Winnipeg Naming Discussion pt. 2

[CarlWinslow]

They were. It's a BEAUTIFUL name. Anyone who has the nerve and audacity to criticize the Leafs, especially having done zero research beforehand, is the kind of person I'm ashamed to have as a fan of the NHL. I guess if people would do a little homework before they speak badly of a given moniker, it would save a lot of folks a degree of embarrassment.

Anti Leaf attitudes and jealousy of Toronto as a city infect Canada, especially in the west. I'm never surprised when someone mocks them or their name anymore. Its sad really.

 

[Retail1LO*]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure Nashville's vote came down to "Predators" or "Ice Tigers" or something like that.

EDIT:According to Wikipedia, it was Ice Tigers, Fury, Attack and Predators. They made the right call.

LOL Wow. It's amazing that with all the names that were submitted, it came down to those four. I agree with you though. Talk about the lesser of four evils.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

The current presentation is bush league regardless, Joe Camel with antlers, an angry face with a man's junk on it. It looks out of place even in the AHL nevermind the NHL, that's Central League type stuff.

Good marketing means listening to the market, the market wants the Jets. Sometimes the obvious, simple thing is so obvious because it's the clearly right thing.

 

[Melrose Munch]

Anti Leaf attitudes and jealousy of Toronto as a city infect Canada, especially in the west. I'm never surprised when someone mocks them or their name anymore. Its sad really.

Thank You

Toronto is the best.

 

[IkeaMonkey*]

I firmly believe their name should be the Jets. The place is still going to be full of Jets jerseys no matter what they name it.

I do not, however, believe a name such as "Moose" which is no worse than several other names, is going to stop people from going. You could call them the Winnipeg Dumps and people would still fill the place.

Common sense sir! You need a pat on the back.

 

[CarlWinslow]

I definitely think there are far fewer people that will go see that game than if the team was named the Jets.

Your casual fans won't care. But people who know the game would probably save their money to see the Blues play teams with names they recognize or could otherwise get behind. You can shake your head all you want. But you wouldn't by a pair of Nikes if they were rebranded "The Moose." (just an example) While it might not make a HUGE impact, anyone who thinks the name of something doesn't impact a persons desire to be a consumer of it, just hasn't any clue whatsoever.

No I wouldn't buy MOOSE shoes...

Its different though. You are talking about them on the road in other people's buildings. You are a consumer of the Blues in St. Louis. 90% of that building is there to see the Blues. I will agree that it might have some minimal impact but to say its going to be any kind of significant issue is laughable.

 

[Retail1LO*]

I firmly believe their name should be the Jets. The place is still going to be full of Jets jerseys no matter what they name it.

I do not, however, believe a name such as "Moose" which is no worse than several other names, is going to stop people from going. You could call them the Winnipeg Dumps and people would still fill the place.

Yeah well, it certainly isn't going to help apparel sales. And again, it's REALLY going to be embarrassing when they broadcast a game out of the MTS Center, and a quick pan of the crowd shows a mob of people wearing Jets gear, chanting "Go Jets Go."

I expect you'll hear exactly that chant at the draft.

 

[Evil Doctor]

If memory serves, "Maple Leafs" were named after a military regiment, were they not?

Yep, Major Conn Smythe's old regiment, a big upgrade from St. Patricks, and contrary to popular belief, not grammatically incorrect as most people believe. Since it's a proper name, it's perfectly acceptable pluralize it in that manner. A single player is a Toronto Maple Leaf, two or more are Toronto Maple Leafs. Not a fan of their current logo though. If I could, I would blow it up and start fresh without the 'Toronto Maple Leafs' wordmark.

Not exactly a name that's aged well...

I STILL cringe at that name (mind you I don't know if one of the choices I liked better, "The Lynx" would have been much better, but there are Lynx in Canada at least!

I liked the name when it first came out (being the dinosaur geek that I am), but now, it sounds so dated and '90s. Lacks the classic feel of Argonauts, Maple Leafs and Blue Jays. Lynx would have worked, it certainly worked for the soccer team they had before the *gag* FC showed up....

 

[CarlWinslow]

Yeah well, it certainly isn't going to help apparel sales. And again, it's REALLY going to be embarrassing when they broadcast a game out of the MTS Center, and a quick pan of the crowd shows a mob of people wearing Jets gear, chanting "Go Jets Go."

I expect you'll hear exactly that chant at the draft.

I don't think the greatest name on Earth will help apparel sales which is why they should call them the Jets.

