The Utah Hockey Club is going another route with another fan survey after a popular choice for a permanent nickname was ruled out.
Utah Yeti was one of the final six choices in the initial fan vote for the NHL’s newest team, but KSL and The Athletic reported last week that a trademark bid was rejected. Smith Entertainment Group, which owns the team, said it’s no longer pursuing that nickname.
‘An SEG executive shared that it explored every avenue to make Yeti work but that YETI Coolers, LLC was ultimately unwilling to agree to a co-existence agreement,’ the team said in a statement.
Instead, fans attending the next four home games, starting Wednesday night, will vote on three choices:
Utah Hockey Club
Utah Mammoth
Utah Wasatch
Utah Hockey Club, the temporary name this season, and Mammoth were among the final six after the early vote.
Wasatch is a new option that was not among the original 20 suggestions. That’s the mountain range that towers over the east side of the Salt Lake valley. The team said the name was ‘designed to honor the idea of a mythical snow creature.’
‘Because this next round features not only names but also logos and branding treatments, only fans attending the next four Utah Hockey Club home games at Delta Center, starting tonight, will be able to participate,’ the team said.
The home games where fans can vote are Wednesday, Friday, Sunday and Tuesday. The club said it’s on track to announce the permanent name before next season.