Puck Prose
Fansided

NHL Team Name Origins: Eastern Conference

By Alyssa Naimoli

Feb 7, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; The NHL logo on the back of a Colorado Avalanche helmet in a game against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Minnesota Wild beat the Colorado Avalanche 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 7, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; The NHL logo on the back of a Colorado Avalanche helmet in a game against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Minnesota Wild beat the Colorado Avalanche 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 8
Next
nhl las vegas
NHL Team Name Origins: General view of the T-Mobile Arena adjacent to the Las Vegas strip. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

NHL Team Name Origins: A Two-Part Series to Explain How Certain Clubs Went About Picking a Name, Starting in the Eastern Conference

The Vegas Golden Knights have finally announced their name as the newest NHL franchise. Has Vegas’ recent news sparked your curiosity regarding the origins of other team names?

The name ‘Golden Knights’ was in homage to team owner Bill Foley’s military history. Foley has stated that knights are the symbol of ‘warrior class’ and that knights never give up and always stick together.

The term ‘Knights’ was a staple in Vegas’ nickname for Foley, who used this to brand Vegas with an original team name: the Vegas Golden Knights.

In this two-part series, we’ll go over the origin story of every NHL team name, starting with the Eastern Conference. Every fan-vote and every silly story that impacted a team name will be covered here.

nhl team names
NHL Team Name Origins: Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) is congratulated  after scoring a goal against the Devils at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /

The Colors Before the Name

The Original Six Boston-franchise began it’s roots in 1924. Boston franchise owner Charles F. Adams was determined to bring hockey to Boston and as soon as the NHL awarded him a franchise in November of 1924, he began crafting his team.

Adams’s first move was hiring new general manager Art Ross and had the front office help him decide on a team name. However, the front office had no say in the decision of the team’s colors. Adams wanted the team colors to be brown and gold to match his grocery store chain.

From there, the front office searched for the perfect name to match the colors already assigned to the franchise. The front office and Ross eventually decided on the old English term for a brown bear: bruin. The term ‘Bruin’ as a brown bear originated in a medieval European children’s fable named “History of Reynard the Fox.”

Adams loved the name; he wanted the team name to represent a team with speed, agility, and power.

The Boston Bruins was officially set in stone.

Home/Editorials