SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Mammoth hockey team celebrated the first birthday of their mascot, Archie, on Saturday with a special event at Smith's Ballpark in Salt Lake City, combining fun activities with charitable initiatives.
Archie, a black Labrador who serves as a "puppy with a purpose," is being trained through America's Vet Dogs to eventually become a service dog for a veteran or first responder.
"Everyone loves a chance to interact with him, just to see him," said Kari Larson with the Smith Entertainment Group.
The birthday celebration attracted many fans, including the Jackson family, who traveled from Layton specifically to see Archie.
"We love Archie," said the mother of the Jackson family. "These two, especially, are OBSESSED with Archie, so we just wanted to come see him."
Her children, Reagan and Liam, were thrilled to meet the popular pup.
"He's awesome. I love him," their dad added. "We came down to one of the games and saw him and she was super super excited, and he's on our fridge, he's on my phone, my wallpaper, a picture of all of us and him... And these guys have been wanting all the Archie merch with all the hats and things since it's been super hard to find them."
Georgia Gaylor with America's Vet Dogs explained Archie's important future role.
"Archie's gonna provide just daily companionship for his veteran, and then all of our service dogs are specially trained. He's going to be task-trained to mitigate whatever disability his veteran might have," Gaylor said.
Being part of a professional sports team has provided valuable training experiences for Archie.
"He's at the arena. He's listening to those sounds, seeing all of those people, all of that is really going to go into shaping him into a really great service dog," Gaylor said.
The organization is actively seeking volunteers to help raise future service dogs.
"We're always in need of volunteer puppy raisers. So anybody in the community who's interested in raising a puppy like Archie to one day help a veteran or first responder, we're always recruiting volunteer puppy raisers," Gaylor said.
While Archie was the star attraction, the event featured much more. The celebration included adoptable kittens from Salt Lake County Animal Services, with the Utah Mammoth covering all adoption fees for the day.
The event also raised money for local charities through a pet supply and food drive, and offered activities like street hockey for attendees.
Will Germain, a 15-year-old fan, appreciated the community focus of the organization.
"It's fun! It's nice to see that Ryan Smith likes to include the community on a lot of stuff," Will said.
His father, Chris Germain, noted how the team has created new hockey enthusiasts.
"Like two years ago, we weren't hockey fans at all," Chris said. "It took one game, and now we're all addicted, season ticket holders, we got as much merch as you can possibly think."
"They're fun to go to — the games. It's a vibe you don't really get to see at any other sports arena," Will added.
The event showcased the team's community-centered approach even during the off-season.
"We're community-obsessed. I know the season doesn't start for a couple months, but we're excited to get people excited," Larson said.
Those interested in learning if Archie might be a match for them or a loved one can visit VetDogs.org for more information.
