It's been about 4,000 years since the last of the woolly mammoths walked the planet, but it appears that they're becoming more popular than ever. Not only were they part of a minor-league baseball promotion, but in May 2025, it was announced that Utah's National Hockey League (NHL) franchise would, after rounds of fan voting, be known as the Utah Mammoth. However, there could be a thorn in the Mammoth's foot.
Despite initial contacts that were cordial, a battle over the Mammoth name has spilled into a legal battle between the hockey team and Mammoth Hockey, a small company that has made hockey bags and accessories for amateur hockey players for the past 14 years. With the Utah Mammoth having already invested heavily in the team's branding, a trademark infringement issue could be a catastrophe.
Perhaps that's why they fired the first legal (slap)shot on August 1, 2025, by seeking a declaration in federal court that they are fully compliant with all state and federal laws, and not in violation of any trademarks Mammoth Hockey may possess. Receiving confirmation of their compliance can help keep the Mammoth out of the sin bin.
Tusks Up!
After relocating from Winnipeg in 1996, the team was first known as the Phoenix Coyotes before becoming the Arizona Coyotes. They played in the state for 28 seasons before a combination of issues, including the lack of an appropriate home venue, led to the team's sale in 2024.
Purchased by Ryan Smith, owner of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Utah Jazz, the team was moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, for the 2024-2025 NHL season. The club played its inaugural season as the Utah Hockey Club, while the franchise conducted four rounds of fan voting that started in April 2024. Over the next 13 months, over 850,000 ballots were cast.
The Utah Yeti seemed like one of the strong contenders heading into the final round, but the team chose to remove it from consideration. They were unable to come to a deal to secure the rights from the Yeti cooler company, which holds several trademarks on the name, including printing the name on clothing and merchandise.
In the final round of voting, fans chose Mammoth over the other two remaining contenders, Utah Hockey Club and Utah Wasatch. Announced in May 2025, the newly christened Utah Mammoth began selling limited gear and merchandise. However, not everyone was still excited about the decision.
Started in 2014 in Oregon, Mammoth Hockey offers high-end hockey bags and some accessories targeted at amateur players. When the Utah franchise announced the six brands that would be moving in after a June 2024 vote, Mammoth Hockey posted on social media that "we're pretty partial for this one" with a winking emoji and "Mammoths" circled in a screenshot.
In April 2025, as the final decision neared, a cofounder of Mammoth Hockey reached out to the front office of the Utah Hockey Club, suggesting that if the Mammoth name was chosen, they could have a collaboration that would allow the company to provide Mammoth Hockey bags to the Utah Mammoths. While noncommittal, the club's response didn't rule the possibility out. However, some unsportsmanlike conduct was on the way.
It's (Not) in the Bag
In an unexpected move, Mammoth Hockey sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Utah Mammoth in June 2025, claiming that the club was violating trademark rights. The letter claimed that the hockey club's branding would confuse customers and cause some potential patrons to avoid buying their products if they weren't fans of the Utah Mammoth.
The hockey club fired back about two weeks later, noting that there was little to no overlap in their products and merchandising. It also pointed out the stark differences in the two logos — the Utah Mammoth's logo is a highly detailed side view of a mammoth's head in three colors, while Mammoth Hockey's logo is facing forward, stark in design, and consisting of a single color that also forms a circle around the head.
When Mammoth Hockey responded on July 31 with further complaints of injury and threats of filing lawsuits, the Utah Mammoth went on the offensive. The club (as UYTE, LLC., and SEG Hockey, LLC.) filed in federal court the following day, requesting a jury trial to obtain a declaratory judgment under U.S. Code that it isn't infringing any intellectual property or trademark rights.
There's also the question of whether Mammoth Hockey ever applied for or secured trademarks for its brand, as it has yet to provide any proof of such existence. If not, the company will have to depend on common law trademark protection, which is generally not as extensive or effective as being registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
While Mammoth Hockey's escalation was likely a surprise, one hopes that the two sides can reach an agreement to share the Mammoth name without any unnecessary roughing.
Related Resources
- Trademark Law (FindLaw's Intellectual Property Law)
- How To Write a Cease-and-Desist Letter (FindLaw's Small Business Law)
- How To Trademark a Business Name (FindLaw's Starting a Business)
