In The NHL, Why Some Teams Represent A City But Others Represent An Entire State

In the NHL, why do some teams represent a city but other teams represent an entire state?

There are 32 NHL teams and almost all represent a city. Of all NHL teams, 25% represent an entire state though, whereas the remaining 75% have their city in front of their nickname. Which NHL teams are represented by an entire state? Yes, that is 25% of NHL teams. And in this SPMA answer, we tell you those teams and explain some teams represent a city but other teams represent an entire state.

NHL Teams Representing A City

1. Anaheim Ducks
2. Boston Bruins
3. Buffalo Sabres
4. Calgary Flames
5. Chicago Blackhawks
6. Columbus Blue Jackets
7. Dallas Stars
8. Detroit Red Wings
9. Edmonton Oilers
10. Los Angeles Kings
11. Montreal Canadiens
12. Nashville Predators
13. Ottawa Senators
14. Philadelphia Flyers
15. Pittsburgh Penguins
16. San Jose Sharks
17. Seattle Kraken
18. St Louis Blues
19. Tampa Bay Lightning
20. Toronto Maple Leafs
21. Vancouver Canucks
22. Vegas Golden Knights
23. Washington Capitals
24. Winnipeg Jets

NHL Teams Representing An Entire State

1. Arizona Coyotes
2. Carolina Hurricanes
3. Colorado Avalanche
4. Florida Panthers
5. Minnesota Wild
6. New Jersey Devils
7. New York Islanders
8. New York Rangers

It's usually a team owner's choice, like a nickname.

Names are often chosen to help a club stand out. The Florida Panthers joined the Miami Dolphins, Miami Heat, and Miami Marlins in metro Miami. The team name could also be seen as an attempt to position the hockey club as "Florida's team," even though Florida already had an NHL team (the Tampa Bay Lightning) when the Panthers joined the league.

Giving the team a statewide name is often an attempt to broaden its appeal, especially in areas where the NHL has failed. Examples of teams include the Carolina Hurricanes and the Colorado Avalanche.

The Quebec Nordiques (Colorado Avalanche), Winnipeg Jets (Arizona Coyotes), and Hartford Whalers all gave up their city-specific names for statewide ones in the 1990s (Carolina Hurricanes).

When the original Winnipeg Jets left in 1996, a minor-league team with a provincial name took their place (the Manitoba Moose). When the Jets returned, the original name was so popular that the owners renamed the relocated NHL Thrashers (rather than the Manitoba Jets or Manitoba Thrashers).

But it's not just the NHL that has teams that represent an entire state. See below:

1. Tennessee Titans
2. Arizona Cardinals
3. Carolina Panthers
4. Minnesota Vikings
5. New England Patriots (represent the entire region)
6. Indiana Pacers
7. Utah Jazz
8. Minnesota Timberwolves
9. Minnesota Twins
10. Texas Rangers