname, he told reporters: "A panther, for your
information, is the quickest striking of all cats. Hopefully, that's how
we will be on the ice."14. Tampa Bay Lightning
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In 1990, a thunderstorm served as inspiration for then-president of
the Tampa Bay Hockey Group Phil Esposito's decision to name his team the
Lightning. Esposito said that, in addition to being a natural
characteristic of the Tampa Bay area, Lightning expressed the fast
action of a hockey game.15. Washington Capitals
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Washington owner Abe Pollin decided on the perfectly apt nickname Capitals after staging a name-the-team contest.16. Chicago Blackhawks
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World War I veteran and coffee tycoon Frederic McLaughlin was
Chicago's owner when it entered the NHL in 1926. McLaughlin named the
team after the 86th Infantry Division in which he served. The "Black
Hawk Division" was named after Chief Black Hawk of the Sauk American
Indian tribe, who fought the Illinois militia in 1832. The nickname was
officially changed from Black Hawks to Blackhawks in 1986.17. Columbus Blue Jackets
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Blue Jackets was the winning entry in a name-the-team contest.
According to the team's website, the name "celebrates patriotism, pride
and the rich Civil War history in the state of Ohio and, more
specifically, the city of Columbus." Ohio contributed more residents to
the Union Army than any other state during the Civil War.18. Detroit Red Wings
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After purchasing the Detroit Falcons in 1932, James Norris renamed
the team after the "Winged Wheelers," the nickname of the Montreal
Hockey Club for which he once played. Norris chose a winged wheel as the
team's logo, a nod to Detroit's growing reputation as the heart of the
automobile industry.19. Nashville Predators
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A vote by the fans helped determine Nashville's nickname, a reference
to the saber-toothed tiger remains that were discovered during an
excavation in the city in 1971.20. St. Louis Blues
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According to the team's website, owner Sid Saloman Jr. selected the
nickname Blues in 1967 after W.C. Handy's song, "St. Louis Blues."
Mercury and Apollo were two of the other nicknames that were considered.21. Calgary Flames
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The Flames played in Atlanta from 1972 until 1980 and their nickname
was a reference to the burning of Atlanta by General William T. Sherman
during the Civil War. While the team moved, the nickname remained.22. Colorado Avalanche
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Rockies, the nickname for Colorado's hockey team that left for New
Jersey in 1982, had been adopted by Denver's baseball team by the time
the Quebec Nordiques left Canada for the Front Range in 1995. Management
originally wanted to name the team Extreme, but received all sorts of
negative feedback, and justifiably so. Avalanche, which eventually beat
out Black Bears, Outlaws, Storm, Wranglers, Renegades, Rapids, and
Cougars, drew some criticism, as well, given their deadly nature. A
member of the marketing group responsible for naming the team replied:
"This is the NHL, a rough and tough sport, and Avalanche is something
that matches the 'on the edge' feel they want to create. Hey, Cougars
and Bears kill people, too. People shouldn't get so excited about
Avalanche being a disrespectful name or something. It's just a name."23. Edmonton Oilers
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Edmonton, the capital of Alberta, is also the oil capital of Canada.
Edmonton began play in 1972 in the World Hockey Association and retained
the name Oilers when it joined the NHL in 1979.24. Minnesota Wild
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In 1998, Wild was chosen from a field of six finalists, which also
included the Blue Ox, Northern Lights, Voyageurs, White Bears, and
Freeze. (Voyageurs were the working-class employees of fur trading
companies in the region during the 1700s.)25. Vancouver Canucks
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Johnny Canuck, who originally appeared as a Canadian political
cartoon character in 1869, was reinvented as a comic book action hero
who fought Adolf Hitler, among other villains, during World War II.
Canuck is also slang for Canadian, making Vancouver's hockey team the
Canadian equivalent of the New York Yankees—with a little less money.26. Dallas Stars
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When the Minnesota North Stars, whose nickname was decided by a fan
contest, moved to Texas in 1993, they ditched the "North" and didn't
feel compelled to replace it with "South" or "Lone."27. Los Angeles Kings
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The late Jack Kent Cooke, who owned the Los Angeles Lakers and later
the Washington Redskins, settled on Kings as the team nickname from
entries submitted in a fan contest. The Los Angeles Monarchs played in
the Pacific Coast Hockey League during the 1930s and Cooke's new team
adopted the same royal color scheme as the Lakers.28. Anaheim Ducks
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Quack. Quack. Quack! Quack! QUACK! Anaheim joined the NHL in 1993 and
its team was known as the Mighty Ducks, after the wildly popular Disney
movie and cross-marketing vehicle of the same name. The nickname was
changed to Ducks and the logo was changed in 2005 after Disney sold the
team.29. Phoenix Coyotes
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The Winnipeg Jets moved to Phoenix in 1996 and Coyotes was the winner
in a name-the-team contest that attracted more than 10,000 entries.
Scorpions was the runner-up.30. San Jose Sharks
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Sharks was chosen from 2300 entries in San Jose's name-the-team
contest. The other finalists included Rubber Puckies, Screaming Squids,
Salty Dogs, and Blades. Blades was the most popular entry, but
ultimately rejected because of its gang implications. When the nickname
was chosen, seven shark species made their home in a stretch of the
Pacific Ocean off the California coast called The Red Triangle.
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