The Blackhawks should never change their name. Unlike the "Redskins" or "Indians" there's no racist connotation to "Blackhawks" as it's the name of a real native and not a slur. They give tons of money to the Soux and have native American representatives at every game. There's no hate there.

I love that the Flames use the A from their Atlanta days for their alternate captains. It's a creative nod to their history

Thank you for mentioning the Victoria Cougars. A lot of people who do NHL history videos often skip them and not a lot of people know that the Victoria Cougars have a Stanley Cup under their belt. In fact, the banner is still hanging in the Save on Foods Memorial Arena in my hometown of Victoria BC. Now home of the WHL team Victoria Royals.

I like how not only do you go through how the teams got their names and the meaning behind them, but you also provide a visual image of the historical process that the leagues underwent to get where they are today. Adds a new layer of substance to these kinds of videos.

Really just skipped to the Flames because I love laughing at how the owner named them after William Tecumseh Sherman burning through Georgia. 😂

Needless confession: when I was a kid, I thought the Packers were named after a bird, the Steelers after thieves, and the Blue Jackets after an insect. That is all. Informative video, thank you.

I smiled so hard when you said "the Penguins played their first season on the Igloo"

Hey Justin -- the New England Whalers changed their name to the Hartford Whalers when they joined the NHL, because the Bruins were also in New England, but they moved to Hartford in 1975, four years before the merger. They kept the New England Whalers name until they joined the NHL because in the older league they were sharing New England with the Bruins. That decision had a happy byproduct in one of the best sports logos ever.

Fun fact. The San Francisco Sharks were originally called the San Francisco Seahawks. But after Gary Davidson found out his friend Dennis Murphy was going to call his team the Los Angeles Aces, he changed the name to the Sharks. Why? Well Murphy picked Aces because Aces trump Kings and it was a shot at their NHL rivals. Davidson liked that line of thinking and choose Sharks because sharks eat seals. This was a shot at the Seals across the bay (their NHL rivals). After Davidson sold his team to Quebec interests, Murphy (who loved the Sharks name as he thought it was intimidating) got permission from Davidson to use the name and rechristened his Aces the Sharks.

Another fun fact about the Calgary flames is that the name “flames” is very suitable there as well. In 1886 a fire broke out in the mostly wooden town and burned many of the essential buildings to the ground. A law was passed after that for essential buildings to be built out of sandstone to reduce the risk of fires.

Les Canadiens de Montréal have this name because originally, it was the team with only "Canadiens" players, or, as we say now, Québécois (French-speaking Canadians). In those days, the English-speaking Canadians, who most of the time called themselves "British" (the ties to the Empire were still strong) had their own team, the Montreal Maroons. In the end the Maroons folded and the Canadiens became the only Montreal team in the league, as well as being an immense source of pride for the French-speakers. Notice the red, white and blue colors (yes, the colors of the French flag). As for the "Habs" nickname, it derives from "Habitants", an old word meaning peasant, of farmer. Apart from the chant "Go Habs Go!" in the Bell centre, no Québécois refers to the Canadiens this way, only English-speakers do. French-speakers will rather use nicknames such as "le tricolore" (the tri-color) ou "la sainte flanelle" (the holy flannel - yes, a direct reference to Quebec catholic roots).

A short note on the Stars: "North" was dropped from the North Stars name the season before they moved, likely in preparation for the aforementioned move to California. Also of note is that the Stars and Minnesota Wild, the expansion team founded to replace them, essentially traded AHL farm teams. The Stars had a farm team in Des Moines, the Iowa Stars, and when the Wild entered the league, their farm team was the Houston Aeros, which had been independent prior to the Wild's founding. In 2008 the Iowa Stars were renamed and reaffiliated with the Ducks as the Iowa Chops, until monetary reasons essentially forced the team to shut down. They were then bought by the Texas Stars (the current Dallas Stars' farm team) in 2010 and effectively merged into them. In 2013 the Aeros were moved to Des Moines due to being unable to reach a lease with the Toyota Center in Houston, now playing in the same arena that the Stars did, and renamed the Iowa Wild. It's fascinating the ways in which these two teams are intertwined with each other.

At first, l thought that Kraken was just bizarre. But Seattle has a sizable Scandinavian population. You would know this if you saw a program called Deadliest Catch. A proud seafaring tradition. Great name!🦑

One thing I’m surprised you didn’t mention: There is a very popular misconception that the small ‘H’ in the Canadiens logo stands for ‘Habs’, the team’s official nickname (short for ‘Les Habitânts’). However, it actually just stands for ‘hockey’.

