What Should the PWHL Team Names Be and Who Should Name Them?

There's a number of different options for each team to be named but should it strictly be up to the ownership or should players be allowed to have a say?

The Professional Women’s Hockey League’s (PWHL) inaugural season is coming to a close. While the league is currently on a three-week pause due to the Women’s World Championship starting up, once they come back, the postseason will be front and center. With that in mind, it’s time to start thinking of names for these teams. 

Many questioned why the teams played their first season without nicknames, but according to the Athletic’s Hailey Salvian, who talked with the league’s senior vice president of business operations, Amy Scheer, before the league started, something like a team name and logo takes time, more than they had. They wanted to dedicate enough time and effort so it wasn’t rushed, especially since they only had six months between the announcement of the league and the first game. 

She went on to discuss how there are some things you can rush, and if you make a mistake, you can fix it, but something like this is hard to fix. They want a complete story behind all the choices, which makes sense. Look at the NHL’s Seattle Kraken and Vegas Golden Knights, for example; stories behind each choice and even full pregame shows are dedicated to them. It makes sense with a brand new league that they want to grow to ensure they have the proper names, plus there are colors and logos to figure out. 

It’s a long process with many important details that can’t be overlooked. According to Scheer, while they got the initial idea for the league back in 2019, nothing was official until June 2023. By that time, on top of all the other league items that needed to be done, team names didn’t fit. Of course, they could’ve pushed things back, but that wouldn’t have been fair to the players waiting to get on the ice.  

The ceremonial puck drop prior to the PWHL 3-on-3 Showcase during 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)

“Things would be prettier, more perfect if we had waited a year,” Kasten explained. “But what was most important was getting a league up and running for all these women who had been waiting for this day for so long.” (from ‘Why the PWHL is launching with temporary jerseys – and without team names or logos,’ The Athletic, 11/22/2023). 

The bigger question is whether players should be allowed a say. If they’re playing for the team and wearing the jersey, I say yes. Players should have a say and be able to be proud of what they’re wearing. It represents them, and if they had a hand in choosing it, it would have more meaning. I’m sure some will say it’s a jersey, and it shouldn’t matter; they should play the same, but players want to have an identity, and the jersey is one way they can. Plus, it’s a fun way for the players to be more involved. 

So, do you think players should have a say in team names in a new league like this? Obviously, the NHL can’t do this unless a new team comes along, but since other players couldn’t name their teams, they likely wouldn’t let players start now. However, the PWHL hasn’t named any of their teams, so there’s time to get players involved. 

According to several different sites, including The Athletic, the PWHL filed trademarks for the team names Toronto Torch, Ottawa Alert, Montréal Echo, Boston Wicked, New York Sound, and Minnesota Superior; however, they also state that just because they filed for these doesn’t mean they’ll use them. Many teams have several names in case one doesn’t work out. Do you like these names, or do you think there are others you think they could go with? Being from Minnesota, I like the idea of Lake Superior being part of the name, but I believe there are better options. 

There were a few articles I read that suggested a name I was a fan of, and that was the Minnesota Valkyrie. We already have the Minnesota Vikings; the Valkyrie sounds like an awesome name. As far as the other five teams, I’m not as familiar with their areas and what would represent them the best, so that’s where you come in. Thinking of names with meaning but also don’t clash with others' names is difficult. Let us know in the polls below what you think the team names should be. If you have an idea of your own, feel free to leave it in the comments below.