The only reason the Moose name isn't good, is because it already has a fairly long term association with the AHL. That has already been established in the minds of most fans.

 

[Retail1LO*]

No I wouldn't buy MOOSE shoes...

Its different though. You are talking about them on the road in other people's buildings. You are a consumer of the Blues in St. Louis. 90% of that building is there to see the Blues. I will agree that it might have some minimal impact but to say its going to be any kind of significant issue is laughable.

I'm not pasting the below link to imply that the names of teams are responsible for the road attendance figures. You can make your own assessment as to why certain teams are awful road draws. Then you can decide for yourself where you feel the Manitoba Moose will fit in to this mix, and why.

http://espn.go.com/nhl/attendance/_/sort/awayAvg

 

[Whileee]

Had a quick discussion with my two daughters (late teens and early twenties in age). They can't see anything interesting about the "Jets" as a name, other than the fact that some guy named the team that a generation ago. A "jet" just doesn't translate well to some potential fans.

They both actually like the "Polar Bears", citing how this would be a unique connection to Manitoba, and already thinking about the cool options for a logo (think Inuit / Aboriginal art, which is a passion of Thomson, incidentally) and merchandise.

Frankly, if we were starting from scratch, I am not sure how much I would favour the "Jets" moniker, though I am a traditionalist and grew up with the Jets.

But I don't see anything wrong with changing the direction and identity of the team and reaching out to an entirely new generation of fans.

 

[southpaw24]

I am a leaf fan, last fall I moved to Brandon, MB with my fiance. I will continue to be a leafs fan because since I was a little gaffer they have been my team. That being said, I will also support the Winnipeg team as much as I possibly can, regardless of what they are called.

For the people that say they wont support the team if they are not called the jets....

Chipman, Thomson and TNSE, could go away from the team name because they want to start a new brand a new era of hockey in Winnipeg. You should not be so childish to say you wont support the team if not called the jets. NHL hockey is not a right for us Canadians, we should have learned this after Winnipeg and Quebec left the first time. Sure you can say it was all Bettmans fault but that is the easy way out. This team will need every Manitobans support, as well as the fans in Northern Ontario and Eastern Saskatchewan. It is great to have the NHL back in Manitoba, but lets not start it out on a sour note with people not supporting it just becasue of a name.

Note: I would like the name to be the Jets but if not I'd be fine with it. Also sounds like a bunch of the guys on the team Kane, Ladd and others would like to be a Jet.

 

[Lux Aurumque*]

Re-locate the team to Iqaluit, and call them the Nunavut Glaciers. Problem solved.

 

[GentlemanOfLeisure]

Winnipeg Jets gets mad respect from the hockey world. The name = coolness.

Manitoba Moose = Minor League.

Not hard to figure out.

 

[Nighthock]

Go with Wolves in some fashion and have burgundy, sport gold, and black as your colors ... just keeps it easier for the Chicago Wolves (assuming they're still the AHL affiliate)

 

[12Kerr]

Manitoba Thrashers......

 

[pucka lucka]

I dunno. I'm a Hawks fan. I would rather watch the Hawks play a Winnipeg Jets team than most other teams in the conference. I'd rather watch most other teams in the conference than the Manitoba Moose. I don't care if the roster is the same, if the standings are the same, or anything else. Again, as a hockey fan, I have a strong connection with the Winnipeg Jets. I've been to Hawks-Jets games in the old Chicago Stadium. I have no desire to see the Hawks play the Moose, even with Byfuglien and Ladd on the roster. They may as well still be the Atlanta Thrashers with a name like that. I would have no desire to see them either.

All I know is Winnipeg supported the Jets through thick and thin, and even a decade + long absence. I just don't know why you turn your back on that.

What are they turning their back on exactly? The actual word Jets was lifted from the NFL team. It has no local significance. The history was the teams and players that played here. It's not tied up in the name. I suppose NHL hockey in Minneapolis before the Wild has been wiped from their memories. It never happened because the team has a different name.

 

[EventHorizon]

I also don't like that people are saying that because the Jets were a wildly unsuccessful team in the NHL they should be named something else. If anything that's all the more reason to call them the Jets. Make THIS Jets team successful. Make up for the bad Jets teams of the past. You can't avoid history by ignoring it.

And besides that, why forget about their history as a WHA team? They may have been a bad NHL team but they were a great WHA team. I'd really hate it if they go with another name, they're just spitting on history if they do.

