Courtesy of "Tusky (UTAH MAMMOTH MASCOT)" on Instagram
Utah hockey stands at a turning point, one defined by both triumph and loss. As one team rises to national attention, another fades into memories. With the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Utah Mammoth starting its inaugural season under its new name, Utah’s hockey spotlight has never been brighter. The Utah Grizzlies longtime minor-league franchise are skating into their final season before relocating to New Jersey. It’s a moment that is both exciting and bittersweet for hockey fans in Utah.
The Mammoth’s rise is a milestone in Utah’s sports history, while the Grizzlies’ fall serves as a reminder that progress often comes with a price. The Utah Mammoth's arrival signals Utah’s evolution into a major-league market, but it also highlights the fragile balance between growth and loyalty. In the rush toward NHL prestige, Utah risks losing the local culture and community that the Grizzlies built over three decades.
Utah has been building toward this moment for years. According to ESPN in April 2024, the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes officially relocated to Salt Lake City after years of financial uncertainty and arena disputes in Arizona. The franchise was purchased by Ryan Smith, owner of the Utah Jazz, and began to play under the Utah Hockey Club name until a permanent one was chosen.
In June 2025, the team officially adopted the name Utah Mammoth, a name chosen through fan input. The rebrand included a woolly mammoth logo, red rock inspired color palette and a marketing campaign focused on state pride and community connection. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, 2025, the Mammoth made bold moves by acquiring JJ Peterka on a five-year, $7.7 million deal, signaling the team's intent to compete immediately in its new home.
The Mammoth’s debut represents more than just a new name. It symbolizes Utah’s long-awaited entry into the NHL spotlight. Season tickets sold out within weeks, merchandise filled the Delta Center, and social media buzzed in anticipation.
The Utah Grizzlies came to Utah in 1995 from Denver, joining the International Hockey League before becoming a part of the American Hockey League from 2001 to 2005. Since 2005, the team has competed in the East Coast Hockey League and has been based out of the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah.
For nearly thirty years, the Grizzlies were Utah’s hockey foundation. They gave local fans affordable, family-friendly entertainment and created a sense of community around the game. They introduced many young Utah kids to the sport of hockey hosting countless youth hockey nights, local fundraisers, and player meet-and-greets. They built a loyal following that made hockey matter in Utah long before the NHL took over.
Over the years, the Grizzlies became a fixture in Utah’s sports scene. They survived league changes, ownership shifts and fluctuating attendance but remained a dependable presence for nearly three decades. However, as competition intensified across the state, the Grizzlies found it difficult to keep up. The Utah Jazz dominated the spotlight, Real Salt Lake built its soccer empire, the Salt Lake Bees have a monopoly on baseball, and the Mammoth’s arrival brought unprecedented attention and funding to the sport.
The Grizzlies, limited by aging facilities and fewer media opportunities, just couldn’t keep up. Attendance dipped, sponsorships moved on to bigger franchises, and community outreach programs started scaling back. What was once a local institution began to fade from public view.
But beneath the excitement lies a dilemma. For every spotlight the Mammoth gains, the Grizzlies are pushed further into the shadows. The team that once defined Utah’s hockey heartbeat is nearing extinction in the same state it helped build.
The loss of the Grizzlies isn’t just another relocation story. It’s the end of an era that shaped Utah’s sports identity from the ground up. Before national broadcasts, it was the Grizzlies who kept hockey alive here. They built something genuine, something authentic, a hometown fanbase that loved the sport with all its heart.
Meanwhile, the Mammoth’s rise has been rapid and strategic. When the Coyotes’ relocation was finalized, it became one of the most dramatic moves in NHL history. The Mammoth’s new identity, complete with fan-voted branding, Utah-inspired designs and a larger-than-life mascot named Tusky, was crafted to resonate deeply with the state’s growing sports community. The marketing strategy is genius, and more importantly, it's working. Hopefully, it’s as authentic as it’s trying to be.
