First, it was the Colorado Avalanche arrival that forced the Denver Grizzlies to move to Utah. Now, it seems the arrival of the Utah Mammoth (coupled with other outside reasons) may be what moves the Utah Grizzlies to possibly Trenton, New Jersey. With the announcement in late July of West Valley City council giving up their minority share in the Grizzlies, freeing the way for the transfer of ownership to Pro Hockey Partners LLC; the 2025-26 season will be the last for the Utah Grizzlies in this incarnation. 

Now, of course, I highly doubt the Mammoth had anything to do with the Grizzlies leaving, but it is an interesting note of how the Grizzlies name has been affected by NHL team relocation. In this instance, the passing of David Elmore of the Elmore Sports Group– who owned the Grizzlies and other minor league entities– and the declining health of Elmore’s widow Donna Tuttle, the Elmore Sports Group announced they were looking to sell the team in late June. The last hurdle for a sale would be West Valley City agreeing to sell their share. 

The Utah Grizzlies came to be after the Denver Grizzlies needed a new place to play thanks to the Colorado Avalanche moving into town. The Grizzlies had just completed their first season in the International Hockey League where they dominated their division and won the Turner Cup in their first season. Even after a title, the NHL called and the Grizzlies were bounced out of McNichols Sports Arena. Luckily for the Grizzlies, the Salt Lake Golden Eagles left the IHL in 1994, which gave them a spot to relocate to with fans knowing the league already. That next season, they won the Turner Cup again in 1996 where they would set the then-record for biggest minor league hockey game attended when 17,381 turned out to see the Grizzlies sweep the Orlando Solar Bears. The team would be a solid part of the IHL and would be one of the six teams to move to the American Hockey League in the IHL/AHL merger. 

The AHL Grizzlies wouldn’t make as big of a dent in their new league, only having one winning season and two playoff appearances in their four seasons in the AHL. The owners of the Grizzlies would appeal for a voluntary suspension of the team, which would later end up in them selling to Dan Gilbert of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and see the franchise move to Cleveland to become the Lake Erie and now Cleveland Monsters. 

Fans in Salt Lake City didn’t have to wait long for a new team, as the Elmore Sports Group saw a good chance for a team in the lower ranks to flourish in the area. That led them to buy the dormant Lexington Man O’ War franchise and brought it to Salt Lake. To keep branding consistent, ESG bought the copyright to the Utah Grizzlies name and logos to keep the Utah Grizzlies name alive. 

The ECHL Grizzlies saw a little bit of a tougher time about things, as they only finished above 3rd place once in their 20 seasons in the ECHL, but had a record at or above .500 14-times while only missing the playoffs four times in that span (five if you count the COVID-cancelling playoffs, but we don’t). The attendance was consistent through the years, but due to the unfortunate passing of the Elmore patriarch and the new kids in the NHL in town, it was time to close this chapter down for the Grizzlies. 

As mentioned before, the Pro Hockey Partners group– who is based out of Delaware– now reportedly have eyes on Trenton, another former ECHL town where the Trenton Titans won the Kelly Cup championship in 2005. 

Though the Mammoth will be the big shiny thing for many in the Salt Lake City area, there are many fans who will reminisce about the Grizzlies. A team that helped start the careers of several notable NHLers like Tommy Salo, Steve Ott, John Erskine, Todd Bertuzzi, and Trevor Daley just to name a few. Others will remember the veteran players who toiled with the Grizzlies like Jim Montgomery, Chris Taylor, John Purves, and legendary all-time leading scorer for the ECHL Grizzlies and current head coach Ryan Kinasewich. 

The Grizzlies will leave a lasting mark in the hockey landscape of the Salt Lake City/West Valley City area. Hopefully the groundwork they laid won’t be covered over with the arrival of the Mammoth and the memory of the Grizzlies will continue to linger through the Utah area for decades to come.