It took a while, but here is our blog post on the newest team in the NHL... the Seattle ______! Of course, there is no official team name yet but there are some clues that may hint at Seattle's future NHL brand.
Seattle was awarded the 32nd NHL franchise on December 4th, 2018. However, their first NHL season won't come until 2021-22. It may be hard to get excited about a team we won't see for close to three years but there will be some exciting unveilings leading up to then. Similar to Vegas, Seattle will need to reveal their team name, logo(s), colours and jerseys (likely in that order) before they hit the ice in 33 months.
Their team name, logo and colours will likely be revealed some time within the next year. We may not see a team jersey until the spring before their first season in 2021. Is it just me or does that seem like a long time to wait! Wouldn't you rather know all that stuff right now?
Well, we're not that good, but given the information we know so far, we will attempt to predict what this team will look like on opening night in 2021.
Team Colours
We have the best idea for what the team colours will be. So far, the Seattle franchise has been very consistent with the colours used for all of their marketing. Black and an orangey shade of red (see below).
Could this be their team colours? Well at this point, it seems likely. However, at times there have been different variations of these colours which tells me they haven't settled on anything just yet. For instance, sometimes the red is normal and sometimes it has an orange tinge to it. On the Seattle flag above, it uses both shades (maybe they will be black, red and orange-red?).
This is an actual jersey that was created for the Seattle NHL franchise which only includes the colours black and red (man, that is an ugly jersey!).
So what do you think their team colours will be?
Team Name & Logo
Seattle's team name is very much up in the air at this point. However, there does seem to be a short-list of names for consideration. Here is the list of 13 domain names registered by Seattle's ownership, Oak View Group (reported by Clark Rasmussen on DetroitHockey.Net).
Seattle Cougars Seattle Eagles Seattle Emeralds Seattle Evergreens Seattle Firebirds Seattle Kraken Seattle Rainiers Seattle Renegades Seattle Sea Lions Seattle Seals Seattle Sockeyes Seattle Totems Seattle Whales
The "Seattle Totems" were a WHL team back in the 1960's. The Cougars (Detroit), Eagles (St. Louis) and Seals (California) are all former NHL team names. The name, "Whales" is also on the list, which obviously comes very close to the "Whalers" of Hartford.
Many of the other names relate to the weather and nature of Seattle including the Emeralds, Evergreens, and Rainiers. The list also includes many animals of the sea which lies around Seattle such as the Sockeyes, Sea Lions, Seals and Whales. Another sea creature, although a mythical one, is the root for the name, "Kraken" - a fan-favourite. Here are some logo concepts made by fans online.
Of these names, the most popular ones seem to be the Kraken, Totems and Emeralds.
However, what seems like the most popular name from Seattle NHL fans isn't even on this list and that is the "Seattle Metropolitans." This was the Seattle hockey team's name when they won the Stanley Cup in 1917, prior to the formation of the NHL. This name has Seattle hockey history behind it but it is highly unlikely that it will be resurrected. Not only was it not registered but there is already the "Metropolitan Division" in the NHL (which Gary Bettman has noted) and it is also too similar to the New York Mets brand.
The names that would best match the predicted colour scheme stated above are the Firebirds, Totems and Cougars. Many of the other names would require a blue/green colour scheme that is already well-represented by the Seahawks and Mariners (ex. Emeralds, Evergreens, Seals and Whales).
If I had to pick my favourite from the list, it would be the "Seattle Sockeyes." It's original, it has a nice ring to it, and it could be a cool hockey logo (although the "Seattle Kraken" is pretty cool too).
Based on what we know, the leading candidates seem to be the Totems and Kraken. What is your favourite name on the list?
Team Jerseys
Finally, their NHL uniforms. Well, if they haven't decided on a team name or team colours then it would be difficult to already know what their team jerseys or uniforms would look like. One thing we can confirm (I think) is that their away uniforms will be white. I mean, it's a safe bet...
Having said all that, this is an image released by the team previewing a Seattle/Winnipeg game being played in their new arena once it is built.
By this image, it seems pretty clear that the team's primary colour is once again red. This time it appears that the secondary colour is blue instead of black. This is obviously just a concept that was made to show the arena more than anything, so it would be a stretch to think that this is how Seattle's uniforms will look.
Even though it is clear that nothing has been finalized just yet, I think it seems very likely that Seattle's primary colour will be red. I'd be quite surprised if they ended up with a green/blue colour scheme like the other Seattle pro teams. As for everything else, it is still up in the air. At this point your guess is as good as our's.
These are recent jerseys that use a similar colour scheme...
One last thing that caught my eye was a unique number font designed for the jersey they presented Gary Bettman during their NHL press conference. It is surely different than any of the other NHL teams' number styles. Could this font make it to the actual jersey?
Anyways, to end, here is a Seattle Totems mockup we did using the orangey-red and black colour scheme...
Let us know what you think in the comments below! What colours should they have? What name should they choose?
You can also send your Seattle NHL jersey concepts to hockeypuckmarks@gmail.com. If you need a jersey template, you can get our's here.
Check back here at PuckMarks.net for updates on all the new NHL uniforms in the works.
Next Jersey Unveiling: The Tampa Bay Lightning Third Jersey and the 2019 NHL All Star Game Division Jerseys.