Everyone I’ve spoken to this week seems to have the same handful of questions about the Utah Mammoth rebrand. If you’ve wondered the same things, here are your answers.
Why is Mammoth singular?
A quick trip to the Merriam-Webster website will tell you that the plural of “mammoth” is “mammoths.” Why, then, is the team name singular?
When we inquired about this, the team’s message was that the singularity represents unity — oneness.
They also said the name represents strength, momentum and an earth-shattering presence and that it pays homage to the boldness with which the franchise entered the league.
How do the Colorado Mammoth feel about it?
If the team couldn’t use the same name as a cooler company, how can it use a name occupied by a professional sports team in a neighboring state?
Smith Entertainment Group said that the Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which owns a number of professional sports teams, including the Colorado Mammoth and the Colorado Avalanche, was fully supportive of the name choice.
It’s actually in Kroenke’s best interest if the Utah Mammoth do well financially, because teams that can’t support themselves financially get revenue sharing checks from the others.
That was the case for the Arizona Coyotes, which was a major factor in their move to Utah in the first place. Besides, it’s not like they’re the only sports teams to ever share a name.
The Colorado Mammoth social media folks did have a little bit of fun with it, but don’t take that as an indication of opposition from the team’s brass.
Were there actually mammoths in Utah?
Utah actually has a rich prehistoric background. There are dinosaur museums all across the state, each featuring fossils that were discovered in their respective areas. And yes, that includes mammoths.
The remains of several mammoths have been found in Utah.
One person who appreciates Utah’s natural history is goaltender Karel Vejmelka, who sported a Jurassic Park-themed mask for part of the season.
Why didn’t the Utah Mammoth change its colors with the rebrand?
Some fan mockups, many of which included different colors, looked pretty sweet, but it just wasn’t practical to change the color scheme at this point.
See, when a team changes its colors, it takes several years for the manufacturing companies to supply the necessary amounts of merchandise. That was one speed bump SEG ran into when it first bought the team, causing it to not have retail jerseys available until the second month of the season.
Keeping the same colors means the companies can use the same supplies, simplifying the process and allowing for prompt production.
Fans might be interested to know that the original Utah Hockey Club jerseys were designed with a slightly different shade of blue, but because it would have taken too long to manufacture entirely new fabric, they switched it to the shade that both the Florida Panthers and the Montreal Canadiens used for their “Reverse Retro 2.0″ jerseys.
Why is the new Utah Mammoth logo not on the away jersey?
Back in November, president of hockey operations Chris Armstrong told the media that they wanted the new jerseys to continue representing Utah while the team is on the road. He also noted how strong the feedback was on those jerseys, so they didn’t want to do away with them altogether.