How did the CFL get there team names?

Answer 1

Sometimes the owner of the team chooses the name, as is the case with the Chicago Blackhawks. The team was originally known as the Black Hawks, which was the nickname (the Black Hawk division) of original owner Frederic McLaughlin's infantry division in WWI. However, most of the current names of NHL franchises were chosen via fan naming contests, wherein the team's front office chooses a few potential team names based on their own ideas and community feedback, and then allows fans to vote to decide the name. Another variation of this method is holding a write-in campaign, where individual fans suggest names and the most frequently suggested/owner's favorite suggestion is chosen.

Answer 2

The teams choose their own names. Most of the team names predate the formation of the CFL by many years. The Toronto Argonauts were originally a rowing club and have been called the Argonauts for 100 years. Hamilton's team name the Tiger-Cats reflects the merger of two Hamilton teams: the Tigers and the Wildcats. Saskatchewan's team has been called the Roughriders since the 1920s, Edmonton has been the Eskimos since at least the 1930s, Winnipeg has been the Blue Bombers since the late 1930s, and Calgary has been the Stampeders since the 1940s (they used to be called the Bronks). The Montreal team has gone through a number of team names and team colours over the years. The new Ottawa team is calling itself the Redblacks, probably because the league has discouraged them from using the traditional Ottawa name, the Rough Riders, as being too similar to Saskatchewan's.