SALT LAKE CITY- It was an exciting day for hockey in Salt Lake with the announcement of Utah Mammoth as the franchise’s permanent name, along with the unveiling of the new logo.
While the rebrand is the news Utah fans have been waiting for, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman also gave reason to believe that we can expect an outdoor game in Utah featuring the Mammoth sometime soon.
Hear NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, and Ryan and Ashley Smith as they speak about this morning's brand reveal.
Streaming live on our YouTube at 11AM MT: https://t.co/GNt696IN2p pic.twitter.com/2BA51WZjUO
— Utah Mammoth (@utahhockeyclub) May 7, 2025
When Gary Bettman got the chance to give his statement following Ryan and Ashley Smith, he touched on some of the unorthodox approaches that SEG and the Utah Mammoth have taken in the first year of their existence. Particularly, he called the Smiths’ decision to turn over the team name to a fan vote “crazy”, but he followed it up by saying that the NHL, “… does crazy pretty good.”
He referenced the NHL Draft Lottery in which Utah jumped ten spots, and he also touched on the two outdoor games in Florida next season, and at the mention of the outdoor games, Bettman assured those watching the press conference, “We’ll have one here too, not to worry. We’ve already done a site visit.”
Commissioner Bettman on an outdoor game in Utah: “We’ll have one here too. We’ve already done a site visit.”
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) May 7, 2025
When asked to follow up about the prospects of an outdoor game, Commissioner Bettman said, “I believe that we can pull all the things together that need to be pulled together.”
He also vaguely alluded to the possible location for the outdoor game, saying, “Just up the road, there’s a nice stadium. We have to schedule these things a little bit in advance, but it’s on our radar.”
Since 2008, the National Hockey League has hosted a collection of outdoor games headlined by the annual Winter Classic.
Normally hosted on New Year’s Day, two teams are selected to participate in an outdoor hockey game. In the past, cities such as Buffalo, Philadelphia, Boston, Pittsburgh, Ann Arbor and Seattle have hosted the extraordinary event.
In 2014, the NHL then introduced the Stadium Series to add yet another annual outdoor game to the league’s schedule.
Related: Ryan Smith Says Utah Hockey Club Outdoor Game Is ‘In Motion’
Ahead of the recent Stadium Series matchup between the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets, the NHL unveiled a rendering of Ohio Stadium’s transformation to host the event.
An X post of the rendering was then quoted by former Utah Jazz and current ESPN reporter Holly Rowe, who asked Smith if the Utah Hockey Club could do something similar at Rice Eccles or Lavell Edwards Stadium.
Smith then replied, “In motion ..”
Outdoor NHL game coming soon? 👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/kV3oSAqES5
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 27, 2025
Based on other recent conversations involving Bettman and president of NHL content, Steve Mayer, an outdoor game in Utah would most likely be a Stadium Series, not a Winter Classic.
According to Mayer, a Winter Classic is not possible because of the possibility that a college football playoff game could conflict.
“In Utah, for example, their football stadium, you could never do a Winter Classic because of the possibility of doing a college football playoff game.”
