New Mexico Hockey Club name, logo to be revealed this fall

RIO RANCHO — After receiving more than 5,000 fan submissions, the New Mexico Pro Hockey Club is one step closer to selecting the name for the state’s next hockey team, to be based in Rio Rancho starting next year.

But fans will have to wait until this fall to learn the decision, and until then, team officials are not giving any hints — unless you count the fact that they are only stating the obvious: the name will be one of three finalists: the Cutthroats, the Goatheads or the Tarantula Hawks.

That was how the team framed the contest’s conclusion July 3 in a post on X, where it thanked fans for their submissions.

But the finalists, each paying homage to the state of New Mexico in some way, have not gone without controversy, especially on social media channels, including Mayor Gregg Hull’s Facebook page.

Following the announcement that the contest had closed, Lucas Kalish, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Pro Hockey Club, issued a statement in response to fans’ feelings about the names.

“We understand that team names can spark strong opinions, and that’s part of what makes building something new so exciting,” Kalish stated in an email. “The three finalists were chosen directly from some of the most popular names in our community-wide entry process. Just as we’ll work to build a strong identity on the ice, it’s also our responsibility to shape one that represents and resonates with our community. We’re hopeful the final branding will be something all of New Mexico can be proud of and rally behind.”

The criticism could be found even on the team’s own X account, where an Albuquerque resident, Will Sosinski, suggested the “Horned Lizard” or “New Mexico Chilies” would have been great names. He added, “I guess Goatheads will due (sic)” and later created his own Goatheads logo, which he shared on X.

Hull, who shared news of the naming contest’s opening June 21, noted that the finalists were born out of suggestions from survey participants and not the city or the Rio Rancho Events Center, where the team will play.

But criticism persisted, including from Albuquerque resident Scott Ostrowsky, who called the three naming finalists, “a huge whiff on our cities (sic) part that we didn’t get the Scorpions” as a choice. The Scorpions wasthe name for the Central Hockey League team based in Rio Rancho from 2006-09.

In an interview before the contest closed, Rio Rancho resident Todd Haines, who commented about the names on Facebook, told the Observer that team officials were “0 for 3” on three finalists.

“I would go for something a little more New Mexico-ish,” Haines said.

He told the Observer he would prefer the Chiles, but among the three finalists, his choice would be the Goatheads. He said the name made him think of the Galloping Goat Pumpkin Patch event held in Rio Rancho every year.

Though the team did not say the Goatheads solely referred to an animal. In a June 20 news release announcing the contest, the team described “goatheads” as “a relentless desert weed that’s nearly impossible to kill” and the wild Ibex goat, “a symbol of survival in harsh, mountainous terrain.”

Informed of the contest’s goathead choice and the team’s description, the pumpkin patch’s owner, Max Wade, said he was “100% in favor” of that name for the state’s next hockey team.

“Goats are amazing, and they’re becoming iconic in Rio Rancho and the Albuquerque area,” Wade said.

He added that the team’s description of the goatheads name aligns with a segment of the pumpkin patch’s business that allows its goats to go to different places throughout the Rio Rancho area and clear out invasive weeds.

“Goats are a huge part of what we do on a daily basis,” Wade said.

Haines sounded a positive note on what the team’s eventual name would mean for sports in Rio Rancho.

“We’re going to go see the hockey team no matter what it’s called,” Haines said.