The Savannah Ghost Pirates, an ECHL team near me, has yet to play their first game, but their name comes from the city's spooky history of haunted houses and lingering spirits, as well as the city's long history of being of naval importance to not only the south but the U.S. as a whole.

As a life long Jets fan (both versions), I can add a bit of context to how they got their name. When the WHA set up, there was an exodus of some star talent from the NHL. One was Bobby Hull (who was from my Mom's home town) who had the glorious nickname "The Golden Jet". Between having Hull and coming from Winnipeg were Canada's aviation industry has a major foothold, the name Jets was a natural fit.

This is fantastic 👏. Hardly anyone recognizes the minor league history of the Vancouver Canucks and its great to see it included. Everyone just says they were established in 1970. That minor league team deserves to be recognized.

"The Bruins never chnaged their name and have always remained in Boston" Just how we like it

A few notes about the names of the Canadian teams: - Quebec Nordiques is actually pronounced Kay-beck Nor-deeks, although Kweh-beck is also accepted for English speakers. - The Oilers were named for the oil sands, one of Canada's primary sources of oil. - The H in the middle of the Canadiens' logo simply stands for Hockey, but Tex Rickard incorrectly told a reporter it stands for Habitants (French for inhabitant or resident, pronounced Habi-taunts). The nickname Habitants or simply Habs just kind of stuck.

The Wild have one of the best logos ever conceived by man. Every time I look at it I’m just blown away by the creativity and intelligent design.

I hope the Blackhawks don’t change their name. It’s pretty awesome.

The Seattle Metropolitans were the first American Hockey team to win the Stanley Cup (1917).

Would be cool to see some more of the original emblems (North Stars for example). People getting upset about the Hawks’ name hasn’t gotten nearly as big as those other teams in part because the Hawks front office got out in front of it and basically said if you think the name or emblem is bad it’s because you don’t know what you’re talking about. Which is completely true.

I’ve been driving the Zamboni since I was 16 . I started skating at 12 . I was fortunate enough to work at 6 different rinks over my lifetime. And got to resurface the ice for the San Jose Sharks. When they came to the rink I worked at in sparks Nevada for a two week summer camp. And got to resurface the ice for the Montreal Canadians when they came to the rink I worked at in Costa Mesa in Southern California. To practice before playing the LA Kings . Still have my Autograph hockey stick of Bobby Orr . Best sport in the world. I miss driving the zamboni and Goaltending.

I remember when they moved the Mn North Stars, and how much of an outrage the fans and residents of Mn were at this decision. A lot of people began calling Norm Green, "Norm Greed".

Johnny Canuck is basically a Canadian version of Captain America.

Love the videos!!! The only thing i would have loved is that for you to use the original logos of when the teams entered the league.

I love how the Islanders have the shortest segment. Pretty self explanatory.

25:03 Small correction, The Quebec Nordiques is pronounced (Nor-Deeks)

This is a freaking awesome video. Thanks Justin! Also, Minnesota North Stars was one of the the best team names, in any sport.

The Minnesota Wild logo might be the most creative of all North American professional teams. The North Star for the eye, the river for the open mouth and teeth, the sun for the ear, and the pine trees for the fur is fantastic. The colour scheme is also spot on in capturing the wild/nature theme.

I've been a hockey fan since I was a wee lad and know most of the stories behind the team names but this goes further in depth. Very informative and very well done.

Whalers moved to Hartford in '74, long before the NHL/WHA merger. Just a heads up. Bruins only forced the name change from 'New England Whalers' to 'Hartford Whalers' since the Bruins didn't want a rival team claiming all of New England.

Pretty good summary of a very complicated history. The only thing I would have changed was using the logos that were current during a particular point in a team's history. e.g. the original Minnesota North Stars logo. I get why it wasn't done, you risk losing casual fans by piling on more potentially confusing details.

Montreal influenced the sport so much, even the redwings name is tied to the city cultural dominance over hockey

You did a hell of a job researching this. A lot of work. Great job.

To explain the name “Wild” for MN, look to the north east portion of the state where the boundary waters canoe area wilderness sits. Minnesota’s northeast arrowhead is some of the Wildest country in the lower 48.

Before the current New Jersey Devils, there was a previous team called the Jersey Devils, who played in the Eastern Hockey League in the 1960's and 70's. They played in Cherry Hill, NJ (a suburb of Philadelphia) and for a time were the Flyers minor league affiliate. Even their colours were similar to the current team.

I’m a Bruins fan and I still didn’t know that fact about the original color scheme being inspired by Charles Adam’s grocery store chain

Something worth pointing out about the Hurricanes is that their colors are Red and Black because of NC State and how they share an arena with the NC State Wolfpack basketball team. Now, unlike the Coyotes, this arena sharing has worked out really well for both the Canes and the Wolfpack. Also, this color scheme helps with the upcoming Stadium Series game since they will be playing at nearby Carter-Finley Stadium, which hosts State’s football team.

