ST. GEORGE, Utah — Up until about two years ago, St. George and a lot of southern Utah were Vegas Golden Knights territory. But now with the Stanley Cup Playoffs pitting Vegas against the Mammoth, where do loyalties lie?
Before the Mammoth journeyed to Utah, just about everyone in the area told me they were Golden Knights fans, as Las Vegas is three hours closer on I-15 than Salt Lake City. But a Mammoth Week fan tour around the state before the start of the season ended up having a big impact.
During the St. George stop, the team hosted a 3-on-3 tournament, with Mammoth captain Clayton Keller signing autographs.
Mammoth WAGs bring playoff style to Utah ice:
Back in 2024, St. George residents with a love of the sport built a makeshift street hockey rink and started Red Rock Hockey. Now, there are two rinks at J.C. Snow Park, complete with scoreboards.
Now, according to a very unscientific poll, this is Mammoth Country now. In our travels, we only finally found one Golden Knights fan in James Valpey, who recently moved from Las Vegas and was there when VGK won the Stanley Cup.
Who knows how long Valpey can hold out.
