It was a big week for the PWHL with the announcement of the six franchise names and logos. Toronto’s team was reintroduced as the Toronto Sceptres, with a regal tone and style to its branding. On the league’s social media, Toronto’s name was teased with an image resembling a queen (possibly Elizabeth I) and the words “almost ready to rule the rink.”
While many suspected that a name like Royals, Queens or Monarchs would indicate this, the choice was more subtle – the royal scepter, “a symbol of power and strength found in courts and palaces,” according to the team’s press release. The ties to the city run even deeper, as they put it: “The name ‘Sceptres’ embodies Toronto’s royal history and commanding presence, reflected in the nickname Queen City and iconic landmarks like Queen Street—one of the city’s most culturally vibrant thoroughfares—which connects diverse neighbourhoods and showcases Toronto’s rich heritage.”
On a temporary page on their website, Bauer listed three additional names for the PWHL’s six teams. It appeared the other possibilities were the Toronto Sentinels or the Toronto Tempests.
While the prominent blue will remain the team’s primary color, accents of yellow and gold in the logo add an extra layer of wealth, royalty and power. The actual crest features a “T” and an “S” intertwined with a “sphere of unity” at the top, representing “an unyielding quest for excellence.” The crest has a beveled look that gives it a jewel-like appearance, and as the marketing sketch explains, “it gives a solid and formidable feel, just like the team it represents.”
The opportunity for fans to creatively use a hockey stick as a scepter, or for in-game visuals to wield the scepter, is enticing. In addition to the names, the league has also registered a slogan for each of the six teams. Toronto’s is “Rise and Reign.”
Team captain Blayre Turnbull spoke at a league press conference, saying, “I think the league did a great job with choosing our name. The teaser that was released last week clearly indicated that it might have something to do with the Queen. I haven’t seen a lot of people guess Sceptres, but there are a lot of ties to the city, a lot of ties to our team identity and how we want to play and perform on the ice, so overall I think it’s a very fitting name, and one that our city will really embrace.”
PWHL Forward of the Year and last season’s MVP Natalie Spooner appeared on Breakfast Television in Canada with League Senior VP of Hockey Operations Jayna Hefford to unveil the name and logo, saying, “It feels so powerful. When you think of royalty and them holding their scepter, that’s how I’m going to feel when I hold my stick, like that same kind of power, so I think it’s really a name that we can rally around as a team, but now the fans can rally around as well. I’m looking forward to seeing all the scepters in the stands. I think it’s such a powerful piece of jewelry that royals get to hold, and I think it’s awesome. I’m looking forward to being a Toronto Scepter.”
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