So, with Mayor Murray announcing that he is open to an NHL first amendment to the SoDo arena MOU, and the NHL doing a poor job of hiding its flirtation with Seattle, there's been a lot of discussion about what the Seattle NHL team would be named. We've done this dance a couple times before and each time the result has bee the same: Metropolitans. However, each time, the margin of victory was less. So, by popular demand, we're going to try again and see what kind of results we get this time. Has the mood changed? Let's find out.

Here are some of the potential names and reasons for and against them.

Seattle Metropolitans

As I said before, this tends to be the most popular, based on the fact that the previous iteration of the Seattle Metropolitans won the 1917 Stanley Cup, the first American team to do so. The argument against this name is that, in this day and age, it just doesn't sound as interesting or as intimidating as some of the other names. There's also that baseball team in New York. It also brings up images of Seattle's failed "it's metronatural!" campaign.

Seattle Totems

This name has history as well. The WHL/CHL Seattle Totems were around from 1958-1975 and were one of the few American teams to take on play the famed Soviet Red Army team, and defeated them 8-5 in 1974. While this name doesn't have the cachet of Metropolitans, it does strike up a more Seattle-centric visual identity that would fall in line with the Seahawks.

Seattle Kraken

This has been the most bandied-about name on Sonics Rising, with the charge being led by Big Chris. For those unaware, a Kraken is a legendary massive sea monster that closely resembles a giant squid. While the visual identity for this name could be stunning, the Detroit Red Wings may take offense to any squid imagery, since their fans have a history of throwing squid on the ice after a win. The name also sounds klunky.

Seattle Seamonsters

This could be a compromise for Kraken. It flows a little better with the alliteration and fits in with the Seattle naming scheme (Sonics, Seahawks, Sounders, Stinking Mariners). You could still use a lot of the Kraken imagery and possibly even use a Kraken mascot, although, that could again conflict with Detroit's Al the octopus.

Seattle Mammoths

This name comes from last year's discovery of a massive mammoth tusk in Lake Union. It also has a ton of potential for an awesome design scheme and could also give way to a pretty sweet mascot (perhaps named Lucky like the mammoth whose tusk they found). It has local connection, sounds cool, and has potential to look awesome.

Seattle Sasquatches

This one seems logical, with the fabled Bigfoot making his home in the Pacific Northwest. This one, like the others, has some potential to look great. However, one big problem is, is Sasquatches the right term? Or is the plural for Sasquatch still just Sasquatch? Also, would Squatch have to pull double duty between this team and the Sonics?

Seattle Thunderbirds

This one would take some negotiating with the WHL/CHL team that plays down in Kent. We already know what the visual identity would be and it's pretty kick-ass. The color scheme, however, closely resembles that of the Vancouver Canucks, who would be the team's #1 rival right off the bat.

Seattle Rainiers

What better visual identifier than the biggest (literally and figuratively) icon the state of Washington has? It also hearkens back to the minor league baseball team that played here from 1903-1964.

Seattle Evergreens

Hey, Washington is the evergreen state, so why not? Hockey sticks are made of wood, wood comes from trees. It all makes sense. A giant tree may not be the best thing to represent a team, but it could look pretty good if done properly. As long as we don't use a mascot that even remotely resembles that thing Stanford uses.

Seattle Steelhead/Sockeye

Washington is also known for its salmon population, and these are two of the most common. They also have that alliteration, plus they both have fight connotations. "You don't want to hit me, I'm a STEELHEAD!" "I'm a sockeye and I'll sock you in the eye!" Corny, yes, but that's marketing gold.

Seattle Seawolves

I'm not sure about this one but it fared well in our last poll. According to Wikipedia, sea wolf is another name for a sea lion, or also another name for the Atlantic wolffish. I'm not sure which one of these would be used for the identity, or if it would wind up just being a wolf.

So vote! Make your voice be heard! If you have any other suggestions, please make sure to put them in the comments section below.