World Expansion: Name Nominations

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Four new nations will have teams in the IceHL World this fall! The Icethetics community has chosen Finland, Germany, New Zealand, and South Korea.

It's now up to you to name the new franchises. We'll be accepting suggestions all this week right here in the comments of this page. Scroll down and submit your ideas!

How name nominations work

  • Include a city with your nickname suggestion. All we selected last week were nations. It's recommended you stick with larger cities for these teams.
    • NOTE: Teams should be named for a city rather than a country. (i.e.: Osaka Samurai instead of Japan Samurai)
    • RECOMMENDED CITIES
      FINLAND — Helsinki
      GERMANY — Berlin, Hamburg, Munich
      NEW ZEALAND — Auckland, Wellington
      SOUTH KOREA — Seoul
  • Do not suggest names currently used in major sports leagues. Avoid nicknames from the NHL, AHL, NFL, NBA and MLB as well as leagues in the countries in which these new IceHL teams are based.
  • Suggest one name per comment. To keep your suggestions close to each other on the page, you can reply to your first comment with additional comments.
  • Read existing suggestions first! Before submitting your nominations, check to see if someone else already has and, instead, click the heart-shaped like button in the top right corner of their comment. This will help me decide which names are more popular and should be included in the polls.
  • BE CREATIVE!

If you have any questions, you may ask in the comments or tweet to @theIceHL.

In order to the keep the comments area neat and orderly, duplicate or unacceptable suggestions may be deleted without warning. Thanks for understanding.

IceHL World: Name Nominations, Division A

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WinningNations.jpg

Winning Nations

Over the weekend, polls closed and the eight nations that will be represented in the inaugural season of the IceHL World were revealed! It's now time to name and brand our the new franchises.

Moving forward, the teams will be separated into two divisions of four each so that name nominations and design contests are more manageable.

Division A

  • Canada
  • Russia
  • Sweden
  • Japan

Division B

  • United Kingdom
  • Australia
  • Switzerland
  • Greece

For those wondering, these will not necessarily be the divisional breakdowns when the teams begin play in the fall. They are simply based on the eight nation groups we started this process with.

The name nomination process begins today with Division A. Please read the submission rules before posting your suggestions.

Save the Armada?

Because Canada was selected in Group 1, we now have the option of transferring the Quebec Armada branding to this franchise. That's the first thing we will decide here.

Vote in the poll to the right. Should a majority of voters decide to keep the Armada name, we will only continue with the naming process for the other three teams in Division A.

However, please continue to suggest names for the Canadian team in case the vote goes the other way. Remember, only Ottawa and Toronto are eligible locations for this team.

0414-SaveTheArmada-Twitter.png

Name Submission Rules

The following guidelines will help this process go smoothly:

  • Name nominations will be accepted in the comments area of this post.
  • Suggest names for ONLY the 4 teams in Div. A (Canada, Russia, Sweden, Japan).
  • Include a CITY and NICKNAME (ex.: Montreal Canadiens or New York Rangers). Stick to the larger cities in each country.
  • Team names should be in English. Names in local languages may be considered but an English translation must be provided.
  • Enter only ONE team name per comment and a maximum of 3 nominations per user. (You may elaborate on your name idea within that comment.) Other users may then "vote up" your suggestion if they like it.
  • Vote up names you like by clicking the "heart" button that appears in the upper right corner of the comment when your cursor hovers over it.
  • AVOID DUPLICATES. Read through what's been suggested before you post.
  • If you wish to comment on someone else's suggestion, do it only by replying to their original comment. (Use the "reply" button that appears when your cursor hovers over it.)

The reason for the comment restrictions is to keep this page manageable. Comments will get out of control during the week if we don't have a few limitations. I will be monitoring the page and deleting extraneous comments as needed to keep things organized.

Voting Process

Just as with the Hawaiian team, we will use brackets to determine the each team's name. We will have a bracket of 8 names for each team. It's important you use the "heart" button on the names you like so I know which ones you guys most want to see included in the brackets.

Restrictions

You may NOT nominate a nickname if it is or has been used by:

  • any current or past IceHL team;
  • any current or past NHL team or any WHA team;
  • any current AHL, ECHL, NFL, MLB or NBA team;
  • or any European hockey or KHL team.

A quick Google search goes a long way. Make sure your idea is not already in use elsewhere.

In addition, names that are vulgar, make any direct pop culture references or serve only to be silly will be removed. Repetitive distractions may get you blocked from posting future comments anywhere on the website. If you're not here to help improve the league, your participation is not necessary.

I will also remove any other name nominations that are deemed to be unacceptable.

Submissions end May 16

One last note to bear in mind. Don't try so hard to find a name that "means something." In the past, some people have tried so hard to do that, they lose perspective on the fact that we're branding a hockey team. It should be something fans would want to scream at a game.

And most important... BE CREATIVE!

Summary

This week, submit names only for Division A teams:

  • Canada — Ottawa or Toronto ONLY
  • Russia — Moscow or St. Petersburg
  • Sweden — Stockholm
  • Japan — Tokyo or Osaka

If you have any questions, please ask!

IceHL Hawaii: Name Nominations

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It's happening! The IceHL is headed to Hawaii. But before we can begin designing logos and jerseys, our new team needs a name!

To the right is some imagery to get you in a Hawaii frame of mind. Below are the rules.

Submission Rules

Here are some quick guidelines for how this will work:

  • Name nominations will be accepted only in the comments area of this post.
  • Include the LOCATOR and NICKNAME (ex.: Montreal Canadiens or New York Rangers).
  • Acceptable locators are: Hawaii, Honolulu and Oahu.
  • If you use a Hawaiian word for your suggested name, you must note the English translation.
  • Enter only ONE team name per comment and a maximum of 3 nominations per user. (You may elaborate on your name idea within that comment.)
  • AVOID DUPLICATES. Read through what's been suggested before you suggest yours.
  • Bump up names you like by clicking the "heart" button that appears in the upper right corner of the comment when your cursor hovers over it.
  • If you wish to comment on someone else's suggestion, do it ONLY by replying to their original comment. (Use the "reply" button that appears when your cursor hovers over it.)

The reason for the comment restrictions is to keep this page manageable. Comments will get out of control during the week if we don't have a few limitations. I will be monitoring the page and deleting extraneous comments as needed to keep things organized.

Voting Preview

As with the city selection, we will use a bracket to determine the team's name. We will have a bracket of 8 or 16 names depending on the quality of the nominations. It's important to use the "heart" button on the names you like so I know which ones you guys most want to see included in the bracket.

Restrictions

You may NOT nominate a nickname if it is or has been used by:

  • any current or past IceHL team;
  • any current or past NHL team or any WHA team;
  • any current AHL, ECHL, NFL, MLB or NBA team;
  • or any Hawaiian sports team.

A quick Google search goes a long way. Make sure your suggestion isn't already in use elsewhere.

In addition, names that are vulgar, make any direct pop culture references (Honolulu Magnums) or serve only to be silly (Oahu Yahoos) will be removed. Repetitive distractions may get you blocked from posting future comments anywhere on the website. If you're not here to help improve the league, your participation is not necessary.

I will also remove any other name nominations that are deemed to be unacceptable.

Submissions end May 3

One last note to bear in mind. Don't try so hard to find a name that "means something." In the past, some people have tried so hard to do that, they lose perspective on the fact that we're branding a hockey team. It should be something fans will want to scream at a game.

And most important... BE CREATIVE!

Name Nominations: Hartford & Yellowknife

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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!