Minor league teams in all sports focus on marketing to bring fans into stadiums. One way that these teams gain media attention and help raise revenue is through their team name. Team names help acquire fans, sell merchandise and give the team identity. In seemingly desperate attempts at coming up with a name, many teams have failed miserably. Here are the worst minor league hockey team names of both past and present teams.
– Greenville Grrrowl (1998-2006 ECHL)
What could be more masculine than adding extra r’s to the word growl? The only surprise in the team folding is that it actually lasted a full eight seasons with such a bad name.
– Denver Cutthroats (CHL)
The fact that a cutthroat is a type of trout does not make this name any better. Naming a hockey team after a fish that has a double meaning as a cruel and violent act, is just plain wrong.
-Columbus Cottonmouths (SPHL) The Columbus Cottonmouths are nicknamed the ‘Snakes’, but why did they decide to go with a specific type of snake with an odd name? Yes, the snake is associated with the region, so why didn’t they just name the team the snakes? No fans want to yell out “Cottonmouths! Cottonmouths!.” Just hearing cottonmouth makes me very thirsty. I guess the name may help increase sales of sodas and beer.
– Fayetteville FireAntz (SPHL)
The unnecessary z is enough to make the list, but is there anyone that likes fire ants? I have stepped in a fire ant hill before, and although it hurt, a little bit of ice, which happen to be in every ice hockey rink, fixed it right up.
– Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL)
Sound Tigers? Did they just look through verbs to matchup with animal names? How about wonder bears, hate chickens, or listen pigeons?
– Peoria Rivermen (AHL)
People that live near or on a river may be scary, but probably for the wrong reasons. The team’s logo is an angry boat captain holding on to a wheel of a ship. We all know from the Titanic that ice sinks ships, which makes this choice of team name even more confusing.
– Florida Everblades (ECHL)
It’s hard to get more clever than this! Replacing the g in Everglades to give the team a hockey like name and then have ‘Swampee’ the Alligator as your mascot. There must be an abundance of creativity in Florida.
– Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL)
Did the Sound Tigers and Solar Bears both pick their names the same way? I bet you can guess what the mascot and logo look like without even seeing a picture. A polar bear with sun glasses in front of a sun holding a hockey stick. I wonder if they let kindergartners pick the name and mascot.
– Mobile Mysticks (1995-2002, ECHL)
This may be the worst of all. Trying to a word that can be misspelled to create a lame hockey pun, like changing the word mystics to ‘my’-‘sticks’, is just plain pathetic.
Honorable Mentions: New Orleans Brass,Wheeling Nailers,Charlotte Checkers
