When it was announced in April that the Arizona Coyotes franchise would be relocating to Salt Lake City for the 2024-2025 NHL season, we discussed options for the organization’s new identity. Unfortunately, our favorite idea went by the wayside. Now, there are 6 finalists for the name of the relocated team: Utah Blizzard, Utah Hockey Club (Utah HC), Utah Mammoth, Utah Outlaws, Utah Venom and Utah Yeti. Hmmm.

Our hot takes:

  • Blizzard: This is tolerable. But wethinks it’s playing on the “zz” bit that is a part of the city’s already existing NBA team. It’s not the worst idea, but it’s hardly the best one, either.
  • Utah HC: This is not futbol. This is not soccer. Enough said. Wrong sport, wrong idea. Next!
  • Mammoth: We like this better than the first idea, as the mascot opportunities are cool, fun, and interesting. Imagine this thing coming down the ice at you, for instance. Oh yeah, baby. But definitely go with the plural here, people. A stampede of mammoths is pretty terrifying, after all.
  • Outlaws: There was a USFL team named the Outlaws, and since it was based in Arizona, this is an automatic “no” from us considering the NHL team is relocating from that same geographic space.
  • Venom: We liked this idea a lot at first, but considering the Marvel films recently dropped into this universe, we now have to take a hard pass. The joke will write themselves, and no one wants that.
  • Yeti: This is the bandwagon choice, and it’s weak, because … again … the Yeti purportedly is indigenous to the Himalayans—not the high plains of the American West. Cultural appropriation!

In the end, it’s up to the fans. You can vote here, as many times as you have unique email addresses. Let’s hope the nice people of Salt Lake City don’t get stuck with a dumb team name. The people of Cleveland and Washington, DC, aren’t happy themselves with their new team names in baseball and football, respectively. We’d hate to see another city disgruntled by a poor choice in team name that everyone gets stuck with forever.