Seeds of Knights-Mammoth rivalry being sown

SALT LAKE CITY — On an historic night for the Utah Mammoth franchise — its first-ever home playoff game — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman would have been remiss had he not talked a little bit about the Mammoth’s opponent Friday at the Delta Center.

That would be the Vegas Golden Knights.

It’s crazy to think, but next year marks the Knights’ 10th season in the NHL. The unparralled success of the inaugural season which saw Vegas reach the Stanley Cup Final and the culmination of the hard work and planning by owner Bill Foley and his staff, including George McPhee, Kelly McCrimmon and Kerry Bubolz which led to the Stanley Cup championship in 2023, it all happened because Bettman bet on Las Vegas at a time when the other major pro sports leagues were not willing to do so.

And while Bettman is correct in lauding Mammoth owner Ryan Smith for making the NHL go here, he was also correct in citing the success of the Golden Knights, not just on the ice, but off of it.

The growth of youth and adult hockey. The business relationships that have bene forged in Southern Nevada and beyond. The success of the AHL Silver Knights in Henderson. And yes, even the fact that Bettman gets booed by the Vegas fan base is an indication that it is a true NHL city.

“When you start from a pure expansion standpoint, Vegas and Seattle did it right,” Bettman said. “Starting with how George McPhee handled the expansion draft so well, the fact that they reinvented what the pregame shows are and made it quintessential Vegas, it’s been very gratifying to see that a market that some were critical of. There were some who were critical of and skeptical about when we announced we were expanding to Las Vegas.

“But at the end of the day, Bill and his people did everything you want to do in Las Vegas for the creation of the first professional major league team there. It’s worked well. The fans have been great and I think it’s given Las Vegas an identity beyond the Strip. I know other teams are talking about coming and I'm not worried about it once bit. They have a loyal fan base that started on Day One."

Smith said the proximity of Salt Lake City to Las Vegas lends itself to a natural rivalry. His wife Ashley grew up in Las Vegas. Yes, he stoked that rivalry a bit by offering Golden Knights fans a chance to shed their jerseys and replace them with Mammoth sweaters prior to Game 3.

“I have nothing but respect for what they have done,” Smith said. “Watching it succeed there gave me a ton of confidence that it could work here given my background and the culture here. It’s very similar.”

The Mammoth will participate outdoors on New Year’s Eve when its hosts Colorado at Rice-Eccles Stadium on the University of Utah campus. Smith said a full slate of activities will accompany the Mammoth’s first foray outside.

But the Mammoth are creating their own bold identity. And Smith would like nothing better than to see a Utah-Vegas rivalry grow.

“I remember when the Thunder were in Vegas,” he said. “This was also part of the territory they had (for television) and we took.   Their games were on TV here.

“You can see with the jersey exchange today. Everybody thinks I was just trolling them but it’s way more a respect on how they’ve grown.”

And with Utah up 2-1 in the series and the fans inside the Delta Center chanting “Vegas Sucks!” to counter the “Utah Sucks” chants from Golden Knights fans the first couple of games in the series, perhaps we are seeing the birth of a rivalry.