The 50 Worst Hockey Team Names of All Time

There are teams that instill fear in the hearts of their opponents simply by uttering their team names—the Warriors, the Mountain Lions, the Devils are all ferocious mascots that hockey players are proud to be named after.

Then there are teams on the opposite end of this spectrum. Not only are their team names not intimidating, they are—in some cases—down right embarrassing. It appears that somebody was afraid to speak up and say that someone had a bad idea.

Here are the worst all-time team names in hockey.

Portland Rosebuds

The Portland Rosebuds were the very first professional hockey team in the United States to participate in the Stanley Cup in 1916.

The Rosebuds existed in two different states. From 1914-1918 they participated in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, and from 1925-1926 a separate franchise played in the Western Hockey Association. 

California Seals

There are certainly scarier animals than Seals. They could have at least gone with the Sea Lions. 

To make matters worse, look at those jerseys— that's definitely not a color combination that belongs on an NHL uniform. No wonder they no longer exist. 

Edmonton Swastikas

This is no joke. This is a photo dated from 1916 of a women's hockey team. Long before Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime came along, the Swastika was actually a symbol of power and good luck.

The symbol actually appeared on several other hockey uniforms, including Fernie Swastikas Hockey Team and  the Windsor Swastikas Light Outfits. 

Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams

This next selection comes from the DEL in Germany.  Apparently, something is lost in translation here.

Shall we name a junior hockey team the David Hasselhoffs? 

Traktor Chelyabinsk

Yes, this team name is a cognate of the English word Tractor. Their logo is actually a polar bear. How they get that from tractor? Who knows.

Macon Whoopee

It might not get much worse than this. There are so many uses for the word whoopee, mostly as double-entendres.

However, the word definitely doesn't belong on a hockey uniform.

Brandon Wheat Kings

The area is known for its supply of wheat, but that doesn't mean it translates to a good hockey nickname. 

How exactly does one become king of wheat, anyway?

Toledo Walleye

We get that they love fishing in Toledo, but they could have picked a more tenacious fish than a walleye.

Admittingly, the missing tooth is a nice touch to the logo. 

Toronto Marlies

The Toronto Marlies are one of the most historical teams in the AHL, so their nickname has quite a story behind it.

The club was named after the Duke of Marlborough. The Duke was an uncle to Sir Winston Churchill, a former Prime Minister of Great Britain.

Through the years, the nickname remained. It's never been very cool to name a sports team after an actual person.

Odessa Jackalopes

The whole idea of creating a unique nickname by crossing together two separate animals is an interesting idea.

However,"jackalope" is poor execution. Something more frightening could have been mixed instead of a jack rabbit and an antelope. 

Beast of New Haven

Now, this team was just trying to hard to be intimidating. This is too far over the top.

Making matters worse, the logo looks like something some junior-high student sketched in his notebook while he was trying to tune out the teacher. 

Victoria Salsa

This wouldn't even work if it was the name of a Latin American soccer team, never mind a Canadian hockey team.

Who imagined that logo from the word salsa?

Minnesota Wild

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Even current NHL teams can miss the mark with their team name. Minnesota is a place rich in hockey history and passion, so a name like "wild" doesn't seem to fit.

They should have went with something a little more conservative and tied to their roots.

Nippon Paper Cranes

We go to the far east for the next selection. The Japan Nippon Paper Cranes play in the Japanese professional league.

That name definitely wouldn't fly in North America. 

Seibu Prince Rabbits

The Seibu Prince Rabbits are another team from Japan. There are many creatures a lot more intimidating than a rabbit.

The logo even looks cartoon-like.

Atlanta Thrashers

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

No surprise that this team name wasn't kept when they moved to Winnipeg. Thrasher doesn't seem to fit as a professional hockey team name. 

Lewiston MAINEiacs

The play on words here is pretty obvious, but come on. Couldn't the team's management come up with something a little better than that?

Although, notice how the logo subtly makes the letter M.

Florida Everblades

Here is another poor play on words. Take an already bad nickname and design a Christmas themed uniform, and this is what you get.

These poor players must have felt embarrassed wearing these hideous things.

Port Huron Flags

Port Huron is a border town, so they decided to honor their international connection with this logo and nickname.

It seems to be a cool idea, but it's poorly executed. 

Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs

A mudbug is a term for a crawfish. Even so, this is a poor choice for a team name.

The local roots of the name is noted, but why would you want to be named after a local delicacy?

Montreal Maroons

What's worse than a bad nickname? A team with no nickname. 

This Montreal team was created to appeal to anglophones, but it was never officially given a team name. The media began to call them the Maroons because of the color of their uniforms. 

Rockford Ice Hogs

What's an Ice Hog? There are several teams that try to create a hockey-related name by simply slapping "ice" in front of it.

