It’s a tough choice for hockey fans who will have a hand in choosing the name of the new pro team coming to Adventist Health Arena in October.
Stockton Professional Hockey, the organization behind the move to create a new pro hockey team here, says it received more than 8,500 responses to its call for a team name.
And now, fans are being invited to select a winner from the top four finalists.
“We thought people were getting pretty creative,” Scott Brand, the team’s president and general manager, told Stocktonia.
Here are the four picks:
Stockton Thunder: The name is a nostalgia play, picking up the moniker of the team that played in Stockton until it was bought in 2015 by the NHL’s Calgary Flames. The team was then moved to Glens Falls, New York.
Stockton Spears: While it has a certain go-get-’em charm, this name actually harkens back to Stockton’s heritage as an asparagus-growing mecca. Though asparagus is no longer the top crop in San Joaquin County, there’s still an annual festival to honor it. The real question here is do fans want to name their team after a vegetable? Scott said the brand would cover one base: a connection to the region.
Stockton Steam: Stockton still has railroads, though locomotives aren’t powered by steam anymore. What may have helped chug the name into the final four: “I’m a big train guy,” said Brand, who arrives to Stockton from the Midwest.
Port City Pirates: It has a certain outlaw flair, but among other things, the name is closely associated with MLB’s Pittsburgh Pirates. Brand likes the maritime connection. He said he’s still getting used to the idea that Stockton has a viable port when it’s about 80 miles from San Francisco Bay.
Fans can find a link to vote for their favorite on Stockton Pro Hockey’s Facebook page.
And based on comments on the post, it looks like there’s already a front-runner.
” ‘Thunder’ tugs on everyone’s heartstrings,” Brand said.