The Utah Hockey Club unveiled its new identity on Wednesday, introducing its permanent name: the Utah Mammoth.
Word leaked last week that the team likely would be named the Mammoth, which pays tribute to the herds of mammoth — an extinct group of elephants — that lived in Utah more than 10,000 years ago.
The Arizona Coyotes moved to Salt Lake City following the 2023-24 season and used the temporary Utah Hockey Club moniker during its first season, allowing the fans to vote on a permanent name. The 13-month process resulted in more than 850,000 votes from fans.
“We couldn’t be more excited to launch the official name and marks for Utah’s NHL hockey team. When it came to naming the team, we did something unprecedented — going through four rounds of community voting, including getting feedback not only on potential names but also on potential logos. We love the passion of the people of Utah and the way they showed up for the team during its inaugural season and the energy they brought to voting on its permanent identity,” said Ryan and Ashley Smith, owners of the Utah Mammoth, in a statement issued Wednesday.
“From day one, we committed that this team would be built with and for the people of Utah, and we are excited to celebrate today’s launch with the entire state. The community chose the Utah Mammoth, and it stands as a symbol of who we are, where we came from, and the unstoppable force we’re building together.”
Based on fossils found throughout the state, it is believed the Utah mammoth stood more than 14 feet tall and weighed as much as 22,000 pounds when they roamed the lands in the Ice Age. But the team, said that despite their hefty stature, the mammoth could run faster than 25 mph — “comparable to the speeds reached by the fastest skaters in the NHL.”
“A new Ice Age dawns. Introducing Utah Mammoth,” the team posted to social media on Wednesday, along with a video.
The logo features the mammoth mid-charge with his tusks up and ready to attack. It also includes tributes to the state mixed in, including the Wasatch Mountain Range, the shape of that state and the curved tusk that forms a “U.”
The color palette adopted for the first season of the Utah Hockey Club will remain. They are, according to the team: Rock Black, “representing the darkness of night in the mountains”; Salt White, “illustrating both the snow on Utah’s peaks and the famous salt flats”; and Mountain Blue, which represents “Utah’s rich winter sports history and its clear skies for more than 230 days a year.”
