May 04, 2014

IceHL World: Nation Selection, Final Round

May 04, 2014/ Chris Smith

We're now deciding which eight nations will be awarded IceHL World franchises. But it can't be done without your help. Your vote will determine where we go. This final round will determine our winning countries so vote wisely.

My one piece of advice: Think outside the box!

Results: Round 1-1 | Round 1-2

Results are hidden until polls close. Voting ends Saturday night. Happy voting!

The winners of each poll in this round will get teams in the IceHL World!

May 04, 2014

IceHL Hawaii: Name Selection, Round 1

May 04, 2014/ Chris Smith

Exciting times are upon us! Today we set out to decide what to name the IceHL's new Hawaii franchise. And there's a wealth of great, unique names to choose from.

There's the bracket. I'm sure many of you will have questions regarding my decisions. I want to answer them but I don't want to bury our polls. So first, you'll find all 8 first-round polls. Scroll down past them to see my explanations for the bracket.

Results are hidden until polls close. This round ends on Tuesday night. Happy voting!

If you're stuck deciding which names to vote for, this should help.

Tikis | Totems

"Tikis are spiritual figures who use their big, scary mouths and menacing expressions to frighten away evil spirits. Hawaiian tiki god statues have various headdresses, each with different meanings." —WeBeTiki.com

Volcanoes | Volcanic

"Volcanoes are monuments to earth's origin, evidence that its primordial forces are still at work. Volcanoes are also prodigious land builders. Kilauea and Mauna Loa, two of the world's most active volcanoes, are still adding land to the island of Hawaii." —National Park Service

Outriggers

"Outrigger canoes feature one or more lateral support floats which are fastened to one or both sides of the main hull. Compared to other types of canoes, outrigger canoes can be quite fast, yet are also capable of being paddled and sailed in rougher water." —Wikipedia

Destroyers

"A destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship. Hawaii's Naval Station Pearl Harbor is currently home to seven United States destroyers." —Wikipedia

Akua

"The gods who created everything and keep everything working." —MythHome.org

Keha

"Pride, dignity, majesty." —Hawaiian-Words.com

Honu | Turtles

"The Hawaiian green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is the most common sea turtle in Hawaiian waters. The honu grows to an adult breeding size of 200 pounds or more." —Malama na Honu

Gems | Emeralds

"Gems native to Hawaii include peridot, obsidian and gem-like crystals called olivine, which contribute to Hawaii's green beaches. These gems are formed through cooling lava, as well as heat and pressure." —eHow

Emeralds are not found in Hawaii so the name would be more symbolic of the islands' greenery.

Koa Warriors | Koa

"The Hawaiian Koa warriors were the elite fighters of the islands. Their name originated from the tree they would use to fashion their weapons, the Koa tree." —Legends & Chronicles

The word "koa" also translates as brave, fearless or bold.

Eels

"All of the eels in Hawaiian waters are known by the Hawaiian term puhi, which is often qualified with another descriptive term. In ancient Hawai‘i some eels were considered ‘aumakua (spiritual guardians)." —Hawaiian Encyclopedia

Bees

"The Island of Hawaii is rich in commercially important ornamental and food plants that require insect pollination. The fact that honey bee hives are easily managed and mobile allows beekeepers to artificially and quickly increase the numbers of bees in an area with flowers in bloom to maximize pollination and production of bee products." —Hawaii Beekeepers' Association

About the Bracket

In anticipation of questions about how I came up with this Nickname Selection Bracket, I wanted to take the time to offer a few answers in advance.

Narrowing down the names
So many great names were suggested last week but it was simply impractical for me to build a bracket using all of them. So as commissioner of the league, I took the liberty of selecting 16 names that I felt would yield the most creative branding for the new team.

Voting on nicknames first
You likely noticed that the bracket includes only nicknames without the locator that was required in the name nomination process last week. It became apparent during the week that the recommended locators were all great and could be used interchangeably for many of the names.

Because of that, I didn't want to risk any names being voted down simply because of the locator that was suggested. Instead, we'll choose the nickname first and in the last round of voting we'll add the locator, be it Hawaii, Honolulu or Oahu.

First round pairs
You may have noticed that many of the pairs in the first round are similarly themed. This is by design. Many of you suggested similar names that would work equally well so I wanted to make sure the voters got a chance to consider all options around particular themes.

Disallowed names
As usual, I'm sure some of you are disappointed with some of the names left off the bracket. So I wanted to address several of those.

