Bettman meeting with Ryan Smith, owner of Utah Jazz and Real Salt Lake (upd: Smith asks NHL to open expansion process)

[Jets4Life]

Baseball's got the best team name origins, most about newspaper guys saving characters in headlines.

Philly had two teams: The NL team wore a P on their cap, so the AL team put an A on their caps. Hence, Phillies and As.

In New York, the NL team was a juggernaut when the Baltimore AL team moved to New York. A newspaper writer wondered if the AL team could be as good as John McGraw's "giants of the National League." The AL team became known as the Yankees, because Yankees is another name for Americans, and Yanks was a space saver for the papers.

The Mets named their team to mimic those backstories: Calling their company the New York Metropolitian Baseball Club, and their team the Mets.

The Colorado Rockies copied their name from the unsuccessful NHL team.

 

[KevFu]

No name origin is better than the Albuquerque Isotopes

 

[LeafalCrusader]

No name origin is better than the Albuquerque Isotopes

 

[GreenHornet]

No name origin is better than the Albuquerque Isotopes

Except maybe the old Macon Whoopee(s)?

 

[Stumbledore]

Not really. Trying to remember way back to my IP course in law school, it's all a matter of "confusion". Will the consumer be confused. So it's not only a question of having the same name, but how similar is the business, how similar is the logo and design, etc. There's no hard-and-fast rule.

Yeah, when I try and remember back to most of my law school courses, I get confused, too. But as long as my cloak was clean and my quill was freshly sharpened...

 

[AintLifeGrand]

Stingers or Swarm would be great for a Utah-based team.

Is the CBJ mascot Stinger? Would they have to negotiate rights in this case?

Hopefully nothing beehive state related

:

Miners
Golden Eagles
Grizzlies
Pioneers

 

[TheGreenTBer]

Except maybe the old Macon Whoopee(s)?

Christ i forgot about them.

Definitely a contender for GOAT team name in any sport

 

[Brodie]

Golden Eagles won't happen with the Golden Knights in the league

 

[Tawnos]

Christ i forgot about them.

Definitely a contender for GOAT team name in any sport

It definitely tops the list.

I’ve always enjoyed the punny names.

Louisiana Ice Gators
Kentucky Thoroblades
Orlando Solar Bears

That kind of thing.

 

[KevFu]

It definitely tops the list.

I’ve always enjoyed the punny names.

Louisiana Ice Gators
Kentucky Thoroblades
Orlando Solar Bears

That kind of thing.

Minor league hockey has done a great job of "having fun with it, but not getting too crazy."

Minor league baseball had a period like that, with the Isotopes (after the Simpsons episode), the Montgomery Biscuits, Lansing Lugnuts, Modesto Nuts, Akron Rubber Ducks, Rocket City Trash Pandas and Richmond Flying Squirrels. They fit their city/region, had a playful logo, drew attention to themselves in a positive way and staying as a really awesome name/merch revenue driver.

... but minor league baseball just went full tilt, where the main goal was the PR from announcing your name change and first month of merch sales. Then the fans are stuck with a ridiculous name: The New Orleans Babycakes, Hartford Yard Goats, Binghamton Rumble Ponies, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, Amarillo Sod Poodles.

(To be fair to New Orleans, the writing was on the wall that they were gonna have to move, so they decided to change the name in the last two years for a merch blitz tied to the city before they bounced).

 

[TheGreenTBer]

It definitely tops the list.

I’ve always enjoyed the punny names.

Louisiana Ice Gators
Kentucky Thoroblades
Orlando Solar Bears

That kind of thing.

These are all great, i especially love the Solar Bears.

 

[Stumbledore]

These are all great, i especially love the Solar Bears.

The Solar Bears in their IHL days had probably the coolest logo in all of professional sports.

 

[HisIceness]

Greenville Grroowwll

Minor league hockey has done a great job of "having fun with it, but not getting too crazy."

Minor league baseball had a period like that, with the Isotopes (after the Simpsons episode), the Montgomery Biscuits, Lansing Lugnuts, Modesto Nuts, Akron Rubber Ducks, Rocket City Trash Pandas and Richmond Flying Squirrels. They fit their city/region, had a playful logo, drew attention to themselves in a positive way and staying as a really awesome name/merch revenue driver.

