A Case for Mammoth: Naming Utah’s New NHL Team

Well before the Arizona Coyotes were ever set to relocate to Salt Lake City, fans have been mocking up names, sweaters and full-blown aesthetics for a potential professional hockey team in Utah.

Now that the dream has become a reality, fans find themselves fully entrenched in the war that is naming the new NHL team.

With the Smith Entertainment Group dropping a poll of twenty names we at least know what’s on the table. And what isn’t. (RIP Raptors and Elk)

This poll will be voted on and results tallied up until the 22^nd of May before the next step is laid out.

Despite the waiting, for the poll and ultimately the entire year to determine a winner, fans are still being sure to vocalize their favorite selections.

With twenty names, you can bet some of them are sure to be unfavorable in the eyes of the public (looking at you Utah Ice).

Yet by default, some of these names have to be better than the others, and I am setting out to make a case for the seemingly most popular selections.

It’s easy to put a name down when you have a handpicked selected favorite, but in all reality there’s about 4 to five names that would be met with “mostly” positive reviews.

So be aware, this ISNT my definite selection, but a positive spin on some of the names that could fit the newest NHL team to hit the ice.

Today’s selection: UTAH MAMMOTH.

Mammoth was a late bloomer in regards to the popularity race.

One day fans were bantering about Yetis Vs Outlaws like it was team Jacob or team Edward, and the next day Mammoth fell from the sky like a meteor to join the fray.

Mammoth has a lot of steam and is currently third per FanDuel’s Sportsbook as the most likely selected name.

The concept of a prehistoric creature isn’t new to sports (see Toronto Raptors or Nashville Predator’s Saber Tooth Tiger logo) but isn’t overused, so it feels fresh enough to the sporting world. (I know there is a lacrosse team in Colorado, but this is a positive article.)

A Mammoth is a great selection for a multitude of reasons, as the whole ‘Ice Age” dynamic plays precisely into what NHL clubs try to represent (Ice, Cold, Frigid).

Despite not being a predator, a Mammoth was a beast of an animal.

Intimidating in size at about 13 feet tall and nearly 13,000 pounds on average, a Mammoth was an absolute unit.

If you might say, “well that’s just a hairy elephant”, it even adds to the intimidation factor.

That hair could get up to three feet long per National Geographic, acting as a protectant from outside elements.

If you don’t think that helps the cause for intimidation, it makes it easy to form a mascot the kids will love.

The logo possibilities are limitless, but you can most definitely expect an emphasis on the beast’s tusks.

Per the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose, the largest tusk ever found on Mammoth remains was 16 feet long.

Not to be confused with an Elephant tusk, Mammoth Tusk have a corkscrew-esque twist on them, upping how cool this thing really looks.

Imagine the dragon that was inserted behind the castle walls at Vegas games, now swap it out with a massive Mammoth head with massive twisting tusk glaring over a mountain range.

And despite what certain animated movies may tell you, Mammoths traveled in packs.

National Geographic Kids would tell you that those Herd’s often consisted of 15 members, only 5 off of how many players dress for an active NHL team.

Few sports place a greater emphasis on herd/team productivity than Hockey does, making the Herd aspect a gold mine as far as branding and mantra’s go.

Even if a Mammoth was separated from a herd, it would likely take a large pack of opponents to have a chance against felling the behemoth.

As you could guess, a caveman or two weren’t a threat to a Mammoth. They would need 20 or so more buddies to have a fighting chance.

No, it doesn’t hunt, it ate grass and plants, but there have to be few herbivores’ intimidating and powerful as a Mammoth.

Just because something is an herbivore doesn’t mean it can’t do damage. You want to face off with a Hippo? A Rhino? A Buffalo? Me neither.

Lastly, the reasoning why fans wanted to entertain the “Raptors” moniker applies to the Mammoth as well.

While there isn’t a thing such as the “Utah Mammoth” like there is with the Raptor, Utah has a heavy history in terms of paleontology, and there have been Mammoth remains found from Fillmore to Orem.

Out near Bryce Canyon, one of Utah’s largest lava tubes is named “Mammoth Cave”.

Small things, but certainly more applicable to Utah than some of the other options.

Not saying this should be your hands down winner, but its easy to see why fans have taken a liking to the potential of “Mammoth” as the new look of the Utah Hockey Team.

Stay tuned, as we dive into the idea of “Utah Yeti” next.