Analysis of VHLW South Team Names Part 3: New Zealand

[Will3 421]

   Australia has been a fun place to explore. I have enjoyed my two weeks on the big sandy island  But today am I in a place that packs so much interesting per square inch. With a unique ecology, natives with a fierce reputation, and some of the most breath taking landscapes you will ever seen, New Zealand is a place where many go looking for adventure. Of corse, we are looking for potential hockey franchises as well.  Here is what I have found in my wandering on the islands.

 

Located at the south-western tip of the North Island,Wellington is the major population centre of the southern North Island, and the capital of New Zealand. It is  New Zealand's third largest with a population of 432,800 residents which is about as big as it's Australian counterpart. It is a diverse, youth driven city renowned for creative innovation and coffee houses. It is a wonderful place to visit, but there is a problem. While New Zealand does have a ice hockey league Wellington doesn't have a team. Not for lack of passion but for lack of a permanent rink. There have been discussions to change that but as far as I know, nothing has happened. The VHLW could fix this issue and there are even two options for team names to choose from.

 

  My idea for the Wellington team name is different from my typical mythological creatures. I would call this franchise the Wellington Orcs.  It is rare that I make a pop culture reference in a team name, but for this place, I will make an exception, especially for one of my favorite film series. While The Lord of the Rings books were written in Britain, the movies were produced and directed a New Zealander, Peter Jackson,with a crew of New Zealanders. The headquarters of the films' production and the New Zealand film industry is Wellington. The films have stood the test of time and have a lasting legacy even today. It is this legacy that I seek to honor in this team name. I will admit it is a bit of a crazy team name. Just imagine how crazy a  VHLW final would be between the Wellington Orcs and the Busan Zombies.

 

   Speaking of teams that Morcar80 suggested, he comes through with another ideas for a team. He would createthe Wellington Rams. This led me to the Arapawa sheep, a breed of feral sheep found on an isolated island on the northern tip of South Island. Aside from being a rare breed of sheep the decended from Merino strains from Australia that somehow ended up on the island and having rams with long spiral horns that often measure over 1 metre or 3 feet long, they are not the most interesting creatures in the world. The long horns would make an interesting logo. Not the greatest team name ever but it works.

 

Arpawa Ram

 

  Without a doubt, the most important city on South Island is Christchurch.  Despite having population of only 380,600 people it is the second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand, after Auckland. Christchurch became a city by Royal Charter on 31 July 1856, making it officially the oldest established city in New Zealand. It would be founded in the Canterbury Plains named the city after Christ Church, Oxford, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. The agricultural industry has always been the economic core of Christchurch with PGG Wrightson, New Zealand's leading agribusiness, being based in Christchurch.  There are many regional teams including the Canterbury Red Devils of the New Zealand Ice Hockey League or NZIHL (the hockey league I mentioned earlier). I believe that I have found the perfect team name for a hockey club placed here. Allow me to suggest the Christchurch Icebreakers. Christchurch is one of five 'gateway cities' for Antarctic exploration and  has a history of involvement in Antarctic exploration. Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton used a port around Christchurch as a departure point for expeditions.

Even today it host Antarctic support bases for several nations. Icebreakers are a type of ship designed to navigate icey waters. They are useful in exploration places like Antarctica. With ice hockey being played on ice, this team name is a perfect union of local association and sport activity. 

 

Canterbury Red Devil Logo

 

  That is all I have learned on my journey though New Zealand. While it my lack the big cities, it makes up for it in charming people and places. I am going to miss being here. But my analysis of the teams in the VHLW is almost over. I have a supplemental article on Auckland planned for this week. Then a big and supplemental article for next week and that it. I do have plans for the future but I will talk about those later. Guess I will see you next week. Now I am going to rest in a nice Polynesian spa.

[diacope 1,566]

Wellington Rams

[BOOM 8,435]

You missed a golden opportunity.

 

 

[CowboyinAmerica 2,731]

Review: 9/10

 

Good stuff here. My worry with these pieces is always that they'll basically turn into reciting the Wikipedia article for Wellington, but you did a good job of intertwining information about the city with exactly how it's relevant to the VHL and what a potential hockey franchise there would look like. I like your idea for team names as well, agree that the Rams would be fire and a good reference to the city itself. My small changes would just be nitpicks, such as a headline on here and embedding the photos within the article rather than hyperlinking. But not too much to complain about, still enjoying this series as you've traveled across the world.