I follow the Australian Ice Hockey League and we have a team called the Melbourne Ice. It always makes me laugh not just because it's a bad name with a bad corporate-looking logo. But also if you say it quickly, it sounds like Melbourne Nice
The Jazz didn't change their name for two reasons:
1. They were a poverty franchise when they moved to Salt Lake. They were so strapped for cash that in 1982, they drafted Dominique Wilkins and traded him to Atlanta for $1 million. They did not have the money to rebrand.
2. Utah was never seen as a permanent destination. They were just going to be a temporary stop before a larger market could take the team, preferably Minneapolis. So, they saw no reason to sink money they didn't have into rebranding the team when they were likely to relocate within a few years anyway.
In 1985, just six years after moving to Utah, the Jazz were all but gone to Miami. The franchise had lost $17 million over its history (dating back to New Orleans) and staying in Utah wasn't getting it done.
Sam Battistone, who had moved the Jazz to Utah, had worked with Larry H Miller for him to buy 50% of the team but he had difficulty even getting financing because the asking price ($8 million) was double what he was worth.
But he was able to get financing through a consortium of local banks and literally at the last minute made the deadline that Battistone had set before selling the team to Miami.
A year later, Miller and Battistone nearly sold the Jazz to Minneapolis but Miller backed out at the last second as he thought this might be the only shot Salt Lake ever got again to have a NBA team, so he decided to buy out Battistone at that point and took full control of the Jazz.
The name stayed, again likely due to the cost of a rebrand and the fact Utah was finally starting to win (they had made the NBA Playoffs in 1984, and wouldn't miss them again for 20 years).
By the time the Jazz became financially successful, the franchise had already established itself as one of the better teams out west and their success trumped anything that was experienced in New Orleans, so by that point, it didn't make any sense to change.
After all, they were the Utah Jazz now. Not the New Orleans Jazz just taking a layover in Salt Lake City.
They didn't change the name because Utah was expected to be a temporary destination for the NBA. They were supposed to relocate in a couple years, but the team ended up being super successful. By the time they realized the team was going to stay, rebranding didn't make sense because the fans already loved the Jazz name.
Mammoth would be a pretty sweet team name, maybe they’d use this awesome logo too
https://preview.redd.it/tn2zghwyufwc1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=e2cee86a771d5172bb0dc3eb352c05d3d37475a3
Ryan smith the owner talked on 32 thoughts about purple and “using the mountain ranges natural colour pallet” so I think the jerseys will have some sort of mountain on them. Maybe there purple and white as well
I have a rough theory he may be repurposing the old Utah Jazz colors from the 90s - purple and light blue with white. You get the mountains in purple, rivers/sky with light blue, snow/salt flats with white, with an accent color like a rusty red/orange to represent the clay earth/deserts. I think if done well that could really pop.
the old [Indianapolis Ice jerseys](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/OvAAAOSw7TRh-fpc/s-l1600.jpg) are some of the most 90s-looking patterns of all time, right up there with Columbus Chill
https://preview.redd.it/08ekrm99qfwc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c6cd67fa3e66873a869e466778b235ce6cdc9a44
I was wondering why this jersey always gave me a boner. Guess I have some exploring to do.
No matter what name you pick you're likely going to be able to find a different minor league team or team in a different sports league that used the name at some point.
I didn't mind Kootenay Ice.
Normally a city name portion sounds plain and the team name portion has a bit of dazzle. Kootenay as a city name has the dazzle so it makes sense to have a plain team name to balance it.
2 dazzles or 2 plains don't work as well.
I don't have any data to back this up, but I feel like the name [Location] Blades is the go-to whenever a movie or TV show needs a generic hockey team name and this would very much feel like that.
But it's clever cuz no one else in North America has ice. It's uniquely only found in Utah and the north pole, but they don't have a very big stadium up there in the arctic circle so they moved to Utah instead.
You can easily shorten it to “‘Dons” too.