Your sense of humor is getting better and more unique with each long-form video, keep up the good work! Earned my sub, excited to see what you can do in the future

The Leafs name is actually based on the Maple Leafe regiment, which Smythe was a part of, not just national pride or pride in the crest on his uniform

This was a great watch, thank you for putting it together. It's funny how early on the teams were "whatever that one guy wanted" and later was "as chosen by a committee after polling fans." ^__^

I grew up on Long Island, and there was initial umbrage to the choice of name "NY Islanders". With strong regional support for hockey and a burgeoning population on the island, people wanted a distinct identity separate from the Rangers (for whom they'd been rooting with limited success since 1940). With the recent disbanding of the EHL and the demise of the MUCH beloved Long Island Ducks minor league franchise (which was briefly and unremarkably replaced by the L.I. Cougars), "Long Island Ducks" was the overwhelmingly favorite pick for the new team name. The Islanders' first season was abysmal only winning 12 games, but people didn't care. They loved and embraced the new team in much the same spirit as they supported the hapless NY Mets in their first season (because who in their ordinary life, can identity with the Yankees who never lost?). The Islanders became an instant local favorite with disdain for the Rangers, the same way people in Queens and Long Island loved the inferior Mets and hated the Yankees. In true NY sarcastic fashion, whenever the Islanders started to make it a close 1-goal deficit during a game, the Nassau Coliseum would go nuts chanting "LET'S GO METS! LET'S GO METS!" Fun facts - the movie "Slapshot" was basically a Hollywood take on the L.I. Ducks whose games were incredibly raucous. The Commack Arena was a small concrete structure that literally shook with fan noise. Before plexiglass was a thing, all that separated the fans from the players were the boards, and I saw fans toss beers on opposing team players and even one game when the other team climbed over the boards up the concrete steps to fight some fans. That can't be good for a skate blade... The team Captain John Brophy got suspended for a season for slugging a Referee. Also, the team name "Ducks" was due to the large number of duck farms on the Eastern portion of Long Island back in the day which supplied all the Peking duck meat for the huge number of NY Chinese restaurants.

Got to love hearing both team that left MN in the same video only second apart.

Hey! just providing a quick lesson on French pronunciation: “Les” in Les Canadiens de Montréal is pronounced just like you pronounced “De” but with an ‘L’ instead of “Less.” In French we don’t pronounce the ‘S’ at the end. Also, when you pronounced the “De” you actually said “Des” which now makes it seem like there are multiple cities of Montréal. “De” is the equivalent of “The” in English and you pronounce it the same as “The” except just add the ‘D’ sound instead of the ‘Th’ (Not exactly but it’s close enough). Really well made video! “L’Etoile du Nord” was rather well too! Sorry if this came off as being me being a dick, just my French-Canadian side wanted to help out. Have a good one!

A neat thing Calgary has done is for the assistant Captains they used the Atlanta Flames emblem instead of just an 'A'. Not on every version of their jersey but at one of them.

Thanks for making this video. I'm a new hockey fan and this has helped me to appreciate the NHL even more!

I agree Philadelphia Flyers does sound great

Wonderful videos and so well produced! Top notch voice narration and editing!

What a fantastic video: great job! I've read a few books on NHL history, but this video makes everything coherent and interesting. 👌

I always loved the name Minnesota North Stars. It just seemed to roll off the tongue. "Dallas North Stars" sounds far more clunky, so I think it was a good decision to shorten it.

Great video! I learned a lot. One bit of feedback, the original logos would have been nice to see (ie Stars be North Stars).

Red wings are also linked to the red winged blackbird often found in marshes in Michigan

This was the most entertaining video I've seen in weeks. Thank you! 👏

As an avid NHL fan. This video was an awesome find. Thanks, man. Keep up the great work. You just got another subscriber.

Thank you for doing all these! Very educational

This is a cool video on the history of NHL team names and very well-done!

Extremely interesting & well done as well . Thank you 🙏🏼

Fun fact: with the Colorado avalanche, the name outlaws late became the outdoor lacrosse team.

Funnily enough, the NHL team wasn't the first team in Toronto to use the "Maple Leafs". That was used by a minor league baseball team that dated back to about 1896

Another lore to the Blue Jackets was in honor of the Shawnee chief Blue Jacket an predecessor to Tecumseh. Both are revered in Ohio History. So similar to Chicago naming their team after important people of native heritage

Wow... I wasn't expecting it to be this in-depth and detailed. The video's title certainly doesn't do it justice.

i love all these how it was named videos, very interesting and cool!

