What's in a (team) name?, Part 1 By JohnW53 on Jan 3, 2021, 4:38am CST + Over the years, picking a name for a new professional sports team has become a complicated process, often involving consultants, focus groups and contests in which fans are invited to submit proposed names. Teams frequently want a name that is striking, if not downright bizarre. Case in point: the Seattle Kraken, who will begin play in the National Hockey League in 2021-22. Two of my all-time favorite names belonged to minor league hockey teams: the Toledo Goaldiggers and the Macon Whoopees. Minor league baseball has had the likes of the Albuquerque Isotopes, El Paso Chihuahuas, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, Lansing Lugnuts, Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, New Orleans Baby Cakes, Pensacola Blue Wahoos and Richmond Flying Squirrels.