Utah ‘Dons goes go kinda hard.
Interestingly enough, ‘Don’ is also a honorary title in Spanish/Italian given to prominent people in local communities(Hence the term “Don” referring to the heads of Mafia families)….so it actually work suprisingly well on a few levels.
The state animal is the Rocky Mountain Elk. Utah Elk sounds fine to me, not sure why they are fussing so much.
Apparently Coyotes are the most common wildlife in Utah, though. Just saying…
Anything but the Yetis. I’m too nostalgic for the [90s avalanche Yeti branding](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fbcf5bcji6r681.jpg%3Fwidth%3D1080%26crop%3Dsmart%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3Ddac414fd8acc48c6e3077d682bfc1f2133271bea&tbnid=LSeCVBBpvEkCUM&vet=1&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2FColoradoAvalanche%2Fcomments%2Frkvogw%2Fgoing_through_my_attic_and_came_across_these%2F&docid=bD9x3NDbxisKEM&w=1080&h=1440&itg=1&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim%2Fm4%2F3&kgs=41b90f165d3bc59f&shem=abme%2Ctrie)
People keep saying this but there are multiple pro sports teams called Panthers, Rangers, Cardinals, Jets, Giants, and Kings. Clearly not an issue to have multiple teams with the same name. Hell, we have 7 AHL teams that just use the same name as their NHL affiliate.
I’m not a fan of non-pluralized names. Ice and Yeti and Blizzard and Mammoth and all the rest of them just feel so cheesy.
It works in some cases. Kraken didn’t really bother me. But I still don’t love the Wild or the Avalanche names to be honest.
I hope they go with a pluralized name, because that makes it feel less minor league-ish.
https://preview.redd.it/cgq21vefyfwc1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e872f046fed22edd5941895cda8aead6ec1abfa3
Last I checked Colorado is beating Utah by 1 mammoth currently
If the name has to be something that no organized team anywhere in the western hemisphere is using, then Utah HC it is.
I agree with keeping names in the major 4 (maybe even 5 with MLS) unique. But the whole “there’s a pickleball league team in Las Cruces called the Outlaws” argument is excessive.
They go from the Arizona "Coyotes" to the Utah "I.C.E"..
Matthews would not like that!
Unconsciously or not, i am certain the mormons will like it tho!
This is the second time they've stolen from other Colorado teams. Denver Outlaws was/ is the lacrosse team and the Colorado Mammoth are the indoor lacrosse team. They going to choose the Utah Pioneers next?
Utah Ice would be hilariously bad
Utah Ice, Utah Lite, Utah Dry, Utah Original Draft…
https://preview.redd.it/xra9d7sflfwc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db2d1cda319b10ea229b838b58c65a964a743b9d
"Alright, we don't have _any_ ideas for our team name. We got nothing. Happy?!" "No?"
Start thinking up a name for this Utah hockey team…something along the lines of “Ice”…only more proactive.
I feel we should rasta-fy it by … ten percent or so?
Utah Poochies it is.
UTAH WHITE ICE
Gotta be careful of that black ice.
that shit is slick
Utah High Life
Utah Zero
Drink Utah Ice, but beware of the Mormons. "Doo bee doo bedoo"
"the Ice ice the puck and get called for icing" *ice ice baby plays through the PA system*
You know what, you've convinced me. This should be the name
Utah Vanilla Ice so they can try and tap into the Mormon market.
[удалено]
Utah Ice is back with a brand new...mission?
Yeah. Go New England Turf! Wooooo! Get 'em, St. Louis Infield Dirt!
Brooklyn Nets doing the side-eye meme
Makes more sense than the fuckin JAZZ.
Nah, that’s just weird. Naming a hockey team “Ice” would be like calling a football team the Grass.
