Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — Voting for Utah's NHL team officially began Wednesday when the Smith Entertainment Group released a group of 20 potential team names and asked fans to choose four of their favorites.
The first round of voting will run through May 22, but why wait that long to get a feel for what Utah wants in a name?
So we're opening our own poll to see what fans and Utahns like. Now, have we been slammed by voting bots before? We sure have! The Pie vs. Crown Burger fiasco still lives on in infamy around the newsroom. But since this is all unofficial anyway, we figured the fun was worth the risk.
But first, what does the KSL.com sports staff think is the best name?
Using a Heisman-like voting method (a first-place vote counts as 4 points, a second-place vote counts as 3, etc.), here is what our staff thought:
KSL.com NHL team straw poll:
- Yeti: 17 (3)
- Blizzard: 16 (2)
- Mammoth: 13
- HC (Hockey Club): 4 (1)
- Black Diamonds: 3
- Outlaws: 3
- Hive: 2
- Caribou: 1
- Mountaineers: 1
Three names separated from the pack, but there wasn't a single name that appeared on every ballot. So if it wasn't already clear, a consensus will be hard to find.
As a note, Venom, Powder, Fury, Blast, Ice, Glaciers, Frost, Swarm, Freeze, Squall, and Canyons didn't get any votes from our staff.
Here are the cases for the nine names that did appear:
Yeti
This has been among the favorites long before the team was officially announced. Fans have made countless mock-ups, praised the marketing potential, and liked the semi-alliteration.
And we agreed. Yeti appeared on five of the six KSL.com ballots, and got the most first-place votes, too.
As KSL.com sports director Josh Furlong put it: "The mascot should be intimidating, representing the team's — competitiveness? passion? fear? But anybody who's been to a game realizes that kids love mascots, so they're supposed to be cuddly and inviting. How do you make that possible? Enter the Yeti!"
The potential drawback: For fans who care about this type of thing, Yeti lore doesn't have any ties to Utah.
Blizzard
Another long-time fan favorite that is a bit more locally accurate. Blizzard appeared on five of our six ballots.
"I feel obligated to stand up for Blizzard because it's geographically accurate (to Utah), culturally relevant (to hockey), and creates natural synergy — even a rivalry — with the Colorado Avalanche," BYU reporter Sean Walker said. "Plus, it shortens to Blizz, which is our #brand that we might as well embrace, even if cheekily."
Mammoth
Mammoth seems to be a late charger for the team name. While it was none of our staff's favorite, it did appear on all but one KSL.com ballot. Multiple mammoth remains have been discovered in Utah, and the branding has some fun potential — tusks, making it look like a mammoth is frozen in the ice sheet, etc.
However, some (like me) feel like it should be plural.
Utah HC
OK, so confession time: I was the only one to put this on my list, and it was at the very top. Why? Well, I think the rest of the names are less than great, and going with Hockey Club (or HC for short) allows a name to happen organically.
Let's say the team wins the Stanley Cup in the next few years with coach Andre Tourigny leading the way. Tourigny's nickname is Bear. Unofficially, fans could start calling the team the Bears in honor of the coach.
That's just one potential example. But going with the admittedly generic HC provides a chance to have a future nickname with history and meaning. I'll take that over the other options.
Black Diamonds
Utah claims to have the best snow on earth, so why not honor that elite skiing/snowboarding? This one is unique to Utah and the branding could go in a lot of interesting ways. Argyle sweaters? Rustic ski lodge vibes? It could be fun.
Outlaws
This one has had a lot of traction on social media but didn't get a lot of love from our staff. There is some history with outlaws in the state — namely Butch Cassidy — so it makes some sense. But is a Western motif the best for a hockey team? Reasonable minds can disagree.
Hive
Utah is the Beehive State, and the Salt Lake Bees have done well using that from a branding standpoint. This gets bonus points if fans are allowed to bring vuvuzelas in to make the Delta Center sound like an actual beehive.
Caribou
Instead of going with Elk or Moose (two animals that most definitely are in Utah), SEG went with the Caribou (one that is definitely not) as the deer family option. Most people love Santa's reindeer, so that's something.
Mountaineers
Utah loves its mountains, and this opens up pretty much anything for a mascot. An actual mountaineer? Sure. A beaver? Why not. A sasquatch or Yeti? That works, too.
Now it's your turn: Vote for your favorite four here (and also in the official bracket — that's probably a little more important):