This typically doesn't work, this being a prime example. 

Victoria Salmon Kings

First we looked at the Wheat Kings, now the Salmon Kings. We nearly have a complete meal here. 

Is a Salmon King a type of fisherman?

St. John's Fog Devils

The Devils is typically a safe bet for a team name, but what in the world is a Fog Devil?

What happens when the fog clears?

Montreal Wanderers

Another team in Montreal were the Wanderers. The team name came from previous Montreal hockey teams dating back to 1884. 

Even with all of the history, a wanderer doesn't seem like a good hockey term.

Philadelphia Quakers

This nickname is an obvious one, but it doesn't belong on a hockey jersey.

Although it has local ties, it alienates people from other areas and other religions. 

Kansas City Scouts

The Kansas City Scouts are one of the classic defunct NHL franchises.

The color scheme is pretty cool, but the term "scout" should be reserved for the individuals taking notes in the stands.

Huntsville Channel Cats

Another failed fish-related team name here. Nothing is cool or intimidating about a "Channel Cat."

They could have come up with a better color scheme, as well.

Topeka ScareCrows

This one appears to be a Wizard of Oz reference, but Scare Crow, really?

Whoever came up with this nickname was the one in need of a brain.

El Paso Cow Patties (Buzzards)

This is a real hockey jersey worn by a real hockey team. The El Paso Buzzards (not a great name to begin with) temporarily changed their name to the Cow Patties.

How demoralizing this must have been for players to wear. 

Binghamton Dusters‎

This wasn't a hockey team made up of house maids, it's a defunct AHL team.

Apparently, someone likened the game of hockey to sweeping.

Kentucky Thoroughblades‎

The local significance of this team name is obvious. However, it usually doesn't work out when a play on words is created with a hockey term.

This is another example of that. 

Mobile Mysticks

... And here we see another example of lame word play. Mysticks (read "mystiques"), is a name reserved for the WNBA, not a hockey team.

The cartoonish logo doesn't help matters, either.

Greenville Grrrowl

This name is down right childish. Not only is the name lame, they had to go and add those extra R's.

How can they possibly be taken seriously?

Detroit Metal Mouldings

Nothing screams fun and exciting like metal mouldings. It's understandable that they are proud of their mark on the automotive industry, but this taking it a bit too far.

Motor City Mechanics

Here's another example of Detroit taking their automotive heritage too far. Why would a hockey player want to be referred to as a mechanic?

It's an entirely different profession altogether. 

Des Moines Oak Leafs

A clear play on the Toronto Maple Leafs. This is an epic fail. Oak Leaf sounds like a suburban street name, not a hockey team.

Saginaw Gears

Nothing gets the people in the surrounding areas psyched for the hockey team like naming them the Gears.

Would it be taking it too far by saying they grind it out every game?

Toronto Blueshirts‎

Before the Toronto Maple Leafs, there were the Toronto Blue Shirts. Clearly no creativity here.

After they were the Blue Shirts, there was a brief stint as simply the Torontos.

Portland Buckaroos

The Portland Buckaroos really instill fear into the opposition. This name wouldn't fly in the present time.

What exactly is a Buckaroo, anyway?

Trail Smoke Eaters

First off, why would one want to eat smoke? Secondly, why would one want to be known as a smoke eater?

Clearly, there is a disconnect here.

Winston-Salem Polar Twins

The Winston-Salem twin city reference is understood here. What is unclear is why there are twin polar bears.

It would have come together a bit more had there been a local reference tied into the twin reference.

Macon Trax

The train reference is noted, but is it really necessary to spell "tracks" with an X? It doesn't make it any cooler or hipper. It just looks silly.

Peterborough Petes

This one gets an "F" for creativity. There wasn't even effort put forth for this one.

Making it even more dull are the uniforms. 

Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies

This just comes off as trying too hard to sound tough. It was nice that they tied in a boardwalk reference.

However, anytime a sports team uses bully in the name, it just doesn't come across very well.

Pee Dee Pride

Sorry, but this just sounds silly when it's said aloud. Alliteration isn't always the best technique when naming a team.

Regina Pats

Ugly logo, boring name. There is not much to be pleased about with this team nickname. Please try again. 

Wheeling Nailers

This team must be on the butt-end of a lot of "that's what she said" jokes.

Clearly, this name wasn't thought all the way through.

Lahti Pelicans

This team hails from the SM-Liiga in Finland. A more ferocious bird could have been picked out in replace of a pelican.

These creatures don't exactly come off as tough.

Minnesota Fighting Saints

The Saints is not the most intimidating team name to begin with, then "Fighting" is added onto it.

What comes out is a childish and laughable nickname and logo.