SALT LAKE CITY — The Chicago Blackhawks and Utah Mammoth will be etched forever in NHL history. On Oct. 8, 2024, the then-Utah Hockey Club hosted Connor Bedard and company for the first game in franchise history.
It kicked off a rough 2024-25 season for the Hawks and a respectable inaugural campaign for Utah, which won that game 5-2.
“It was awesome,” said Hawks defenseman Ian Cole, who played for Utah in that debut. “You didn’t quite know what the reaction was going to be from the fans. I’ve been in some big games — Stanley Cup playoffs, finals, all that stuff — (the Delta Center) was very much one of the loudest buildings that I’ve (been in), to the fans’ credit.
“This is a very loud building. It’s a very tough place to play — and in turn a great place to play for the Mammoth.”
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The Central Division opponents see each other four times per season, and each meeting seemingly has been more physical than the last. Bedard said he received some memorable hits from the 37-year-old Cole, who spent the last two seasons with Utah.
“Ian Cole probably landed the most cross-checks on me than anyone else in my life,” Bedard said in July. “Now (that) we’re teammates, I’m excited to have those guys (Cole and fellow free-agent signee Cole Smith) be my teammates now.”
The frequency of their matchups hasn’t brought peace between the teams either. Last season they faced each other three times in the first 12 days in March.
That stretch was as physically taxing for Cole as it was for the Hawks. Seeing a division foe three times in less than two weeks is bound to leave some dings and bruises.
The Hawks hold a 5-3-0 record against the Mammoth and have won four straight in the series. They will face each other for the ninth time Thursday in the Mammoth’s season opener.
Is this a rivalry in the making?
“Anytime you play a team multiple games in a short period of time, specifically playoff series but also in a situation like (March), you build some animosity there for sure,” Cole said. “Just by the schedule that was perpetuated, I do think that’s a little accurate.”
Cole, who signed with the Hawks in July, will be returning to his former team’s arena. This opening road swing is a trip down memory lane — Smith visited Las Vegas on Tuesday, Cole is back in Utah and Bowen Byram and Jordan Greenway will return to Buffalo, N.Y., on Saturday.
While Cole does understand the potential budding rivalry with the Mammoth, he’s not circling the matchup on his calendar — not yet, at least.
“I don’t think that we look at this game like we have to beat specifically Utah,” Cole said. “We do this game as a, ‘Hey, we lost our first game of the year, we’re pretty disappointed about that.’ We need to win the next game (and) it just happens to be against Utah.”
The Hawks will look to bounce back from an ugly loss Tuesday in Las Vegas. They gave up tons of rushes to the Golden Knights, and the Mammoth are an equally rushing team.
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“A lot of people have them picked as the next up-and-coming team and being a playoff team that can do damage,” Hawks coach Jeff Blashill said. “They’re a very good rush team, so if you’re not dialed in, they can make you pay easy.
“The key thing for us is to handle those situations without getting on our heels. We did a pretty good job of that last year overall against this group, and we’ll have to try to do the same.”