Reader here! The Stanley Cup Playoffs are in full swing, with Round Two underway, and three of the four conference semifinal series involving Canadian teams! The Jets, Oilers and Maple Leafs still have a chance at hoisting Hockey’s Holy Grail.
But beyond that, and the New York Islanders winning the draft lottery earlier this week, and the World Men’s Hockey Championship getting underway tomorrow in Sweden and Denmark, there’s something else happening in the world of pro hockey…Utah’s NHL team has finally settled on a name!
As soon as Ryan and Ashley Smith, the owners of the NBA’s Utah Jazz, bought the former Arizona Coyotes, everybody wondered if they’d keep the Coyotes name, or change it to something else.
Well, for year one in Salt Lake City, they kept it simple, and went with the logoless Utah uniforms, while the team came up with a new identity.
Initially, they came up with a list of 20 names: Black Diamonds, Blast, Blizzard, Canyons, Caribou, Freeze, Frost, Fury, Glaciers, the soccer-styled Utah H.C. (Hockey Club), Hive, Ice, Mammoth (my personal favourite), Mountaineers, Outlaws, Powder, Squall, Swarm, Venom, and Yeti.
For their first season in Utah, they chose to go with the simple “Utah Hockey Club.” Easy enough.
Eventually they whittled the list down to a few finalists, though they had to dump “Yeti,” as a potential name, as they couldn’t come to an agreement with the Yeti insulated cup company. Yeah, I know… kinda stupid.
Anyhoo, after much ballyhoo, yesterday, the Utah franchise was given its permanent name. It’ll will be known as the Utah Mammoth!
Like I noted, Mammoth was my personal choice. I just liked it more than the other options, plus who doesn’t like the idea of a giant beast crashing its way through the frozen wilderness?
I have to say, I like that they’re keeping the colours and I dig the logo, too, which will probably sell a ton of jerseys, hats and other merchandise!
Some people like the name, and some don’t, and that’s okay.
I admit, when Seattle unveiled “Kraken” as the team name, I thought it was dumb. But it grew on me.
Even the Toronto Raptors has a name rooted in 90s “Jurassic Park” nostalgia, but I can’t imagine any other name for the team now. Can you?
But the Utah Mammoth have their identity now. May they have a long and successful run in Salt Lake City!
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