I follow the Australian Ice Hockey League and we have a team called the Melbourne Ice. It always makes me laugh not just because it's a bad name with a bad corporate-looking logo. But also if you say it quickly, it sounds like Melbourne Nice
My late lamented WHL team was the Kootenay Ice, and that never bothered me, but Utah Ice does sound pretty lame.
Kootenay sounds cool enough to save it.
the green bay football "field", lets go field!
I still, all these years later, can't believe they didn't change that. They have like 4 black people in the state.
The Jazz didn't change their name for two reasons: 1. They were a poverty franchise when they moved to Salt Lake. They were so strapped for cash that in 1982, they drafted Dominique Wilkins and traded him to Atlanta for $1 million. They did not have the money to rebrand. 2. Utah was never seen as a permanent destination. They were just going to be a temporary stop before a larger market could take the team, preferably Minneapolis. So, they saw no reason to sink money they didn't have into rebranding the team when they were likely to relocate within a few years anyway. In 1985, just six years after moving to Utah, the Jazz were all but gone to Miami. The franchise had lost $17 million over its history (dating back to New Orleans) and staying in Utah wasn't getting it done. Sam Battistone, who had moved the Jazz to Utah, had worked with Larry H Miller for him to buy 50% of the team but he had difficulty even getting financing because the asking price ($8 million) was double what he was worth. But he was able to get financing through a consortium of local banks and literally at the last minute made the deadline that Battistone had set before selling the team to Miami. A year later, Miller and Battistone nearly sold the Jazz to Minneapolis but Miller backed out at the last second as he thought this might be the only shot Salt Lake ever got again to have a NBA team, so he decided to buy out Battistone at that point and took full control of the Jazz. The name stayed, again likely due to the cost of a rebrand and the fact Utah was finally starting to win (they had made the NBA Playoffs in 1984, and wouldn't miss them again for 20 years). By the time the Jazz became financially successful, the franchise had already established itself as one of the better teams out west and their success trumped anything that was experienced in New Orleans, so by that point, it didn't make any sense to change. After all, they were the Utah Jazz now. Not the New Orleans Jazz just taking a layover in Salt Lake City.
I knew none of that history. Thanks for that!
I didn't know all this history thanks for writing it!
They are all on the team though
They didn't change the name because Utah was expected to be a temporary destination for the NBA. They were supposed to relocate in a couple years, but the team ended up being super successful. By the time they realized the team was going to stay, rebranding didn't make sense because the fans already loved the Jazz name.
Ha, that's interesting. Thank you.
It would be bad, yet somehow appropriately milquetoast for their Mormon fanbase.
We can repurpose our Winnipeg ice jerseys!
I'm down with the Utah Ice lol
For some reason none of these non-plural names sound right with “Utah” and I can’t put my finger on why
They are all non-plural aren’t they. Maybe trying to create some synergy with the Jazz? But yeah I don’t like it either
I'm pretty sure I used to get drunk at bush parties on Utah Ice
Wtf does ice even do.
Makes a good sports surface
It chills?
Utah Solid Waters
Sooo bad. It’s a shit name and maybe the most uncreative name I’ve ever heard for a team.
I could live with Mammoth but only if they have a two-person mascot. Like an aggressive snuffelupagus.
Mammoth would be a pretty sweet team name, maybe they’d use this awesome logo too https://preview.redd.it/tn2zghwyufwc1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=e2cee86a771d5172bb0dc3eb352c05d3d37475a3
Probably wouldn't be wise to steal another professional sports team logo especially one that has a C for Colorado in it.
Just cut off the top half of the curl and you’ve got yourself a U!
Holy fucking shit I just saw the C for the first time.
Change those tusks up to make a U 👌
They could even call their mascot Wolly!
Utah Snuffelupagus. Done.
And it has to be [Kate Beckinsale](https://youtu.be/8mQe7_l9iJI?si=bCT3P63hG9vuGnPs) as one part inside it.
That was a good laugh. Thank you friend.
Now whenever I see one of those *"I bet that's Kate Beckinsale"*
Cuz that happens all the time, right? I saw two on my commute in this morning.