"There has been controversy around the Chicago Blackhawks name" Well... Could've dropped that last word. 😂😂 Edit: Also, fuck the Blackhawks, and I hope Connor Bedard pulls a Lindros and refuses to play there.

Incredible video, and probably the best "heres my other video explaining this" set of plugs of ive ever seen. Masterclass on entertaining informational videos

I love this, thank you for the analytic and etymological insight!

The backstory is not quite right about the Edmonton Oilers... the junior team was named (and still is) the Oil Kings. Since the LA Kings were already in the league, they modified their name slightly from Oil Kings to just Oilers.

Your pronunciation of “L’étoile du nord” was surprisingly accurate

As someone from Montréal I do protest, why is the Leafs segment longer than the Habs? :🤣 Love the vidéo!

Hey Justin, this was very informative - thank you for a great video!

Really well done video. Good work!

Fun fact Lake County Colorado is the second highest avalanche danger zone in the nation behind one in Alaska. Colorado being so sunny creates conditions where avalanches can occur frequently due to inconsistency in snow layers between storms

Super informative, thank you so much! Gratitude

Wicked vid! Definitely going to watch the other videos to learn about of professional league teams’ origins

Quite a good explanation of the origins of the Original Six!

I've been a hockey fan since the 1980's and I already knew most of this. I wish you would have showed the original team logos but I still thoroughly enjoyed it anyways because you went into so much depth. Thank you for taking the time to make this video. Go Av's!

I am a new hockey enjoyer, and I found this very interesting. Great work.

The Seattle Kraken make the NHL have 4 teams that don't end in "S" the other three are Colorado Avalanche, The Tampa Bay Lightning and the Minnesota Wild.

Wow Justin, you did a commendable job here! Thanks a lot. It was a lot of fun to watch. I am an old man who played thousands of games in the street and on ice in Quebec. Your historical account is like a gift to me, and to all those who love the game. Cheers!

lovely nod to The Office while covering the Sabres. came just to find out where my favorite team's name came from, great video!

The book Fabric of the Game gives extensive detail on naming of the teams.

24:30 Not just that, but the year before the move (but after it was determined that they would be coming to Raleigh), North Carolina was hit by two hurricanes, one of which was a rather major storm (Bertha and Fran).

Raleigh is pronounced RAW-LEE (I’m from here and it’s nit-picky but that’s how we say it here despite it said differently elsewhere) Also, Hurricanes was apt for a name since Hurricane Fran had just hit the year before and it was one of the strongest in the state’s recent history. Another fun fact: When making NHL 98, the mascot for the Hurricanes isn’t said at any point. The announcer just says “Your Home Town: Carolina.” They hadn’t chosen the name when the game was being produced. Great video!

Great video This blew my mind!

Such a great video! Thx mate!

I understand that thee selection of the name for the Philadelphia team had more than a little to do with the fact that general manager Bud Poile had been head coach of the Edmonton Flyers of the Western Hockey League from 1952-62. The Jets took their name from the junior Winnipeg Jets of the Western Canada Hockey League. The Quebec team's name is properly pronounced "nor-deeks."

Great job. I expected a ho-hum boring video, and got the opposite. You made the video funny and very informative. I don't think anybody could do better.

The four WHA teams that merged into the NHL were also the only WHA teams that were all established as original in 1972 and stayed stable in their city the whole time. Teams that didn't make it either folded, had a late start, or moved cities and changed names, even in mid-season. Today, the Edmonton Oilers is the only ex-WHA still in the same city.

Very Well Done , and now we've got the Battelle of Alberta the first time since '91 . Go Flames Go !

Glad you mentioned my favorite hockey team the New York Rangers

Great video. Kind of miss the old L.A KIngs colours and didn't like it when the "North Stars" were moved. I always assumed Penquins was also a play on words, taking the "Pen" from 'Pennsylvania".

Wow! Very well narrated and explained 👏

The Seattle Metropolitans was an older team from another league that previously won a Stanley Cup. This is good info! Thanks!

Fun fact; the kings technically wore purple and gold before the lakers ever did. When the lakers moved from Minnesota their colors of blue/white changed to purple/gold at the very same time as the kings came into the NHL

The Blackhawks released a statement last year in very short saying that the team name will never ever change.

well researched and presented! thanks!

Great video! Really interesting. I always wondered why it was Maple Leafs, and not Maple Leaves. Thanks!

Good stuff, but little note...The Oakland Seals was the original team that entered the NHL in 1967. They then changed to California later in an attempt to widen their fan base and be more inclusive to the folks across the bay in San Francisco. You had it reversed.

Just finished your MLB video! So happy you did all of these!