... but minor league baseball just went full tilt, where the main goal was the PR from announcing your name change and first month of merch sales. Then the fans are stuck with a ridiculous name: The New Orleans Babycakes, Hartford Yard Goats, Binghamton Rumble Ponies, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, Amarillo Sod Poodles.

(To be fair to New Orleans, the writing was on the wall that they were gonna have to move, so they decided to change the name in the last two years for a merch blitz tied to the city before they bounced).

Never forget the Lynchburg Hillcats were considering Love Apples and Lamb chops as names

But thankfully sanity prevailed, the fans said no, and Hillcats stayed

 

[LadyStanley]

 

[voyageur]

Hopefully nothing beehive state related

:

Miners
Golden Eagles
Grizzlies
Pioneers

Definitely Grizzlies.

 

[paul-laus]

Definitely Grizzlies.

Screw the Grizzlies. Stick with the original hockey moniker Golden Eagles whether the Golden Knights like it or not…

 

[BattleBorn]

I lived in SLC for a short period, but during that era most every SLC area pro team had two instances of the letter Z in their team name. Jazz, Buzz, Grizzlies, Starzz, Catzz, Freezz, Blitzz.

Thank goodness that era appears to be over.

 

[Brodie]

Utah Coyotezz

 

[Hammahtime]

From Pat Macafee show/Deseret News:

On trying to bring an NHL franchise to Utah​

“At Smith Entertainment Group, we’re open to all of it. We want to be part of everything Utah. A lot of people I know in my spot want to be part of the Premier League or something somewhere else. I am all about Utah. I want to do sports, but I want to do it in Utah because I believe in what’s happening there and where this is going. You’re all going to remember this conversation (in 10 years) and think ... ‘Holy Cow. Look at what’s happened there,’” Smith said.

- nothing earth shattering but I am still onboard with a team landing in SLC, he genuinely is invested in the community and seems like he would take it very seriously

 

[aqib]

From Pat Macafee show/Deseret News:

On trying to bring an NHL franchise to Utah​

“At Smith Entertainment Group, we’re open to all of it. We want to be part of everything Utah. A lot of people I know in my spot want to be part of the Premier League or something somewhere else. I am all about Utah. I want to do sports, but I want to do it in Utah because I believe in what’s happening there and where this is going. You’re all going to remember this conversation (in 10 years) and think ... ‘Holy Cow. Look at what’s happened there,’” Smith said.

- nothing earth shattering but I am still onboard with a team landing in SLC, he genuinely is invested in the community and seems like he would take it very seriously

I really respect this. I wish more owners were vested in the areas they own teams in. Even a guy like Dan Gilbert who is still based in Detroit is heavily invested in Cleveland.

 

[GKJ]

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Okay, things're cooking now.

The expansion process will be the following....

Bettman: Do you have a $750 million to $1 billion check payable to Cash?
Smith: Yes.... wait, Cash? Don't you mean NHL?
Bettman: ... of course, how silly of me. NHL, I meant.
Smith: Here you go.
Bettman: Great! Welcome to the NHL!

 

[Llama19]

From today's (Jan 24, 2024) article, The effort to bring a NHL franchise to Utah just took a huge step forward

To quote:

"Jazz owner Ryan Smith’s Smith Entertainment Group announced it has formally requested the National Hockey League “initiate an expansion process with the ultimate purpose of bringing an NHL franchise to Utah.” In its request, SEG also underscored the immediate ability to welcome an NHL team to Utah, using the Delta Center as an interim home arena for an NHL franchise.

“SEG envisions a near future where the NHL will thrive in Utah, and we are 100% focused on making this happen as soon as possible,” Smith, chairman of Smith Entertainment Group and governor of the Utah Jazz, said in a statement. “We are passionate about sports and entertainment in the state and are committed to providing premium sports and entertainment experiences for the people of Utah and visitors from around the world. We are ready to welcome the NHL and are confident that the time and attention being spent by all parties will bring one of the most exciting and dynamic leagues in the world to our community on a permanent basis.”"

Source: www.deseret.com/sports/2024/1/24/24048787/nhl-hockey-salt-lake-city-expansion-team-ryan-smith-new-arena-utah-jazz-delta-center-olympics

 

[LadyStanley]

Paywall

 

[GKJ]

Very interesting day to do this!