Armada and Fleet — Since it remains a possibility for the Quebec Armada to be resurrected in the IceHL World, that will take precedence. Plus, it'll be more fun if we give the Hawaiian club a fresh start.
Snappers, Humpbacks, Sand Tigers and Triggers (or Triggerfish) — We already have three teams named for ocean-dwellers, the Blue Crabs, Barracudas and Narwhals. Let's branch out.
Tsunami, Riptide, Surfers and Surf — The team's chief rival is likely to be the California Wave, to which the names are too thematically similar.
Leatherbacks, Greenbacks, Loggerheads — Hawaii is known mostly for its green sea turtles, though leatherbacks and loggerheads are native. But I think we're covered with Turtles and the Hawaiian term Honu in the bracket. (By the way there was a question regarding the North Shore Honu, a winter baseball team. Shouldn't be a problem as we won't be using "North Shore.")
Lava, Eruption and Magma — Now you're just describing geological features. Remember, this is supposed to be a hockey team.
Pineapples, Leis and Tree Frogs — Yes, it's fantasy hockey, but if you call Dustin Byfuglien a pineapple, you're on your own. (Luongo might not mind.)
Humuhumunukunukuapuaa — Seriously? No. At least IceHL Podcast host Tony Pomposelli will thank me even if no one else does. Though I'm not sure what's worse, typing it or trying to pronounce it.
Other Hawaiian words — I did include a few options in the native language but I tried to limit us to those with the easiest pronunciations and best translations.

Like I said, there were plenty of other cool names suggested, but ultimately I felt like these 16 were our best options. If you have any other burning questions, feel free to email, tweet or comment. I'm always happy to answer.

April 30, 2014

IceHL World Nation Selection: Round 1, Part 2

April 30, 2014/ Chris Smith

We're now deciding which eight nations will be awarded IceHL franchises. But it can't be done without your help. Your vote will determine where we go. The first round was split in half to begin the voting. The first eight polls are finished. Now it's time for the rest.

Results: Round 1-1

Results are hidden until polls close. This round ends Saturday night. Happy voting!

April 27, 2014

IceHL World Nation Selection: Round 1, Part 1

April 27, 2014/ Chris Smith

We're now deciding which eight nations will be awarded IceHL franchises. But it can't be done without your help. Your vote will determine where we go.

To keep us from being overwhelmed with polls, the first round is split in half. For the first half of the week we'll look at Groups 1-4. Then after it'll be Groups 5-8. Eight polls in each set.

Results are hidden until polls close. This round ends Wednesday night. Happy voting!

April 23, 2014

IceHL Relocation: City Selection, Final Round

April 23, 2014/ Chris Smith

We're in the process of selecting a location for the new IceHL West team that will replace the Philadelphia Aces — who move to the IceHL East next season. We've now reached the final poll in this process. Hawaii or San Francisco?

Results: Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3

Results are hidden until polls close. This round ends Saturday night. Happy voting!

This is it! On Sunday, we'll have the location for the newest IceHL team. Will it land in Hawaii or California?

April 21, 2014

IceHL Relocation: City Selection, Round 3

April 21, 2014/ Chris Smith

We're in the process of selecting a location for the new IceHL West team that will replace the Philadelphia Aces — who move to the IceHL East next season. We're now down to the final four potential cities.

Results: Round 1 | Round 2

Results are hidden until polls close. This round ends Wednesday night. Happy voting!

By the end of the week, the winning city will be decided. Where are you hoping the new team ends up?

April 18, 2014

IceHL Relocation: City Selection, Round 2

April 18, 2014/ Chris Smith

We're deciding on a location for the new IceHL West team that will replace the Philadelphia Aces, who move to the IceHL East where they belong. We began with 16 cities and after the first round of polls, we're down to eight.

Results: Round 1

Despite a Twitter campaign to bring a third country into the IceHL, Mexico City was defeated in the first round by an equally unusual place to put a hockey team — Hawaii. And in a tight race between Las Vegas and San Francisco, there's still a chance California could get a second IceHL team.

Results are hidden until polls close. This round ends Thursday night. Happy voting!

Were you surprised by any of the results in the last round? What cities are you voting for in this one?

April 15, 2014

IceHL Relocation: City Selection, Round 1

April 15, 2014/ Chris Smith

We learned on Sunday night that the Quebec Armada would be the IceHL East team relocated to the West this summer. As one fan put it, "it's like losing the Nordiques all over again." But on Monday, I unveiled a plan to #SaveTheArmada — should the IceHL fan base be so inclined.

Since the team may not disappear from the league after all, I'll be referring to this relocation project as the "new IceHL West team" from now on. We begin the long process today with the first round of voting in the City Selection Bracket.