I need to make this known; I’m not from the state of Utah, and I’ve never been there in my 30+ years on this earth. I don’t know anyone who lives there right now, so it’s not like my words are in support of someone from the area. So to be honest……my ‘vote’ for which name the Utah Hockey Club should choose may not be received well by the people from the state.

But I will say that when I saw the final three choices for the team’s name, which fans can (reportedly) vote on throughout the weekend….

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

I just couldn’t help but throw my two-cents into the mix. I just couldn’t help but formulate my own thoughts on the matter, and tell the world that the ONLY correct answer in this situation is the ‘Utah Hockey Club.’

It is, it really is. You can show me all of the possible ‘jersey designs’ in the world, and try to explain to me how the ‘Mammoths’ and the ‘Outlaws’ would look a lot cooler on the team’s merchandise. But they just seem ‘hokey’ and ‘gimmicky’ to me. They just seem like random names that someone pulled out of a hat, that resemble squads that you’d find in lower level ‘independent’ leagues.

Take the Mammoths, for instance. If I came into possession of Utah Mammoths tickets, and I didn’t know they were an NHL team, I would 1000% think that they’re some ‘independent league’ squad from Park City. I would 1000% think that I’d be pulling up to some random YMCA in the middle of nowhere, to watch a bunch of 30 and 40-year olds play in a beer league game.

Not only that; ‘The Outlaws’ is BY FAR the worst choice out of the three. I don’t care what it means to the state of Utah, it just doesn’t make sense for a professional sports franchise to be called that. Not only does it give off the same ‘minor league vibes’ that the Mammoths do; but could you IMAGINE having a losing season with that as your name? It would just lose any sort of ‘menacing connotation’ that the team was hoping for, VERY QUICKLY!

So because of that, the only name left that this team can POSSIBLY go with…..is the Utah Hockey Club. The Utah Hockey Club; the placeholder that the team has been using since it’s move from Arizona to Utah, is the only real ‘hockey sounding name’ out of the three. If anything; it just SOUNDS like hockey in it’s purest form, if that makes sense?

Just think about it; when I hear the name ‘Utah Hockey Club,’ the first thing that I think about is an old-school pond hockey squad who travels across the state competing in tournaments in random towns. I think about them getting out of their old 1995 VW Bus, with all of their gear and their skates hanging off of their sticks, as they make their way towards the pond.

Simply put; the ‘Utah Hockey Club’ just sounds like a classic club name, and something that will age a lot better than the Mammoths or the Outlaws.

Now, the question that arises is……will the people of Utah agree with me, and vote to retain the greatest name in sports today? I have no idea! I don’t know how they will vote, or how the votes will play into the team’s decision making process. But I know one thing’s for certain……

I would MUCH RATHER wear a ‘Utah Hockey Club’ jersey, than a Mammoth or an Outlaw jersey. For the love of the sport; make the right decision, Utah.

But in the end, as always…..what do I know? I’m just a guy from the Midwest, with a beer and a laptop, trying to make sense of this world.