The NHL team in Salt Lake City is now known as the Utah Mammoth.
Owners Ryan and Ashley Smith announced the permanent name of the franchise Thursday morning after more than a year of fan input and vote.
“From day one, we have committed to building with the people of Utah and celebrating today’s launch for the entire state,” they said in a statement announcing the name. “The community has chosen the Utah Mammoth brand, which is a symbol of who we are, where we come from and the unstoppable force we have built together.”
The Mammoth replaced the first placeholder Utah Hockey Club, one of three finalists. When the cooler company with the name was unable to reach a copyright agreement with Utah ownership, Yeti was deemed to be ignored, and Wasatch (referring to the mountains of the state) was quickly replaced by Outlaws.
The mammoth maintains the same black, light blue and white color scheme, while the Utah diagonal road jersey is in the front. The logo includes nods to the mountains, shapes of states and curved ivory forming the “U.”
Mammoth fossils have been found throughout Utah, including the complete skeleton in Huntington Canyon in 1988.
Utah won the fourth pick in the draft, the first phase of the arena renovation, and more than $20 million in U.S. salary cap space, investing more than $20 million in U.S. dollars to shine in free agency and deals. With young talents like captain Clayton Keller, up-and-coming star forward Logan Cooley, two-time Stanley Cup champion Mikhail Sergachev and emerging goalkeeper Karel Vejmelka, the Mammoth can compete for the playoffs immediately next season.
The name has been renamed 13 months since Smith Entertainment Group, former owner Alex Meruelo, bought the team formerly known as Arizona Coyotes and moved it to Salt Lake City. The Coyotes played in the Phoenix area since 1996, and the team was the original Jets.
