A year after the waiting, the Premiere Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) has unveiled official nicknames and logos for its teams. Hailey Salvian, Shayna Goldman, and Sean Gentille from The Athletic have teamed up to rank the six new teams – Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost, Montréal Victoire, New York Sirens, Ottawa Charge and Toronto Sceptres. The three reviewers evaluated the overall combinations of team names, colors, and logos.
Montréal Victoire ranked first based on an overall appealing aesthetic. The trio lauded the color scheme – maroon, cream, and navy – and the unique name, Victoire, which appealed both to French and English speakers. Additionally, the sleek Montreal logo consisting of a fleur-de-lis and a hidden M was much appreciated. The vibrant logo and team name, reminiscent of their clutch player, made Montréal Victoire the winners of this ranking.
Toronto Sceptres ranked second, though initially, the reviewers were not entirely impressed with the name. However, the excellent logo and navy-light blue-gold color palette eventually won them over. The team got bonus points for creativity in the nickname and the unique combination of aesthetics that was expected to appeal to a younger demographic, such as Taylor Swift fans.
New York Sirens achieved third place. Sean Gentille thought no other team had a more cohesive name-logo combination. He appreciated the reference to hockey and the Long Island Sound in the name and the shade of teal used. Hailey Salvian was initially favoring the New York Sirens but eventually moved to Team Montréal. She appreciated the synergy between the tri-state area’s women’s sports tributes in the colors.
Boston Fleet came up fourth. Even though there was a divide amongst the reviewers, the team managed to score points for its fishhook-like ‘B’ logo, which had hints of the Hartford Whalers. Even though “Fleet” was not a favorite, it was ranked above other collective nouns.
Minnesota Frost ranked fifth. The name resonated with the reviewers but the logo couldn’t meet the mark. Though they appreciated the purple color scheme, they thought the logo was incomplete and felt too much like a create-a-team template. Hailey even compared the shape to a cartoon superhero.
Ottawa Charge received the sixth and last position. The name felt suitable, but the logo appeared more suitable for a software company from the 90s, as Sean Gentille humorously noted. Shayna Goldman said that the red-yellow-white color scheme was nothing revolutionary, but it stood out enough on the ice. However, she compared the logo to the Calgary Flames, which led to some mixed feelings. Overall, the team felt middle-of-the-road to the reviewers.
