- Utah Mammoth Museum Quest aims to connect hockey fans with natural history.
- The program, featuring 10 museums in the state, offers discounts, gifts and prizes between Nov. 24 and Jan. 4, 2026.
- Similar programs could return in the future.
SALT LAKE CITY — Dozens of local elementary school children, already energetic from a field trip to the Natural History Museum of Utah, burst into celebration as they were greeted with one last surprise.
Tusky, the Utah Mammoth's new mascot, emerged from a walkway above them inside the building's lobby, waving his hands and tossing blue-colored stream ribbons toward the group below.
As thrilled as these students were to meet some of the team's players, the excitement of seeing a living mammoth rivaled the crowd at the Delta Center any given night. They cheered, and some broke into dance as they ran to collect the ribbons. It was a boisterous end to a fun afternoon, where some got their first chance to see mammoth fossils for the first time and many received their first Mammoth experience.
That's essentially the point of a new program announced Thursday that seeks to get Utahns interested in mammoths and the Mammoth.
Smith Entertainment Group — the team's owner — announced plans for the Utah Mammoth Museum Quest, which seeks to connect hockey fans with the natural history that influenced Utah's newest mascot through a partnership with 10 museums scattered across the state.
All 10 museums, which feature mammoths in some way, will start offering admission discounts when the program begins on Nov. 24, which comes from an undisclosed grant amount from the Smith Entertainment Group Foundation. The discount will last until the grant money is spent or when the quest ends on Jan. 4, 2026.
Visitors will receive a free collective Utah Mammoth pin, while supplies last, and can enter a raffle to win gear or a grand prize of luxury tickets to the team's Jan. 17, 2026, matchup against the Seattle Kraken.
"We're excited about this new partnership because it invites Utahns to their local museums to learn more about the history of the mammoth in the state and region," said Utah Mammoth owners Ryan and Ashley Smith, in a statement. "Our hope is that the museum experiences spark curiosity, pride and an even deeper connection to the Utah Mammoth for fans across the state."
Museums participating in the Utah Mammoth Museum Quest
- Dinosaur Discovery Site (2189 E. Riverside Drive in St. George)
- Fairview Museum of History and Art (55 N. 100 East in Fairview, Sanpete County)
- Great Basin Museum (45 W. Main in Delta)
- Huntington Mammoth Site (state Route 31 in Mount Pleasant)
- Mountain American Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point (2929 N. Thanksgiving Way in Lehi)
- Museum of the San Rafael (70 N. 100 East in Castle Dale, Emery County)
- Natural History Museum of Utah (301 Wakara Way in Salt Lake City)
- Prehistoric Museum at Utah State University-Eastern (155 E. Main in Price)
- Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum (496 E. Main in Vernal)
- Utah State University Museum of Geology (4505 Old Main Hill in Logan)
The festivities started early, though, as students from Dual Immersion Academy in Salt Lake City and Dos Mundos Academy in West Valley City got to tour the Natural History Museum of Utah along with Mammoth goalie Karel Vejmelka and defenseman Nate Schmidt. There, they got to see the massive adult Columbian mammoth replica on display at the museum, as well as more mammoth artifacts within the "Mysteries of the Ice Ages" exhibit.
It was an opportunity to experience the larger creature that roamed what is now Utah until about 10,000 years ago, before Utah's NHL franchise revived the prehistoric mammal many millennia later. Schmidt, an NHL journeyman in his first year with Utah, appeared about as enthusiastic as the students as he wheeled his son Harvey around the exhibits.
For him, Thursday was a way to learn more about the state he now plays for, but he also sees the programs as a win-win for hockey and learning.
"I think any way you can connect with young kids and create a sense of knowing, that's the type of relationship I've found that you have to have as a team and a community," he said. "It's more than just hockey at that point."
If the kids who explore museums as part of the Mammoth project aren't the next generation of hockey talent, they could be the next generation of scientists. At the very least, he believes they're able to walk away feeling a better connection with a piece of the state.
That's also what Jason Cryan, director of the Natural History Museum of Utah, hopes the partnership can offer. Thursday's field trip marked the first major collaboration between the museum and team since the nickname was announced in May.
"This is a really amazing partnership that we have ... to not only talk about the science of things that were uniquely Utah, but also excite that fanbase for a wonderful game and an amazing mascot," he told KSL.com, adding that it's a special way to collaborate with many of the other natural history museums in Utah.
The program is part of the Smith Foundation's "All In On Utah" campaign that it launched last year. While the quest will end in January, foundation officials say they expect to bring back similar educational partnerships with Utah museums in the future.
