After tons of speculation, hockey fans might have been given their biggest clue to what Seattle’s new hockey team name will be.
Fans have made their suggestions and we even came up with a few of our own, but Governor Jay Inslee potentially put an end to the conversation during an interview with FOX13. While discussing a proposed high-speed rail system between Seattle and Vancouver, Inslee referred the proposed hockey team as the ‘Totems.’
The following is an excerpt from FOXQ13:
"We cannot wait to get on a high-speed rail line to come up and have the greatest hockey rivalry in North American which is the Seattle Totems versus the Vancouver Canucks,”
Uh… was he supposed to say that?
In January, Oak View Group registered 13 possible names for an expansion franchise.
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 Totems served as Seattle’s professional hockey franchise in the 50’s, 60's and 70’s.
After passing the NHL’s expansion process, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced in December that Seattle will be asked to pay an expansion fee of $630 million. The team could join the league in 2020 and crushed their goal of 10,000 season tickets in just 12 minutes. Per TSN’s Farhan Lalji and Frank Seravalli, 25,000 down payments of either $500 or $1,000 were collected in the first hour.
With the name potentially leaked, fans can start speculating and designing their own concepts for what could be the Seattle Totems.
(H/T r/Hockey)