 

[pucka lucka]

No you think of a great hockey tradition dating back to the earliest days of the NHL. I don't think a new franchise would ever pick a name like the 'Maple Leafs' today; it is a product of a different generation. But they are no recognizable brand and invoke an emotion with fans (good or bad).

Ok let's play that game. When I think Jets, I think mediocrity, horrible arena, failed franchise. Where is this fabulous history that gets recreated by using the name Jets? Is there a bunch of Stanley Cups i missed?

 

[Retail1LO*]

What are they turning their back on exactly? The actual word Jets was lifted from the NFL team. It has no local significance. The history was the teams and players that played here. It's not tied up in the name. I suppose NHL hockey in Minneapolis before the Wild has been wiped from their memories. It never happened because the team has a different name.

A lot of teams don't have names with local significance, but they still have history...and a lot of its rooted pretty deeply with the identity of hockey in that area.
If hockey every returned to Hartford, Quebec, etc... I'll bet there's a pretty strong sentiment to re-establish the name of the teams as they departed.

 

[JackBurton]

Trying to keep in the Jets theme without calling them the Jets outright... how about the Winnipeg/Manitoba Arrows? The Avro Arrow is the best known Canadian designed jet, and could make a decent logo if done right.

 

[RandR]

And again, it's REALLY going to be embarrassing when they broadcast a game out of the MTS Center, and a quick pan of the crowd shows a mob of people wearing Jets gear, chanting "Go Jets Go."

I expect you'll hear exactly that chant at the draft.

The Quebec junior league's Hull Olympiques became the Gatineau Olympiques when those cities became part of a unified city a few years ago. Everyone knows what the team's name is, but fans still cheer "Go Hull Go" at their games. (I have never once heard anyone cheer "Go Gatineau Go".) Nobody is bothered by this, and most people probably don't even notice.

The main point is that people are cheering.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Ok let's play that game. When I think Jets, I think mediocrity, horrible arena, failed franchise. Where is this fabulous history that gets recreated by using the name Jets? Is there a bunch of Stanley Cups i missed?

The general public seems to have total disagreement with you there. When I told various people about Winnipeg getting the NHL back, I got "Nice, the Jets are back!" from like a lot of people, including very, very casual fans.

Nostalgia sells, the Jets are part of an era that a lot of people of the current 25-40 age group are pretty nostalgic about.

If one looks at baseball's popular re-invigoration in the 90s, they heavily played to nostalgia.

 

[CarlWinslow]

I dunno. I'm a Hawks fan. I would rather watch the Hawks play a Winnipeg Jets team than most other teams in the conference. I'd rather watch most other teams in the conference than the Manitoba Moose. I don't care if the roster is the same, if the standings are the same, or anything else. Again, as a hockey fan, I have a strong connection with the Winnipeg Jets. I've been to Hawks-Jets games in the old Chicago Stadium. I have no desire to see the Hawks play the Moose, even with Byfuglien and Ladd on the roster. They may as well still be the Atlanta Thrashers with a name like that. I would have no desire to see them either.

All I know is Winnipeg supported the Jets through thick and thin, and even a decade + long absence. I just don't know why you turn your back on that.

I agree. That is definitely the right name but it seems like they want to name it something else.

 

[Retail1LO*]

I am a leaf fan, last fall I moved to Brandon, MB with my fiance. I will continue to be a leafs fan because since I was a little gaffer they have been my team. That being said, I will also support the Winnipeg team as much as I possibly can, regardless of what they are called.

For the people that say they wont support the team if they are not called the jets....

Chipman, Thomson and TNSE, could go away from the team name because they want to start a new brand a new era of hockey in Winnipeg. You should not be so childish to say you wont support the team if not called the jets. NHL hockey is not a right for us Canadians, we should have learned this after Winnipeg and Quebec left the first time. Sure you can say it was all Bettmans fault but that is the easy way out. This team will need every Manitobans support, as well as the fans in Northern Ontario and Eastern Saskatchewan. It is great to have the NHL back in Manitoba, but lets not start it out on a sour note with people not supporting it just becasue of a name.

Note: I would like the name to be the Jets but if not I'd be fine with it. Also sounds like a bunch of the guys on the team Kane, Ladd and others would like to be a Jet.

If you need their support, then start off by giving them what they want. I guess I'm naive, but, isn't that a pretty simple equation/concept? When you say "lets not start it out on a sour note with people not supporting it just because of a name," I agree with you wholeheartedly. So let's call them the Jets, and we won't have to worry about it. You see what I'm saying? If there's a chance it's a legitimate factor, why would you even CONSIDER rolling the dice? It's a bad gamble.