Star Wears: Mammoth award giant team hat to player of game

Welcome to Star Wears, where our Short Shifts squad will highlight each participating NHL team’s unique and creative way to honor their player of the game after each victory, handing them a token of appreciation that usually lasts at least one season, and sometimes takes on a life of its own.

Team: Utah Mammoth

Item: Oversized Utah Mammoth baseball hat

Origin Story: In their inaugural season in Utah sans mascot, the team used a Jazz basketball that was signed after every win, which still resides at the Delta Center. This year the team wanted to switch it up, and started with a purchase by Mammoth captain Clayton Keller.

"I think it was last year that I had ordered one as a joke kind of for (Barrett Hayton) - my roommate - who I was chirping for having a big head," said Keller. "So I brought it into the rink, and the guys were like, yeah, we should make that the postgame hat. And it kind of just stuck."

City/Team connection (dubious or otherwise): Since it’s team merch featuring the logo, the connection is a no-brainer. Additionally, the hat is signed by the recipient after every win. "You win it, you sign it, and that's something that we'll probably leave with the team and just maybe have it for down the down the road," said Keller.

Fun Fact: The “big hat” first went viral in 2022 when Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. wore one for a post-game interview. That hat was from Noggin Boss, a company conceived by Robinson’s friend, Ron Dyer. They quickly became a novelty at first and now have become pretty ingrained in the sports fan culture. Ironically, Robinson first wore it in celebration of 100-yard rushing game and victory. Perhaps even more fittingly, it was also the NFL team’s first season known as the Commanders, coming off a season being called “Washington Football Club.”

Quotable: "It's always funny to see these, see who it actually fits," said Mammoth defenseman Ian Cole. "When [Hayton] puts it on, you're like, that looks pretty normal... I've got to imagine that white hat's going to be pretty grimy and yellow after all these sweaty dudes putting it on after a while."