Could it be? ‘Tucson Roadrunners’ trademarked by Coyotes ownership group
Jun 2, 2016, 11:46 AM | Updated: 4:26 pm
With the new location comes a new team name.
According to SportsLogos.net’s Chris Creamer, a registration has surfaced regarding the trademark of the “Tucson Roadrunners” name.
After launching a name-the-team contest, a trademark registration from last week by “IceArizona AHL” seems to show off the winning entry a little prematurely, and if you read the headline (or the opening sentence) you already know that the trademark was for Tucson Roadrunners:
The Coyotes’ AHL affiliate will be much closer to their NHL counterparts, following the recent purchase of the Springfield Falcons and relocation to Tucson, AZ.
The Roadrunners name is not new to hockey in Arizona as it has been associated with Arizona hockey over the past 50 years.
Originally, the Phoenix Roadrunners played in the Western Hockey League from 1967-1974. They moved to the World Hockey Association for four seasons from 1974-1977 before folding due to financial reasons.
10 years later the Roadrunners came back as members of the International Hockey League, but the team once again left town when the Coyotes moved to Phoenix in 1996.
Once more the Roadrunners came back. This time as an ECHL affiliate for the San Jose Sharks from 2005-2009.
The Coyotes held a “name-the-team” contest in which fans were able to submit ideas for what they wanted the AHL team’s name to be. The contest ran from May 17 to May 31 and the winner will be announced on June 18 during an Open House at the Tucson Convention Center.
Those who submitted a team name were entered to win 2016-17 season tickets for the AHL team, a Tucson AHL jersey, and a 12-person suite to a 2016-17 Coyotes home game.
