NHL-USAVB-NEX Banter

[almighty_tuna]

I don't want to take away from the amazing content of today's update so here's a new thread for the non-development side of things.

I'll start with my one and only gripe: What the |expletive| is a Knight Owl??? The NHL already has a team using the word "Knight" in the Vegas Golden Knights and Omaha already has a pro sports team called the Owls with Union Omaha. I certainly wouldn't ask the public for a name because we'd get stuck with Hockey McPuck Face or Nebraska Ice Farmers, but c'mon, can someone hire a better marketing/PR firm to come up with something that doesn't rip off existing pro teams?

[Garrett]

Yeah the Knight Owl name is very weird given Union Omaha, and even other teams in Omaha’s history like the Nighthawks and Aksarben Knights

[Linkin5]

From the name to the terrible arena rendering it just all feels really amateur. I am not trying to hate on the NHL coming to Omaha but between the location and the subsidies needed for everything to happen I just don’t like it.

[Big E]

What the |expletive| is a Knight Owl???

Their mothers were hamsters and their fathers smelled of elderberries.

[GenX]

I don't want to take away from the amazing content of today's update so here's a new thread for the non-development side of things.

I'll start with my one and only gripe: What the |expletive| is a Knight Owl??? The NHL already has a team using the word "Knight" in the Vegas Golden Knights and Omaha already has a pro sports team called the Owls with Union Omaha. I certainly wouldn't ask the public for a name because we'd get stuck with Hockey McPuck Face or Nebraska Ice Farmers, but c'mon, can someone hire a better marketing/PR firm to come up with something that doesn't rip off existing pro teams?

Pucky McPuckface

[Dusty]

I don't get the Knight Owl name either. Don't spook us, we might fly away. It seems like a lot teams name after something people associate with the area. For example, Colorado Avalanche (lots of snow), Tampa Bay Lightning (More lightning strikes than any other area), Phoenix Coyotes (local to area)

So what is Nebraska good at? Hmm....Eating! lol
I would go with Nebraska Ravenous. Then you can have all kinds of play on words.
They took a bite out of the competition, They are hungry for a win tonight, etc

And if they want to take an animal name...Nebraska Prairie Dogs. I'm just imagining people all hopping all together making lots of noise.

[Agibson951]

They could always go with the Nebraska Black Squirrels. Doesn’t roll off the tongue, but it’s a unique name.

Most of the animals native to Nebraska don’t roll off the tongue. Nebraska Swift Foxes? Nebraska armored nine-branded armadillos? Nebraska black-tailed jackrabbits? River otters? Pocket gophers? Skinks?

[Padre]

They could always go with the Nebraska Black Squirrels. Doesn’t roll off the tongue, but it’s a unique name.

They could have Scrat from the Ice Age movies as the mascot!

[Omahomie]

They could always go with the Nebraska Black Squirrels. Doesn’t roll off the tongue, but it’s a unique name.

They could have Scrat from the Ice Age movies as the mascot!

Speaking of Ice Age would actually love the name Omaha Mammoths as they used to roam these parts. Would also like Omaha Owls to keep the theme with Union Omaha. I like the idea of combining mascots but probably wouldn't be smart from a marketing aspect. But the Knight Owls sounds too much like Vegas and reminds me too much of late night tot-chos in Blackstone.

[NEDodger]

I assumed it was an attempt to resurrect the old "Omaha Knights" name?

[thenewguy]

Things I think would be good for naming purposes:

Bulls
Bombers
BIson (Tatonka, if you wanted to draw on Nebraska's Native American heritage)

'Omaha' in Ponca means "to go against the current" - could do something with that? Of course, they'd have to be careful not to offend certain groups, but I think it'd be cool to pay homage to the heritage of the area

[Brad]

'Omaha' in Ponca means "to go against the current"

Are you sure about that? I always thought it was something to do with Upstream?

[Coyote]

Omaha: The descriptive name Omaha (umónhon, "against the current" or "upstream") was used before 1541.

It conveys the oral histories of eighteenth-century migrations and separations from other groups (Osage, Quapaw, Kansa) in which the Omaha moved up the Mississippi River drainage basin. Some early documents use the term Maha. Since the 1990s there have emerged multiple spellings of the name in the Native American language community (Umonhon, Umonha, Umaha). In the 1900s, linguists used the term Cegiha (Dhégiha, or Thégiha, "on this side") when referring to the Omaha, but the Omaha do not.

[zippy]

'Omaha' in Ponca means "to go against the current"

Are you sure about that? I always thought it was something to do with Upstream?

Aren't those about the same thing? I recall it meaning "above all others on a river".

[Brad]

Aren't those about the same thing?

I didn't think so?

I recall it meaning "above all others on a river".

I have heard that too. I would also say that's closer to upstream.

[nebugeater]

Aren't those about the same thing?

I didn't think so?

I recall it meaning "above all others on a river".

I have heard that too. I would also say that's closer to upstream.

A quick Google search for the Ponco / Omaha tribe meaning of the word Omaha ties Upstream and Against the Current together in a number of the search results.

[ChadJK]

I was in a bar in Gretna last weekend surrounded by mostly over-60 people. Some of the quotes when this topic came up:

"What?! Jesus Christ! Really?"

"I hope I die before that's completed."