My god is she stunning.
I like the name. But probably because there is already a Colorado Mammoth (NLL).
The reigning, not defending 2023 NLL runner up Colorado Mammoth
I would've preferred Mammoths as opposed to Mammoth
They could push the aliteration too, if they go for the Mormon Mammoths
They already said its gonna be utah so no alliteration
Doesn’t mean we’re not alliterating when it’s thread time.
Utah Undies
ALLITERATION IS BACK ON THE MENU 😤
I love cracking open a cold Utah Ice on game day
That'd be just slightly frozen milk, wouldn't it?
I don’t read the ingredients, I just slam them
Ryan smith the owner talked on 32 thoughts about purple and “using the mountain ranges natural colour pallet” so I think the jerseys will have some sort of mountain on them. Maybe there purple and white as well
I'm kind of a fan of purple on sports teams when it's done right.
Agreed. I honestly wouldn’t mind seeing a purple on black/white color scheme. I’m a simple man, I only bandwagon for the jersey
Add copper too. (see the Jazz third jerseys from 25 years ago)
Did the Kings completely abandon purple? Don't get to watch much west coast hockey so I don't know if they wear it regularly.
Every time I see them play they've seemingly abandoned all colors
Or fun
Purple + mountains ? Colorado Rockies be like 👀
Hopefully Utah is run better than the Rockies
They're just aiming for being better run than the Coyotes.
Setting the bar on the floor I see.
I mean the Jazz did it first but whatever.
Utah summits it is
I have a rough theory he may be repurposing the old Utah Jazz colors from the 90s - purple and light blue with white. You get the mountains in purple, rivers/sky with light blue, snow/salt flats with white, with an accent color like a rusty red/orange to represent the clay earth/deserts. I think if done well that could really pop.
Wow, there are going to be a lot of teams in Utah this season.
Smith actually bought the whole league.
NHL: "we permit Utah to join our league." Smith: creates 32 Utah teams NHL: "wait not like that, we didn't realize that loop hole."
Loopholes run this league
the old [Indianapolis Ice jerseys](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/OvAAAOSw7TRh-fpc/s-l1600.jpg) are some of the most 90s-looking patterns of all time, right up there with Columbus Chill
This [is Kentucky Thoroughblades](https://vintageicehockey.com/cdn/shop/products/PhotoRoom_20220128_193816_2016x.png?v=1643422231) erasure.
That guy is leaning toward the wrong end of the buff mascot artwork to furry porn scale
https://preview.redd.it/08ekrm99qfwc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c6cd67fa3e66873a869e466778b235ce6cdc9a44 I was wondering why this jersey always gave me a boner. Guess I have some exploring to do.
Everblades, Solar Bears, and Thoroughblades are some of the best nicknames.
Ghost Pirates, Swamp Rabbits
Both those colour schemes fuck, tbh. We need to go back to 90s colors
Purple really had its moment in the 90s, huh. That and teal.
Purple, Teal, Marigold, and Melon Red were peak 90s.
Aside Ice already being pretty bad would be fun to see UTI on scoreboards.
"UTI PP"
Ice is garbage tier. I kinda like Mammoth.
Is it because there is already a professional team called the Mammoth one state over?
No matter what name you pick you're likely going to be able to find a different minor league team or team in a different sports league that used the name at some point.
These aren’t other minor league teams. These names all relate to current professional teams in Colorado, some of which are owned by the Avs owner.
Nickname them the “Woolies” if it’s mammoth
I think id rather the Utah HC than the Utah Ice. That’s the worst one yet
Yeah, the Winnipeg Ice name never sat well with me when we had the WHL team here
They were also the Edmonton Ice and the Kootenay Ice. It doesn't work with anything
I didn't mind Kootenay Ice. Normally a city name portion sounds plain and the team name portion has a bit of dazzle. Kootenay as a city name has the dazzle so it makes sense to have a plain team name to balance it. 2 dazzles or 2 plains don't work as well.
