For a long time, hockey team options were sparse for fans west of Colorado. It was basically one of the Los Angeles area teams, or the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes.
Utah fans had that lack of choice assuaged with the advent of the Vegas Golden Knights in neighboring Nevada, but when the Coyotes transferred to Utah to play in Salt Lake City, fans had a truly local team to support.
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That was not lost on the Mammoth, who made a brilliant play ahead of the team’s first home playoff game at the Delta Center against the Golden Knights: Let fans exchange their sweaters for a Mammoth sweater so they can truly welcome their home team.
The Mammoth and Golden Knights will face off in Game 3 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoffs series tied 1-1. The exchange details, per the Mammoth website, were simple:
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Bring any Vegas Golden Knights jersey (official team jersey only)
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Cheer on the Utah Mammoth in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs
The Mammoth went through every sweater they had, meaning there is going to be a lot more black in the arena against the Golden Knights.
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Mammoth owner Ryan Smith has become a more well-known face in the playoffs. A video of him going and mingling with fans went viral, and he said on April 22 he was going to host eight Mammoth fans in his suite for their game on April 24.
The puck drops at 9:30 p.m. ET in Utah, as the Mammoth look to take their first lead in the series.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Mammoth fans brought Vegas sweaters to first home playoff game
