One year ago, almost to the day, the owners of the NHL franchise moving from Arizona to Salt Lake City announced 20 different possibilities for the name of the club. After several waves of fan votes, the Utah Hockey Club will officially become the Mammoth for the 2025-26 NHL season.
The Mammoth nickname beat out some other worthy choices like Yeti and Outlaws in a poll that garned an enormous 850,000 votes across four rounds. There was some controversy along the way, as the club was forced to drop Yeti from contention thanks to some trademark issues.
Utah is not the first team to choose its name based off of fan opinions -- in fact, more than 10 current franchises have relied on the hockey community to help choose team nicknames. Here are some of the quirky stories about the path to determining a few of the iconic NHL team names.
New Jersey Devils tapped into local folklore
When the Colorado Rockies relocated to New Jersey ahead of the 1982-83 season, a group of owners led by John McMullen were looking for a new identity after failing to succeed in Colorado and previously, Kansas City. They decided to hold a naming contest via newspaper, where a pool of 11 finalists for the team name were selected.
Many of the choices were based on state history and locations, including the Meadowlanders, a reference to the area in northeast Jersey where the club's first arena was. Over 10,000 people voted in the contest, selecting the name Devils over other options such as the Colonials, Americans and even Lightning.
The name is connected to the famous crytpid known as the "Jersey Devil". Local legend says that it's a creature living in the forested Pine Barrens in southern New Jersey, a fearsome but supposedly harmless monster with a goat's head, large wings, and hoofed feet.
Not everyone was happy with the outcome, though, particularly people who viewed the Devils' name in a negative light due to religious beliefs. According to former goalie Glenn "Chico" Resch, in his book Tales from the New Jersey Devils Locker Room, McMullen actually consulted with the Archbishop of Newark to confirm that there was no nefarious meaning behind the new name.
Colorado Avalanche was almost Rocky Mountain Extreme
Before the Devils were the Devils, they were the Colorado Rockies -- a pretty popular moniker, considering the state's MLB franchise snatched that up when they joined the big league in 1993.
For that reason, when the Quebec Nordiques were moved to Denver in 1995, the team was unable to pay homage to its history and re-use the Rockies name. But the ownership group that included Charlie Lyons settled on Rocky Mountain Extreme. That was supposed to be a nod to the popularity of skiing and other high-intensity sports in Colorado.
It was a wildly unpopular choice, so much so that after tons of angry feedback, they dropped that idea and gave the fans the power to decide the new name for the club. The owners released a list of potential nicknames that included Black Bears, Renegades, Outlaws (ironically), and Storm. But Avalanche won the contest and, after becoming Stanley Cup champions in the very first season in Denver, the name was forever cemented in history.
Buffalo Sabres beat out some... interesting choices
When the NHL awarded Buffalo a team for the 1970-71 season, the owners were looking for a name that didn't reference bison. After all, many local clubs had already used the name, including two hockey teams. They wanted something more unique, so they turned to the community for inspiration.
Rather than a fan vote, they held a "Name the Team" contest allowing people to submit their ideas for a potential franchise. With over 13,000 entries, there were some pretty out-there suggestions: things like the Flying Zeppelins, Buzzing Bees, and Mugwumps (which sounds like a completely made up word but is in fact in the Merriam-Webster dictionary).
Four different people suggested the nickname Sabres, and the owners felt it fit the bill perfectly. NHL.com reports that the name stuck because the owners believed "a sabre is renowned as a clean, sharp, decisive and penetrating weapon on offense, as well as a strong parrying weapon on defense," making it a fitting identity for a hockey club.
To this day, the team still gives a nod to the city's history with a bison featured on the crest of their jerseys, alongside a pair of swords. It's the best of both worlds that the original ownership group was so passionate about.
Pittsburgh Penguins inspired by iconic arena
When the NHL decided a team would be added in Pittsburgh in 1966, there was already a perfect home for them to play: the Civic Arena. Thanks to its design featuring a large, white dome ceiling, it was affectionately nicknamed "The Igloo" and expanded to fit enough fans to cheer on an NHL club the following year.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sponsored a contest where fans could send in their suggestions for a new team name, similar to the method that the Sabres used. More than 26,000 people chimed in, and 700 of those entries offered up the name Penguins to go along with the iconic arena.
Some sources claim, however, that it was actually co-owner Jim MacGregor's wife Carol who first thought of the nickname. Bob Grove, author of the book Pittsburgh Penguins: The Official History of the First 30 Years, writes that Carol originally made the Igloo connection and it fell perfectly into place when the fans had the same concept.
Of course, it was a flawless choice: like actual penguins, the players make themselves at home on the ice. Thus, one of the most iconic NHL teams was born from a clever connection and a satisfying alliteration.
Contest-winning Los Angeles Kings fan won big for his efforts
Jack Kent Cooke was already an established sports owner when he took on the new Los Angeles NHL club in 1966 in preparation for the next season. He had stakes in the Lakers as well as the since-renamed Washington Redskins of the NFL, so he was no stranger to team ownership.
When it came time to choose a name for the NHL's latest team, Cooke decided to turn to the fans. Nearly 8,000 entries came flooding in, and eight names in total were considered though he never released the runners-up aside from some vague clues.
At least 30 people wrote in with the nickname Kings, but one man beat everyone to the punch: Harry Mullen. For being the first person to suggest the winning name, Mullen was gifted two season tickets, a season parking pass, a color television set, and a portable FM-AM radio.
Cooke told reporters that he was looking for "a name that would be symbolic of leadership in hockey," and what could channel that better than royalty? The original purple and gold jerseys were designed to drive that idea home even further.
If you ever feel like your voice doesn't matter as a fan, look no further than some of the league's most beloved franchises for a reminder that fans are what make the sport so special.