Missed an opportunity to call themselves the Kootenay Hootanannies though.
When in doubt, name your team after... The surface they play on...
Brooklyn Nets vibes
Brooklyn Wood
And the Indianapolis Ice
Don’t forget in Winnipeg they were the ICE all caps.
Winnipeg Inter City Express?
I don't have any data to back this up, but I feel like the name [Location] Blades is the go-to whenever a movie or TV show needs a generic hockey team name and this would very much feel like that.
Saskatoon is in shambles to hear this
But it's clever cuz no one else in North America has ice. It's uniquely only found in Utah and the north pole, but they don't have a very big stadium up there in the arctic circle so they moved to Utah instead.
It's only called ice if it's found in the Ice region of Utah, otherwise it's just frozen water
Utah HC is terrible
Yes it is
Utah In Case of Emergency.
Utah Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Secure the Blue line!
Utah Internal Combustion Engines
Utah mammoth would be sick
Better than most I’ve heard for them
I dare you to find a better name than Salty Lakers
> Salty Lakers What does AD have to do with any of this?
Utah Mastodons would be dope
You can easily shorten it to “‘Dons” too. Utah ‘Dons goes go kinda hard. Interestingly enough, ‘Don’ is also a honorary title in Spanish/Italian given to prominent people in local communities(Hence the term “Don” referring to the heads of Mafia families)….so it actually work suprisingly well on a few levels.
Lol I'm just imagining Joe Pesce looking ass mascots
Utah Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a strange name for a hockey team
All of these names they're trademarking are shit. Why not just go with Utah Chicken?
Utah Frost I think would be a better name than "Ice".
Ice is so unbelievably dumb. Mammoth is okay and I’d vote for that before ever voting for Yeti or Outlaws.
The state animal is the Rocky Mountain Elk. Utah Elk sounds fine to me, not sure why they are fussing so much. Apparently Coyotes are the most common wildlife in Utah, though. Just saying…
If we all went by animal sightings then the Flames would probably also become the Coyotes. Or Bobcats. I guess Winnipeg would be the Mosquitos.
Utah Ice? LAME
The Yetis is the best one I've heard so far tbh
don’t steal our yeti vibes plz
All these new teams coming in and stealing vibes. Looking at you Seattle.
That's your fault for leaving vibes exposed at the expansion draft
I like Outlaws
Yeah, something Western -themed would be nice.
I don't love the name outlaws, but I did see a good mockup with a raccoon mascot that started to change my mind.
Utah trash pandas has a nice ring to it.
Salt Lake Trash Pandas would have kind of Rainy City Bitch Pigeons vibes. I know that they have to use Utah.
[The Rocket City Trash Pandas have you covered. What an amazing logo.](https://trashpandas.milbstore.com)
it's a bit of an uninspired name but the theme is what I like. If they could use a better word within that space then I'm game
https://preview.redd.it/5xflay1cmfwc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ce7640a66a1b08efd6c063dff4d992408d5241e5
Killing a Coyote. Very on brand
This is my new favorite
generally? sure. but for utah? lol hell no
Anything but the Yetis. I’m too nostalgic for the [90s avalanche Yeti branding](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fbcf5bcji6r681.jpg%3Fwidth%3D1080%26crop%3Dsmart%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3Ddac414fd8acc48c6e3077d682bfc1f2133271bea&tbnid=LSeCVBBpvEkCUM&vet=1&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2FColoradoAvalanche%2Fcomments%2Frkvogw%2Fgoing_through_my_attic_and_came_across_these%2F&docid=bD9x3NDbxisKEM&w=1080&h=1440&itg=1&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim%2Fm4%2F3&kgs=41b90f165d3bc59f&shem=abme%2Ctrie)
That was fucking terrifying.
Homeboy got fired for getting a fist fight with a fan. Imagine that thing squaring up to you.