Utah Jazz and New Utah Mammoth owner, Ryan Smith, had no qualms about the team moving to Utah in 2024, “The one thing I do know about Utah is, people show up. It’s just what we do. We show up. I have a lot of faith in the people of Utah.”
The Mammoth’s version of community is polished and statewide, while the Grizzlies’ was personal and had a small-town feel to it. The Mammoth represents ambition and gaining recognition for the state, while the Grizzlies were all about loyalty and personal identity. Both matter in their own way. Only one built Utah hockey from the ground up.
Utah’s sports market is thriving, but such growth has consequences. When major-league teams move in, smaller franchises often move out. Sponsors, broadcasters, and fans tend to follow the bigger name with better reach. The Mammoth didn’t push the Grizzlies out. The market did. The question now is whether the Mammoth can preserve Utah’s authenticity and culture.
The economics are brutal but predictable. Utah isn’t unique in that regard; it’s what happens when growth outpaces loyalty. For longtime Utah hockey fans, this transition feels complicated. There’s pride in seeing Utah finally join the NHL ranks, but grief in losing the team that helped make that dream possible. Families passed down season tickets and kids grew up chasing autographs from their favorite players. Those memories are being replaced by a sleeker, more professional version of hockey.
Social media has become a scoreboard for Utah’s divided emotions. For fans who grew up with the Grizzlies, this transition feels like being written out of a story they helped build. For newer fans, it’s the beginning of something they’ve waited years to experience. Both sides are right but both sides are missing something. The Mammoth may have the spotlight, but the Grizzlies had the soul. Utah’s hockey identity is now caught somewhere in between.
The Mammoth’s success will depend on how well they connect with Utah’s hockey roots. Utah fans have always valued accessibility and authenticity over flash, and that’s something the Grizzlies understood instinctively.
The Mammoth is entering a market that already loves hockey, but love has to be earned, not inherited. To build something lasting, they’ll have to show up in schools, youth programs, and local rinks, not just on billboards. They’ll need to create memories that feel personal, not promotional. Because when the newness fades and merch stops selling itself, what will keep fans showing up isn’t hype; it's heart.
The future of hockey in Utah depends on how well the state can combine its past with its potential. The Mammoth creates a national stage but it means nothing if they can’t win over the community. The loss of the Grizzlies leaves a gap in the developmental and cultural pipeline that once connected youth players to their hometown pros. The Mammoth have the power to fill that gap, but only if they choose to invest in more than just the product on the ice.
If Utah wants its hockey future to last, it needs to invest where it all begins: the community. That means the Mammoths are partnering with local rinks, supporting youth and high school leagues, and keeping ticket prices accessible enough for families who once filled Grizzlies games.
Honoring the Grizzlies’ legacy should also be part of that foundation. Hanging retired jerseys in the Delta Center, hosting alumni nights, or even community tournaments in their name would remind fans that Utah hockey didn’t start with the NHL. Growth doesn’t have to erase history; it can build on it.
The Mammoth has a rare opportunity to set a new standard, one where big-league success and small-town spirit coexist. Whether they take it will determine if Utah’s rise in hockey becomes a lasting movement or just another moment. Utah hockey has always been about more than the game. It’s about belonging.
The rise of the Mammoth proves how far the sport has come in Utah, but the fall of the Grizzlies reminds us what can be lost along the way. One story ends in nostalgia, the other begins in anticipation. Together, they capture the paradox of progress, how growth can inspire and ache at the same time.
Utah is no longer the underdog of American hockey– it’s a headline. But headlines fade, and history lasts. Utah’s test is not how loud the Mammoth roars, but how deeply they root their legacy into the ice that made them possible.
Disclaimer: The views, analysis, and opinions expressed in this op-ed are of the writer. All information is for commentary and informational purposes only and is not intended as legal, professional, or investment advice. References to third-party sources and public figures are made for illustrative purposes and do not imply endorsement or verification by HAZZE MEDIA.
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