Analysis of VHLW North Team Names: Azerbaijan

[Will3 460]

    Located between Turkey, Iran, and Russia, Azerbaijan is on the  South Caucasus region at the border between Eastern Europe and Western Aisa. It became the first secular democratic Muslim-majority state in 1918. Azerbaijan was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1922 and declared independence in 1991. The capital, Baku, is the lowest lying national capital in the world and also the largest city in the world located below sea level. It has an estatmated population of just over two million people and is the sole metropolis in Azerbaijan. Economic reforms in the 2000's caused the GDP of Azerbaijan to increase 20-fold from 1995 to 2012. Diamond_Ace's suggestion is an odd team name for it's location. The team would be named the Azerbaijan Elephants. The problem is the fact that there are no elephants in Azerbaijan. Not even one in a zoo. A secondary concern is location. Given a similar location that is between Europe and Aisa has a VHLE franchise, a question emerges. Should a hockey club in Azerbaijan belong in a upstart league with most teams far away or as part of an expansion to an established league with some teams close by? I get that this was most likely a joke, but I don't see this team as part of the VHLW at least at first.