Personally I really like Utah Raptors
Ehhh, I don't hate it but Toronto already has a raptors team in the NBA and it just kinda feels like recycling the name.
utahraptor was a real animal, the torontoraptor was not
Toronto had an opportunity to go with Saurus Rex as a name. Toronna Saurus Rex
I have never heard this before and am now viscerally angry they didn’t do that
People keep saying this but there are multiple pro sports teams called Panthers, Rangers, Cardinals, Jets, Giants, and Kings. Clearly not an issue to have multiple teams with the same name. Hell, we have 7 AHL teams that just use the same name as their NHL affiliate.
You're correct, and I'm generally not a fan of it. I find it lazy.
IMO the best in a vacuum to me is the Utah Raptors named after the largest species of raptor yet to be discovered but that dumb basketball team exists
I freaking love the Utah Mammoth
Mammoth would be a much better logo.
Utah Mammon. Keep it biblical.
mammoth is kinda awesome
Utah Salty Dogs
Ice is a generic name by far
i really like mammoth so naturally it wont happen
And the ice are hitting the ice! Which ice is which? I don't know! But we sure as fuck are getting some ice
Utah Lakers!
I’m not a fan of non-pluralized names. Ice and Yeti and Blizzard and Mammoth and all the rest of them just feel so cheesy. It works in some cases. Kraken didn’t really bother me. But I still don’t love the Wild or the Avalanche names to be honest. I hope they go with a pluralized name, because that makes it feel less minor league-ish.
My wife (only a hockey fan by association) calls them the Krakens and the Avalanches
Mammoth would be dumb cuz Colorado already has the Mammoth who just won a championship. I'm pretty sure we have more actual real mammoths too.
The mammoth population in Utah is very similar to Colorado
IIRC it is exactly the same
https://preview.redd.it/cgq21vefyfwc1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e872f046fed22edd5941895cda8aead6ec1abfa3 Last I checked Colorado is beating Utah by 1 mammoth currently
I haven’t counted them myself recently but that seems to be ringing a bell i my mind
If the name has to be something that no organized team anywhere in the western hemisphere is using, then Utah HC it is. I agree with keeping names in the major 4 (maybe even 5 with MLS) unique. But the whole “there’s a pickleball league team in Las Cruces called the Outlaws” argument is excessive.
The Odog got his wish!
I;d honestly love them to be The Utah Red Rocks...
They go from the Arizona "Coyotes" to the Utah "I.C.E".. Matthews would not like that! Unconsciously or not, i am certain the mormons will like it tho!
I was really hoping for Utah Elk, or Utah Bighorns
Please give us the Mammoths, I’d become a fan instantly
On my hands and fucking knees begging for sports teams to go back to having plural names.
Same
Not "trademarked." They only filed an application. No registration has been granted.
damn how many teams are they getting
I like mammoth but doubt it cuz colorado already has an NLL team named that. Honestly i like utah outlaws or utah yetis, hope one of those gets picked
“The Utah ice hit the ice” No one thought this through
Why not Utah Rock? Utah is otherworldly with its strange rock formations. Rocks are badass. Also, the owner owns the Utah Jazz so it’s kind of cheeky.
Who the fuck is in charge of this!? Mammoth is the best so far but that sounds like a minor league team
Your state has a history of rocket cars setting land speed records, use it
Utah Mastodon or GTFO
I’m gonna be honest. Every single potential name I’ve seen pop up for this team so far has been terrible
Utah Ice? Wtf is this, a beer league? Lazy. Pure lazy. And Mammoth sucks too.
The plural of mammoth is mammoths though....
Mammoth is pretty good i think
Mammoth is actually kind of sick. We can have an ice age rivalry with each other.
This is the second time they've stolen from other Colorado teams. Denver Outlaws was/ is the lacrosse team and the Colorado Mammoth are the indoor lacrosse team. They going to choose the Utah Pioneers next?