SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (KIFI) – As East Idaho has seen with the Spud Kings in Idaho Falls over the past two years, hockey has grown in the region through team success. With the Arizona Coyotes' hybrid relocation resulting in the NHL moving to Utah, will we see similar growth?
I found the answer this week and traveled south to meet a couple with hockey experience in both Utah and Arizona.
Utah's new NHL franchise, which has yet to be named, will be the Beehive State's first NHL team. Utah State will have a new name, logo and trademarks, but its players, coaches and hockey operations staff will be from the newly defunct Arizona Coyotes.
“I think they'll be amazed at the reception they've received and we hope they'll all be able to come by Wednesday,” said Ryan Smith, chairman and CEO of Smith Entertainment Group. Told.
The new team also has big goals.
“We want to bring championships,” said Ashley Smith, co-owner of Smith Entertainment Group. “We want to bring a Stanley Cup to Utah.”
Salt Lake City is the fourth city in the Mountain West and Desert Southwest to land an NHL team, joining the Colorado Avalanche in Denver, the Vegas Golden Knights in Las Vegas and the Arizona Coyotes in Phoenix.
So I ventured to one of those cities to check out the Golden Knights, to understand why the NHL can and has operated in this area despite the Coyotes' hybrid relocation. I went to Las Vegas.
This is also where I met a couple, Janet and Tom Lashoff, who are part of both the Utah and Arizona hockey communities, and who also happen to be my aunt and uncle.
While watching VGK in person, we talked about the Yotes' hybrid relocation to Utah.
“I have friends who live there,” Janet Lashoff said. “I've talked about it a lot with people at the dog park, and there's a lot of people who really love coyotes. I think it's been a little difficult for people to get there because of the location.”
Tom Lashoff said, “I was actually disappointed when I heard the news that they were leaving.” “I've been a Coyotes fan for years. I spent the last few winters in Phoenix, which is a great area, and I really became a fan of the team.”
The Las Vegas hockey market we experienced this week is a hockey market like no other, but the Golden Knights' huge success foreshadows Salt Lake City's NHL fate.
“Salt Lake City is a tourist destination where you can also enjoy skiing and hiking,” Janet Lashoff said. “So it might be natural for people to come, just like they come to Las Vegas.
“As Las Vegas knows, it takes a lot of effort to build a fan base, but if you're willing to follow the Las Vegas approach, you can be successful.”
Given the hockey they've seen and experienced in the mountains of the West and the desert Southwest, I asked the Lashoffs if they thought the NHL could be successful in Salt Lake City.
“I think it's going to be great for youth hockey there,” Tom Lashoff said. “I think it's probably going to grow the sport there. I think it's going to be very good for the Salt Lake area.”
“The Grizzlies are there, but the crowds aren't as big,” Janet Lashoff said. “And I think having players that you look up to is going to really make a difference, not only in the kids and how they think about hockey, but also in terms of coaching. And maybe they're going to raise the level of soccer. Deaf” throughout the region. ”
Regardless of how Utah brings the NHL to Salt Lake City, there's no doubt that the Delta Center will be filled with hockey this fall.
