• Loading stock data...
Monday, February 10, 2025

Utah Hockey Club Puts Name Choice in Fans’ Hands After Yeti Fiasco

The long-running and high-profile branding effort for the relocated Utah Hockey Club hits a major pivot point. 

Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Utah Hockey Club is abandoning efforts to rename the franchise permanently to the Yeti or Yetis, instead unveiling three other candidates in a major twist in the long-running and high-profile branding effort. 

Just days after the NHL franchise ran into fierce opposition from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to use the Yeti name that had been widely seen as a likely choice, it acknowledged it was unable to strike a “coexistence agreement” with the popular brand of drinkware, bags, and coolers. That, in turn, helped imperil any efforts by the team to counter the provisional trademark rejection from the USPTO.

“The difference with Yeti was the trademarks they have on clothing and licensed products,” Mike Maughan, executive for Smith Entertainment Group, which owns the team, tells Front Office Sports. That same licensing is core to any pro sports team. “It had everything to do with the trademark that they have on clothing and licensed products.”

As a result, the team will now invite fans to vote on three finalist possibilities: the preexisting options of keeping the Utah Hockey Club name or the Mammoth, and a new option of Wasatch—referencing the local mountain range and essentially acting as a replacement choice for Yeti.

The fan vote will be held among attending fans at the Delta Center over the next four home games, using tablets stationed around the arena, with a total potential vote count of more than 50,000. The club still intends to have the new name and logo finalized in advance of the 2025–2026 NHL season. Maughan predicted an end to the trademark issues surrounding the process and said the team is on “very solid ground” to complete the process with any of the three finalists.

“The entire process has been an intentional narrowing down,” Maughan says. 

Tough Road

Both Maughan and external branding experts, however, acknowledged the difficulty of any new trademarking effort. There have now been so many different types of business ventures, in and out of sports, involving established, existing language that creating a new brand often involves also forming a new word.

“Us trademark lawyers have a nerdy little joke: ‘Have we run out of names to trademark?’” Zakari Kurtz, founder of Sneaker Law Firm PLLC, tells FOS. “It’s comical because you can trademark just about anything, and there aren’t many names left available.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Eagles Set to Host 2025 NFL Kickoff: Who Will Be Their Opponent?

Speculation begins on Philadelphia’s opponent for the 2025 kickoff game.

Chiefs to Make $17M Travis Kelce Decision After Super Bowl Loss

Kelce, 35, is the NFL’s highest-paid tight end.

Super Bowl Ticket Prices Still Dropping As Lodging Costs Soar

Prices have fallen by another 20% since Monday amid a local lodging crunch.

Featured Today

Brady and Mahomes

Chiefs Fatigue Is Real. It’s Nowhere Near Patriots Hate Yet

People who have covered both teams say the difference is stark.
Nov 24, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) celebrates with running back Saquon Barkley (26) after the Eagles defeat the Los Angeles Rams during the first half at SoFi Stadium.
February 7, 2025

How the Eagles Reinvented Championship Roster Construction

Philadelphia is one of the most innovative franchises in the NFL.
February 3, 2025

‘Ultimate Throwback’: The Unimpeachable Cool of Hartford Whalers Gear

Nostalgia and street cred have driven a consistent frenzy for merch.
January 20, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Kristin Juszczyk, wife of San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk (44), before a 2024 NFC divisional round game against the Green Bay Packers at Levi's Stadium.
February 1, 2025

The New WAGs: Sports Wives Building Business Empires

Athletes’ wives and girlfriends are bucking stereotypes and cashing in.
Doncic protest

Mavs Owner Patrick Dumont Defends Luka Trade While Mark Cuban Mocks It

Dumont insisted that his team won’t move to Las Vegas.
February 9, 2025

Eagles Vanquish Chiefs in Super Bowl, Highlight Salary-Cap Magic

Philadelphia won its second Super Bowl Sunday night.
February 9, 2025

Chiefs Face Uncertain Stadium Future After Three-Peat Denied

The franchise wants public funding to help renovate or build a new stadium.
Sponsored

How UBS Crafts Impactful Partnerships Across Sports, Arts, and Culture

As UBS continues to expand its impressive array of sports and entertainment partnerships, the company solidifies its position as a leader in wealth management.
Jan 26, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid (left) with quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) after defeating the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
February 7, 2025

How the Chiefs Franchise Reversed Its Fortunes

A once-downtrodden franchise is now leading the NFL in historic fashion.
Sep 17, 2018; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears former player Brian Urlacher is honored with a Ring of Excellence from Chicago Bears owner Virginia Halas McCaskey during half time of a game between the Chicago Bears and the Seattle Seahawks at Soldier Field.
February 6, 2025

Bears Owner Virginia Halas McCaskey Dies at 102

McCaskey was the oldest owner in North American sports before she died.
Feb 4, 2025; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic is introduced at UCLA Health Training Center.
February 6, 2025

With Luka Trade, Lakers Are Locked In As NBA Ratings Star

The Lakers are built to be a staple for the NBA’s new media-rights deal.
Sophia Smith
exclusive
February 6, 2025

The Latest in Women’s Sports Construction Arms Race: A $75 Million Joint WNBA-NWSL Facility

The Portland facility is believed to be the first of its kind.