What is Wasatch? Explaining the Utah Hockey Club's potential new name

Hockey fans in Salt Lake City are going to be given the chance to have the final say over the official name of their NHL team. The Utah Hockey Club announced in a post on X (formerly Twitter) Wednesday that fans attending the team's next four home games may use tablets spread out across the Delta Center to vote on the three name finalists.

However, those fans-turned-voters will see a brand new option that was never discussed publicly before. That's because the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rejected the team's bid to lock down "Utah Yetis" as its own.

The office cited confusion with other products and brands, assumedly it meant YETI which makes popular water bottles and coolers. Team ownership confirmed in its announcement that the company would not agree to "a coexistence agreement," prompting it to drop its pursual of the name.

Instead, "Utah Wasatch" will replace Yeti as an option in addition to "Utah Mammoth" and the already in-use Utah Hockey Club.

What is a Wasatch and why could it be the new name for the Utah Hockey Club?

According to the team, "Wasatch" will be a replacement option for "Yeti" in the practical and literal sense for the voting.

"Wasatch" is the native Ute name for "mountain pass" and thus honors the indigenous origins of the region. It is a reference to Utah's Wasatch mountain range and an homage to a "mythical snow creature" inspired by the geography of the region.

In essence, the team found a hyper-local workaround to the patent office's rejection argument but whether the fans find it endearing enough to brand the franchise permanently is yet to be seen.

The tablets on which they'll vote for the new team name will also provide fans with official logos and "branding treatments," which seemingly means they'll be able to view how it will appear on merchandise as well. Voting will last from Jan. 29 until Feb. 4 at the Delta Center