Opinion: Why Utah Fans Should Seriously Consider Sticking With Utah Hockey Club

Yahoo

05-02-2025

Well, the Utah Yetis was a rather short-lived name.
After the recent rejection from the U.S. Trademark Office, largely due to Utah's inability to reach a co-existence agreement with YETI cooler company, Utah is now forced to go back to the drawing board for a new name.
The good news is that a lot of work has already been done: Utah HC has already conducted fan voting in the past, and no other name should face issues with the U.S. Trademark Office.
To make things even better for Utah fans, Utah HC even changed one of its original three finalists after fans demanded the return of Utah Outlaws over Utah Wasatch.
Hey Utah hockey fans! We listened to your feedback and dug into all the Qualtrics data from last night's survey. For the team name, it's clear that Outlaws should be in the mix instead of Wasatch, so we're swapping it out. Surveys will continue at the arena Friday, Sunday and…
— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) January 30, 2025
Various Utah fans have made their opinions known about their preferred team name, whether it's the two fans who keep coming to games dawning mammoth jammies or the fan dressed as an outlaw during Utah's game against the Blues.
All in all, Utah will most likely be known as either the Mammoth, the Outlaws or by its current name.
But while the new names are creating lots of excitement, is it really the best move for Utah to change its name at this point?
I personally would like to see Utah have a new logo and mascot, but without any uniform or logo concepts to see, I'm left a little hesitant to jump on board with Utah's upcoming name change.
Don't get me wrong, I personally would like to see Utah Outlaws become reality, but there are still some factors to consider.
For example, the current uniforms Utah boasts actually look clean and professional. While light blue may traditionally be associated with baby showers, in this case, it feels more like an icy connection to Utah's snowy mountains rather than a gender reveal.
🚀🚀🚀 pic.twitter.com/slMV86tg5d
— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) February 3, 2025
From what I can tell, Utah HC also likes its current look too.
I suspect one of the main reasons Utah HC wanted to be the Yetis so badly is because it would seamlessly fit with the current uniforms. This could also explain why Utah Wasatch—which would have featured a yeti-like mascot—was even a voting option for fans, despite being a brand-new choice and not a finalist in the original fan voting.
With the potential new name, Utah faces a complete rebrand that could either result in a duller look or a highly coveted design for the future.
For example, when I think of a mammoth, oftentimes I think of the color brown and that doesn't match the current uniforms at all. But I could be wrong, maybe Utah has a plan that would keep its uniforms regardless of what name is chosen.
But my point is that maybe choosing the Mammoth name would bring a cool mascot, but a not so cool uniform style.
With Outlaws, I can see the uniform having a variety of potential designs. While the uniform color could end up being worse, there also is an endless amount of designs that could be chosen. There might even be a way to incorporate elements of the current uniforms with the Outlaw branding.
That's why I feel like uniform design should be a top consideration for Utah fans. While the logo and team name is a little stale with the current name, knowing what the merch and jersey's are makes it worth it.
At the same time, Utah HC's logo is currently just a hockey puck. And its mascot? Well thats just the good ol' Jazz Bear.
View the to see embedded media.
Don't get me wrong, I like Jazz Bear. When I attended the Jazz vs. Timberwolves game last week, it was especially amusing watching him try to land a toy suction dart on a bald fan's head during the game.
But when you look at the other two naming options, both promise a cooler logo and a new mascot personality that'll be sure to excite fans.
The Mammoth would be particularly interesting as there aren't really any notable professional/ collegiate teams that use a mammoth… unless you count Alabama's own Big Al. But maybe Al wouldn't like me grouping him in with a mammoth. And since an elephant never forgets, I'd rather stay on his good side.
View the to see embedded media.
The logo likely being a gigantic mammoth head could be cool, even if it turns into modernized logo at the end of the day. If Utah decided to go with a gigantic mammoth head, it would likely look big and bold and much better than the current puck logo.
It also pairs particularly well when Utah plays against Gnash and the Nashville Predators.
With the @PredsNHL on NC5, @Gnash00 reported for work at the station. But as you can see he's having a bit of a hard time...fitting in... pic.twitter.com/yM8B6NdKvB
— NewsChannel 5 (@NC5) December 26, 2024
The Outlaws name would certainly be a little less unique as there are pro teams with similar names, such as NFL teams like the Las Vega Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, or an MLB team like the Pittsburgh Pirates.
But I think that if Utah chose to be the Outlaws, it would still feel unique and fresh enough even though these other professional teams have similar mascots.
But since the NHL doesn't have a mascot similar to an outlaw, then Utah shouldn't really worry too much about other sports mascots.
But if you're a Utah fan voting in the remaining game, a Utah HC fan or even just a non-Utah fan who has an opinion on the name, consider that maybe Utah Hockey Club isn't such a bad choice. It's might be a safe and conservative choice, but it could end up being the smartest choice that Utah has.
But what name do you prefer? Is there another team name you think Utah should choose instead? Is there a slight tweak you would make to one of the current options? Let me know down below!