DETROIT (AP) — Clayton Keller had a goal and an assist as the Utah Mammoth pulled away from the Atlantic Division-leading Detroit Red Wings 4-1 on Wednesday night.
Dylan Guenther scored his sixth goal in the last six games, while Jack McBain and Kevin Stenlund also scored for Utah. Nick Schmaltz had his 300th career assist on Keller’s goal.
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Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin (71) is defended by Utah Mammoth defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) and center Nick Schmaltz (8) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Utah Mammoth center Jack McBainm (22), third from left, celebrates with defenseman Sean Durzi (50), center Alexander Kerfoot (15) and defenseman Nick Desimone (57) after scoring against the Detroit Red Wings during the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Utah Mammoth center Kevin Stenlund (82) lands on top of Detroit Red Wings center Andrew Copp (18) while they chase a loose puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Detroit Red Wings defenseman Ben Chiarot, left, and Utah Mammoth center Nick Schmaltz (8) tangles their sticks during the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Karel Vejmelka made 27 saves as the Mammoth won for the third time in their last four games.
Emmitt Finnie scored for the Red Wings, who had won five of six games. Andrew Copp notched his 200th career assist and Cam Talbot stopped 23 shots.
Detroit forward Patrick Kane missed his second consecutive game due to an upper-body injury.
Keller opened the scoring at 1:44 of the second period by knocking in the rebound of Schmaltz's shot. It was Keller's ninth goal in 14 career games against the Red Wings.
Seconds after the Mammoth killed off a penalty, McBain made it 2-0 at 14:17 of the period, converting in front off Michael Carcone's pass from behind the goal line.
Finnie scored on a power play with 10:05 left in regulation. His slap shot from the left circle off John Leonard's pass beat Vejmelka on the stick side.
Guenther made it 3-1 with 4:08 left. Detroit defenseman Moritz Seider tried to clear the puck out of the goal crease but it bounced off Talbot's skate and onto Guenther's stick. Stenlund scored 31 seconds later from the slot.
Mammoth: Host New Jersey on Friday night.
Red Wings: Visit Washington on Saturday.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin (71) is defended by Utah Mammoth defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) and center Nick Schmaltz (8) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Utah Mammoth center Jack McBainm (22), third from left, celebrates with defenseman Sean Durzi (50), center Alexander Kerfoot (15) and defenseman Nick Desimone (57) after scoring against the Detroit Red Wings during the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Utah Mammoth center Kevin Stenlund (82) lands on top of Detroit Red Wings center Andrew Copp (18) while they chase a loose puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Detroit Red Wings defenseman Ben Chiarot, left, and Utah Mammoth center Nick Schmaltz (8) tangles their sticks during the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears say they're mulling a move to Northwest Indiana with their efforts to secure public funding they say they need to build an enclosed stadium in Illinois stalled.
Team president Kevin Warren insisted Wednesday in an open letter to fans that the team still prefers to build a new home on a tract of land it owns in suburban Arlington Heights, Illinois. He also said the Bears are not using the threat to cross state lines as leverage.
“This is not about leverage," Warren said. "We spent years trying to build a new home in Cook County. We invested significant time and resources evaluating multiple sites and rationally decided on Arlington Heights. Our fans deserve a world-class stadium. Our players and coaches deserve a venue that matches the championship standard they strive for every day.”
Warren did not say where in Northwest Indiana the Bears would look to move.
The letter comes just days before Chicago hosts rival Green Bay in a game with heavy playoff implications. The Bears (10-4) hold a slim lead over the Packers (9-4-1) in the NFC North. In their first season under coach Ben Johnson, they are trying to secure their first postseason appearance since 2020.
“Suggesting the Bears would move to Indiana is a startling slap in the face to all the beloved and loyal fans who have been rallying around the team during this strong season,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's spokesman Matt Hill said in a statement. "The Governor’s a Bears fan who has always wanted them to stay in Chicago. He has also said that ultimately they are a private business.”
The Bears’ focus for a new home has fluctuated between a tract of land they own in Arlington Heights to the Chicago lakefront, and then back to the suburb. They have said they plan to pay for the stadium construction on the site of a former racetrack about 30 miles northwest of their longtime home at Soldier Field, though they would need assistance to complete the project.
“The Bears have called Chicago home for more than a century,” Warren said. “One certainty is that our commitment to this city will not change. We will continue to provide unwavering support to the community. We need to secure a world-class venue for our passionate fanbase and honor the energy you bring every week.”
According to a team consultant report released in September, they are seeking $855 million in public funding for infrastructure in order to build a stadium in Arlington Heights that could host Final Fours and Super Bowls. The Bears were also hoping the Illinois legislature would pass a bill in October that would freeze property taxes for large-scale construction projects such as the stadium, allowing them to begin construction this year. But that didn't happen.
“For a project of this scale, uncertainty has significant consequences,” Warren said. “Stable timelines are critical, as are predictable processes and elected leaders, who share a sense of urgency and appreciation for public partnership that projects with this level of impact require. We have not received that sense of urgency or appreciation to date. We have been told directly by State leadership, our project will not be a priority in 2026, despite the benefits it will bring to Illinois.”
In September 2022, the Bears unveiled a nearly $5 billion plan for Arlington Heights that also called for restaurants, retail and more, when they were finalizing the purchase of that site 30 miles from Soldier Field. Their focus moved toward building a new stadium next to Soldier Field after Warren was hired as president two years ago to replace the retiring Ted Phillips. The plan to transform Chicago’s Museum Campus got an enthusiastic endorsement from Mayor Brandon Johnson but a tepid reception from Pritzker and state legislators when it was announced in April 2024.
Last spring, the team announced it was turning its attention back to Arlington Heights, citing “significant progress” with local leaders.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Kevin Warren, president and chief executive officer of the Chicago Bears, talks on the field before an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Chicago, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
