[News] Utah to name its NHL team via fan vote bracket- Mammoth is the winner

[Calgary4LIfe]

The Utah Wranglers.


To get that name, Seattle trades their next 3 first round picks (all unconditional) to obtain the naming rights to Calgary.

[WideReceiver]

I like Outlaws. Like it a lot.

[Coach]

Yeah Outlaws fits. Both a history in old west and the Mormons themselves were, of course, outlaws. It's why they went there in the first place. And there were often violent clashes with native Americans and the US government. I'm kind of not surprised Wasatch didn't go through. I think in theory it's nice, in current climate probably best just to steer clear of Native American imagery at all.

I agree that Utah Outlaws does sound sort of weird to say. But It's better than Mammoth. Still think HC is the best one.

[Reggie Dunlop]

They're fudging around with the "poll." The Wasatch popped up out of nowhere, probably at ownership insistence and was immediately withdrawn. Wasn't there supposed to some big-shot branding agency hired to run this? Looks like amateur hour to me.

Outlaws is probably the best of the remaining names bantered about.

[BeltlineFan]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

Hoot Gibson was a badass.

Once starred in a local film

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

Utah United
Real Utah
Utah City

Isn't their soccer team already Real SLC?

[OutOfTheCube]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

They're fudging around with the "poll." The Wasatch popped up out of nowhere, probably at ownership insistence and was immediately withdrawn. Wasn't there supposed to some big-shot branding agency hired to run this? Looks like amateur hour to me.

Outlaws is probably the best of the remaining names bantered about.

I think they landed on 'Yeti' and had everything ready to go for it, then it got kyboshed by the cooler brand and this is plan B.

[Yeah_Baby]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

I think they landed on 'Yeti' and had everything ready to go for it, then it got kyboshed by the cooler brand and this is plan B.

Yup, I think it's pretty much this.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

I #### you not, the nhl has unveiled the Utah Hockey Club’s Quarter Century Team.

https://www.nhl.com/news/utah-hockey...-century-teams

[getbak]

Yeah, I laughed when I saw that on the schedule separate from the Coyotes.

[KelVarnsen]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

I #### you not, the nhl has unveiled the Utah Hockey Club’s Quarter Century Team.

https://www.nhl.com/news/utah-hockey...-century-teams

Don't #### on their 50 games of history like that.

[mogg]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

I think they landed on 'Yeti' and had everything ready to go for it, then it got kyboshed by the cooler brand and this is plan B.

It’s crazy to me that a company can take something that has long existed in popular culture and copyright it. No one is confusing a hockey team with a drinkware company.

[FlamesAddiction]

Utah Coolers

[CaptainYooh]

How could Yeti Coolers block the use of Utah Yetis as a team name? You can trademark a phrase established as a brand slogan, but not a word which is commonly used. Yeti is a single word. And why didn’t the club challenge it legally? Weird.

[Samonadreau]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

How could Yeti Coolers block the use of Utah Yetis as a team name? You can trademark a phrase established as a brand slogan, but not a word which is commonly used. Yeti is a single word. And why didn’t the club challenge it legally? Weird.

No more commonly used then Knights and it got blocked by the London Knights for Vegas, had to add Golden. I guess in this case it was 2 hockey teams, but there is a Kitchener Rangers and NY Rangers. I don't get how it's determined what is and isn't allowed.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

How could Yeti Coolers block the use of Utah Yetis as a team name? You can trademark a phrase established as a brand slogan, but not a word which is commonly used. Yeti is a single word. And why didn’t the club challenge it legally? Weird.

Scuttlebutt says they wanted to release some team merchandise that was too similar to Yeti coolers. Coffee mugs, drink holders, that kind of thing. I can see where that would be a trademark no-no.

[CaptainYooh]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

Scuttlebutt says they wanted to release some team merchandise that was too similar to Yeti coolers. Coffee mugs, drink holders, that kind of thing. I can see where that would be a trademark no-no.

I guess this makes sense. Notwithstanding that Yetis was a dumb team name to begin with…

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

I guess this makes sense. Notwithstanding that Yetis was a dumb team name to begin with…

Well, there is this in favour of Yetis:

The yeti is also known as the Abominable Snowman. Utah inherited a pretty abominable team from Arizona. They could just stop trying to improve it and build themselves a reputation as lovable losers.

Imagine the marketing opportunities in 2045 after still never making the playoffs: ‘Utah Yeti… Still abominable after all these years!’

[getbak]

As I understand it, when you apply for a trademark, you list all of the different ways you plan on using the trademark.

There were likely many things on the hockey team's list that would have overlapped with Yeti Coolers' existing trademark. In fact, Yeti currently makes NHL licensed products.

Typically, if the trademark office determines there might be confusion with an existing trademark, the applicant will either pull the application and try for something else, or they'll try to work out an agreement with the existing trademark holder where they agree to not compete with each other's core business and co-exist. It appears the hockey club tried to do that and Yeti Coolers wasn't willing to negotiate.


One of the most-famous cases like this was Apple Corps v. Apple Computer. Apple Corps is a company founded in the late 60s by the Beatles to control their various media holdings. When Apple Computer started, the Beatles sued for trademark infringement. Ultimately, they came to an agreement where Apple Computer paid off Apple Corps and they agreed not to compete with each other. The Beatles agreed to not start selling computers and Apple agreed to stay out of the music business... Fast forward a couple decades and Apple launched the iPod and iTunes music store, which meant they were now in breach of the original agreement. It was ultimately settled when Apple paid the Beatles a lot of money to buy all Apple-related trademarks with an agreement to license it back to the Beatles for certain specific uses. This is why the Beatles music wasn't on iTunes for a very long time.


People have mentioned the Kraken and Kraken rum. That was likely an easier situation because the NHL isn't likely to ever release licensed liquor products, so it's unlikely to overlap. Also, Kraken rum has board advertising at the Kraken games, so they probably cut a deal somewhere along the way.


As for the Kitchener Rangers, back in the pre-expansion days when NHL teams sponsored junior clubs, they were affiliated with the New York Rangers. So, that's where that came from.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

I don't mind Outlaws. It does play into the history of the state and there could be some cool logo possibilities. The only thing I don't like about it is how it sounds. It's just too vowel heavy when you say it along with the state's name, like it doesn't flow off the tongue. When the first word ends in a vowel sound and the following one starts with a vowel sound, it just doesn't sound good to me.

What about something like Bandits? Similar concept, but to me it just sounds better when you combine it with Utah.

Agree, the ah into the out doesn’t roll off the tongue. Sounds like something being said while in the dentist chair.