A List of Team Names to Prepare for the NHL's Expansion

It was reported by TSN's Bob McKenzie that the NHL might be willing – and getting closer – to taking a chance on putting an expansion franchise in Las Vegas.  How fun.  This, of course, arouses the since dormant talk about placing another team in Seattle or Quebec City – two cities that will have NHL ready arenas in the next few years – in order to bring the number of NHL teams to the nice even number of 32.  But, as the report also suggests, the NHL may not be content with 32 teams.  This includes placing a franchise in any of those cities, plus a second franchise in the Greater Toronto Area, Hamilton, Saskatoon, Prince Edward Island, etc.

Well, we here at LCOB have read the report and we know what this means: It's a forgone conclusion that Kansas City will be getting an NHL expansion franchise within the next year.  It's the only logical conclusion.

Seeing as this is a 100% guarantee, as these expansion stories have been in the past and will continue to be in the future, we have come up with a list of the top 5 possible team names and jersey designs for the next great Kansas City sports franchise.  Follow the jump to enjoy (and dream!!!)…



Kansas City Scouts

This is a must choice.  The short-lived team from the 1970s could make its return to Kansas City, and this blog isn't the only one ready for its return.  Of course, this incarnation of the sweater kind of looks like a Cosby sweater, but it will stand apart from all of the black, gray, and white in the NHL today.  There are probably cooler and more badass versions of Native American heads that we could have used here, but its best to go with the vintage look, lest the new franchise get white man's guilted to death.

Kansas City Whalers

Hartford isn't using it, and won't be any time soon, so why not have it in KC?  Eat your heart out, Connecticuters.

HC Kansas City

Taking a page out of the city's only successful (semi-) pro sports franchise, Kansas City's new hockey team goes European!  Slap on a popular local business or landmark on the front, and HC Kansas City presented by Gates Barbecue is born.  Of course, HCKC needs as many fans as possible, so they do the whole split jersey thing that makes it look like the Missouri-Kansas state line.  You can almost hear the sweater say, "Please rich people from Johnson County, come spend money on our hockey team."

Kansas City Mad Cows

Borrowing Kansas City-based sports writer Jeffery Flanagan's idea for the KC T-Bones independent league baseball team oh so many years ago, I present to you the Kansas City Mad Cows.  Mr. Flanagan's dream comes alive, with beautiful cow-print jerseys, and a logo that is pending copyright.  Maybe we can even have them play a couple games down in Kemper a few times per year for old times sake.  With a jersey like this, it just seems right.

Kansas City Champions

The name Champions was taken from one of those fantasy sports team name generator sites, and it's pretty awful.  Although generic, it is the perfect unoffensive, marketing savvy team nickname we see from so many new franchises afraid to take a chance on being different or somewhat offensive.  The home and away jerseys are based on this one design, and this one design only, so suck it.  And that's the bottom line 'cause Stone Cold said so.

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Whatever name is chosen, one thing is clear: This is definitely going to happen.  Pro hockey is coming to the Sprint Center, baby!