They broke out their old college drug rugs and got their minds right – it was Deadhead Night in the Mile High City this past weekend! The Colorado Mammoth hosted their fifth annual Grateful Dead theme night for their fight against the Calgary Roughnecks on Saturday.
First introduced during the 2020 season as a themed ticket package, the event quickly became a fan favorite and has since been extended to the entire Loud House. The event initially offered fans Grateful Dead printed socks and bandanas (included with purchase of the event package), as well as a totally vibed-out halftime performance by Dead cover band Shakedown Street. As the night gained traction over the years, the team pivoted to themed jerseys, designed by their in-house creative team, and exclusively available to in-person fans. Additionally, the first 3,500 fans received Grateful Dead themed “Get in the Box” collectible cards.
Coincidentally (or perhaps conveniently) being headquartered in the heart of Denver, the unsuspecting casual onlooker might have expected attendees to take the “Mile High” nickname a bit too literally during Saturday’s merriment. The Mammoth front office acknowledged the high spirits of their most dedicated fans throughout the season, adding that their cheering section is always friendly and welcoming.
Fans in their Deadhead jerseys (Photo: John Matthew Harrison)
“[We’re] not sure they need an extra reason to celebrate,” Colorado confirmed. “No formal comment on this one from our side, though.”
But Mammoth fans weren’t the only certified Deadheads in attendance! Sources confirmed Colorado’s friendly neighborhood mammoth, Wooly, as a fervent jam-band enjoyer! Ignoring the sheer size of the fella, it was hard to miss him decked out in his Dancing Bear tie-dye attire, doing his best to honor the late, great Jerry Garcia.
The Mammoth front office also warned fans of potential shenanigans from their pachyderman pal: “Wooly always has some tricks up his sleeve so I wouldn’t be surprised if he jumped in with the band!”
Mammoth head coach Pat Coyle is also a noted fan. So big, in fact, rumor has it that he wears the same pair of tie-dye Dead socks every year on Dead Night as a good luck charm. Coyle was unable to make a statement regarding these rumors, and the Mammoth front office neither confirmed nor denied these claims (likely to conceal team tactics and trade secrets), but Coyle was later seen donning a Deadhead jersey of his own later in the night.
Pat Coyle dons the Deadhead jersey Photo: Isaiah J. Downing
The Mammoth hosted the notoriously un-chill Calgary Roughnecks for this Saturday’s contest, a matchup that fans were worried might put a damper on the more laid-back aesthetics of the evening. Colorado quickly quelled their fans’ concerns, adding that the fierce competition onl added to excitement of the evening. Though they curated a more party-centric vibe, the Mammoth front office is confident that the on-turf action was a welcome complement to the festivities.
The longtime rivals faced off for the first time this season on Saturday in a game that could definitively alter both team’s seeding for the remainder of the season. They will meet again on April 19 in Calgary.
“This could [end up being a playoff] tie-breaker, so it will not be taken lightly,” Colorado stated. “Though we’re not sure if any Mammoth/Roughnecks meeting [has ever been] laid back!”
The night got off to an interesting start, with several last-minute changes to the Colorado starting lineup. Moving to the Active Roster was goaltender Nate Whittom and defender Conner Cook up from the Injured Reserve, and Ben McDonald from the Hold Out list, in place of Kai George, Dalton Sulver and Ethan Robertson. The Roughnecks also shifted around their defense, moving defender Matt Sykes to the Active Roster from the Evaluation List, making his debut as a Roughneck since being traded by San Diego, alongside fellow new hires in defender Tyler Hendrycks and goalie Nick Rose, also making his official re-debut as a Roughneck.
Shakedown Street (Photo: Isaiah J. Downing)
While the new additions were certainly fast fits to the Roughnecks’ physical style of play, the early minutes of Saturday’s contest looked to be the beginning of a tough adjustment period for the Roughnecks. As the Mammoth not only took first blood in the competition, but also the first five of the game against the newly christened Rose, the defense appeared unable to adjust to Colorado’s assortment of outside shooters and aggressive pick game – a notable change for Calgary as compared to earlier season matchups. Miscues defensively and uncommunicated crease slides allowed the Mammoth to pad a healthy five-goal lead heading into the third and fourth quarter.
The Mammoth were clearly feeling the flow of the evening, playing passionately and earnestly, feeling the good vibes from the near 10,000 Deadheads on site. Colorado played with intent on Saturday, still feeling the sting from Week 13, but ready to get back to work. The team’s hot five-goal start not only electrified the crowd but kept the Mammoth from easing their foot off the gas.
“I feel like it’s a bit of an Achilles’ heel for us, that we tend to have slow starts,” Coyle stated during post-game press. “The only thing that sucks, I think, is that we need something like [last week’s loss] to happen to be who we are, or who we’re capable of.”
Additionally, with so many day-of changes to the roster, and with Zed Williams on the IR, the team was still able to perform and showcase the depth of talent present on their Active and Practice Player rosters.
Neary a full Loud House on Deadhead Night
“Every player’s going to have an off night,” said Coyle. “If we’re structured around ‘oh, we need this guy and this guy to score for us to win,’ I don’t think that a recipe for success.”
“[The win] definitely feels good, but I don’t think it was the message going into this,” added Dillon Ward, who ended the night with 49 saves and eight goals against. Ward credited the team’s success to their desire to get better to support their teammates, rather than focusing solely on winning games. “We were looking more internally and at what we can do better,” said Ward. “Our goal every week, as a defense, is 10 [goals] and under, so we needed to be better for our offense.”
The Calgary Roughnecks are next scheduled to play the Buffalo Bandits at KeyBank Center on Saturday, March 8, at 6:30 PM ET/Local. The Colorado Mammoth will travel out to the East Coast to play the Philadelphia Wings on Saturday, March 15, at 1:00 PM ET/Local.
