Alternate Suggestions for Binghamton’s New Hockey Team

Being a fan of hockey and of course local professional hockey, I was really disappointed when the news came out that the New Jersey Devils were pulling their AHL franchise out of Binghamton.

I wondered exactly why they would want to leave a city rich in history with professional hockey. We've been the home of professional hockey for just under 50 years, and all but five years were with teams in the AHL.

My first experience of attending a pro hockey game was back in the mid 80s when I got dragged to a game by my wife. She wanted to see the Binghamton Rangers play at the Arena, and having never been to a game before, I really wasn't interested. But I went with her anyway, expecting to be bored as she rooted on the Rangers.

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Well, when the third period horn sounded at the end of the game with the Binghamton Rangers on the winning end, my entire perspective of professional hockey had changed. It took only one game to hook me in. I went back to watch as many games as I could. And I'm not alone. Attendance for professional hockey has been very good for a small town such as Binghamton, hosting an AHL team.

So with the AHL out of the building for the time being, replaced by a new Federal Prospects Hockey League team, I wonder if the community will support a lower league team. Time will tell of course, and I hope the interest is there.

As for the team name, the Binghamton Black Bears, I wonder where that name came from. I have no issues with the name, but I was chatting with a co-worker this week wondering how the nickname came about. I'm sure the answer will eventually come out.

I thought of some nicknames that may have worked as well, like the Binghamton Dominators, Enforcers, Mighty Pucks, Ice Force, Slammers or Thrashers. I'm not really good at coming up with clever names. Just for fun, if it was your decision, what nickname would you give the new Binghamton hockey team?