The four newest PWHL expansion teams finally have names. The San Jose Sea Lions were officially unveiled on Tuesday, Nov. 10, along with their logo and brand identity.
The reveal brought to a head months of wonder and speculation from fans. This began with San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan suggesting the name Hammerheads — a nod to former Mayor Susan Hammer — at the teams’ announcement event in May.
Despite being a popular name among fans, Hammerheads was always a long-shot option. The PWHL has made a concerted effort to ensure their teams do not appear related to any current or former men’s hockey teams. The San Jose Seals were another incredibly popular long-shot option. However, the original NHL team in the Bay Area was known as the California Seals.
Sea Lions keeps the aquatic theme that has become synonymous with hockey in San Jose. The name also allows the team to develop their own identity. The only teaser came on Friday, Nov. 6. A video was shared of the sun setting over the ocean, captioned “Something’s in the water.” This confirmed that sea life would be involved, as many fans had hoped.
The logo features a sea lion stylized as a wave, said to be the guardian of the bay. The primary color palette of coastal blue, sunset orange, tidal navy, and sea mist, paired with the setting sun imagery, is evocative of the California coast. The name also draws inspiration from the San Francisco Sea Lions, who played in the West Coast Negro Baseball Association in 1946. The independent Sea Lions were also the first professional team of women’s baseball pioneer Toni Stone, the first woman to play baseball regularly in a major men’s professional league.
The reveal
Players were involved in the reveal. Defender Rory Guilday, who narrated the reveal video, said, “I love the brand. I think the color combination of blue, orange, white, and navy blue in the logo is great. I also love that the sea lion is in the shape of a wave — that’s really clever.” The video features footage of both San Jose and the California coast to reaffirm the tie between sea lions and the Bay Area. Despite the fact that Downtown San Jose is about 10 miles from the southernmost end of the San Francisco Bay, the sea lions of Pier 39 in San Francisco are still representative of the area. The local tie-in is a tangible thing that brings people to the area and helps connect the fans to the name.
At a press conference at City Hall, excitement stretched beyond the team itself. Mayor Matt Mahan and Councilmember Michael Mulcahy spoke to the rise in women’s professional sports in the Bay Area, with two San Jose-based teams revealing identities this fall. In addition to Mayor Mahan and Councilmember Mulcahy, General Manager and Head Coach Troy Ryan, Forward Lily Shannon, and Goaltender Tia Chan were present to share the excitement of the moment.
Players and fans react
For the team, this unveiling signals the beginning of the season right around the corner. “I’ve started meeting some of the girls on the team, and you can already tell the teamwork, the communication, that we’re a take-it-seriously, but also have fun type of team … I think that represents the Sea Lions pretty well. Just knowing that they’re very good communicators, I think having this logo and this brand before we hit the ice next week is perfect timing,” said Shannon.
Fan support has been strong online. “Even this morning, the release was at 5:23 a.m. specifically. I woke up at 6 a.m., and my phone was already overwhelmed with notifications,” Chan told reporters. The excitement highlights just how big the women’s sports movement has become in the area. With the Golden State Valkyries breaking attendance records and winning the WNBA championship in just their first two years of existence, all eyes are on San Jose to show up for the team in person, too. And so far, so good: just under a month before the home opener on Dec. 5, the lower bowl of SAP Center has no standard tickets still available for sale.
As Mayor Mahan said, “Here in San Jose, we don’t just watch sports — we show up for them.”