"Time to move west."

lol

[GenX]

I say we call them the Omaha Ahamo’s

[thenewguy]

'Omaha' in Ponca means "to go against the current"

Are you sure about that? I always thought it was something to do with Upstream?

yeah. I was reading about Omaha-Ponca tribes and on this website https://www.ops.org/Page/1894#:~:text=O ... he%20area. it said that they were originally in the Ohio River Valley and migrated west. When they hit this Mississippi river, one group went south and the other went west along the Missouri river, going 'against the current' (I assume they landed near modern day STL?). I also found that the Omaha and Ponca were closely related, likely stemming from an original collection of peoples

[nebport5]

An NHL game is an event enough that no one would not drive from Lincoln to Gretna that wouldn't also drive from Lincoln to downtown.

Or midtown, or Council Bluffs, as these are all better locations than Gretna. For two main reasons.

1. Infrastructure, access, and hospitality.
2. It increases sprawl: Something we should be fighting at every turn.

For a lot of land uses, it would be fine. Want a 500 acre themepark? Absolutely build it in the middle of nowhere. But for a sports venue that we want to keep: Put it somewhere better than Gretna.

I am with athmosfere here, particularly on point one. We are so concerned about whether Omaha need another stadium; what about whether or not we need another 8-12k parking lots this project will need, just for the arena? The several hotels being contemplated? Downtown has all that and bringing a pro team there would only help the businesses there and be able to utilize existing parking and transportation infrastructure, and future ones built around the streetcar. Additionally, logistically, if we are selling this as a regional team, the north downtown area is closer to bigger population centers like dsm and kc than Nebraska crossing. Granted it's a 20-30 minute difference, but it's there. Anyway, that's it from me, other points have already been brought up.

This seems like the better thread to respond in.


I can't say I disagree with this thinking in principle. Though, if you haven't listen to the Grow O interview a big component of the NHL Comish's interest in is how the district concept is directly tied to the project. So not just an arena, but particularly a very large entertainment district to go with it. Yates is the one spearheading this NHL quest and he owns or will acquire more land adjacent to NeX. I've heard that he's actively after land south of I-80 too. Obviously expanding NeX would be more cost effective for Yates towards his end goal. I'm not aware of Yates owning any land in the downtown area where hypothetically he would try to do the same concept albeit I'm sure much more expensive. Now if someone else or another group with deep pockets had a competing NHL proposal for somewhere else in the metro that would be interesting to hear. So the question of smart growth or what's best for Omaha doesn't really enter into it. Putting this thing downtown isn't going to stop sprawl. Short of an urban growth boundary that would never fly here I don't think there's much that will curtail it. Would it make a lot of sense to locate next to an existing arena, ballpark and potential soccer stadium to solidify and grow an existing entertainment district? Yeah, but there's a big retail component missing that I doubt would be at the magnitude of what Yates is eyeing at NeX.
If and when there's a better competing scenario the what's ideal for growth and existing development must be put aside if it's a case of making this a reality or not. This is a rare opportunity that seems to have momentum yet still with no guarantees. You have to admire Yates's ambition.


One wildcard thought: A certain Omaha politician not wanting to miss out on that tax revenue makes Yates "an offer he can't refuse".

[TitosBuritoBarn]

My biggest thing right now is that I'm having trouble visualizing how Yates will pull off making this arena district one we can be proud of. Once the novelty of having a pro team wears off, how will we feel about them playing at a shopping center surrounded by cornfields and logistics parks. I doubt many non-civic minded people would care and it wouldn't be the first pro sports stadium to try and split two metro areas (New England Patriots) or that plays at a suburban shopping center (Patriots, Sporting KC, Florida Panthers), but with the arena rendering basically showing what could best be framed as "Tropicana II: This Time With Windows" and how leadership keeps referencing The Legends, I don't know. Personally my excitement level would be stifled. I'm hoping to be surprised.

[nebport5]

I really wonder what the homework assignment Gary Bateman gave Yates and Boston they mentioned on Grow Omaha.

[NEDodger]

I really wonder what the homework assignment Gary Bateman gave Yates and Boston they mentioned on Grow Omaha.

Hopefully "come up with a better name"

[Doctor Fate]

I really wonder what the homework assignment Gary Bateman gave Yates and Boston they mentioned on Grow Omaha.

Hopefully "come up with a better name"

I think it has to do with how they will use JustData to boost NHL revenue, which is their true big swing.

[nebugeater]

As for the name, there is a tie-in to potential future ownership.

Tom Brady has ownership in the professional Pickle Ball organisation that operates as the Las Vegas Night Owls.

I believe that it was stated somewhere that the proposed / tentative name in Omaha would be the Knight Owls, so different spelling.


https://www.majorleaguepickleball.net/t ... ight-owls/

[almighty_tuna]

I really wonder what the homework assignment Gary Bateman gave Yates and Boston they mentioned on Grow Omaha.

Hopefully "come up with a better name"

I think it has to do with how they will use JustData to boost NHL revenue, which is their true big swing.

What's the Cliff's Notes on this? Not familiar with JustData beyond its name being thrown around with this proposal.

[Brad]

Not familiar with JustData beyond its name being thrown around with this proposal.

Its the fintech company owned by Rod Yates. https://www.justdata.com/

and they started a division for athletics a few years ago: https://www.justdata.com/athletics

[almighty_tuna]

Thanks!