(Salt Lake City, Utah) American League, ECHL, International League, Central League… Professional hockey will not be its first experience here. However, this is the first time that the best league in the world will arrive there.
In the words of the city’s mayor, Erin Mendenhall, it will therefore not be a problem to find supporters.
“Commissioner, you are right that we are on the verge of becoming NHL fans. After all, we know a thing or two about conversions here in Utah! », launched Mme Mendenhall, not without cringing a few teeth in the process.
The fact remains that the first signals are encouraging. The club’s new owner, Ryan Smith, said he has received deposits for 22,700 season tickets, for an arena that will initially have 16,200 seats, before increasing to 17,500 in two years.
Friday morning, the local 100% sports radio station devoted a large part of its programming to the arrival of the NHL in town. The presenters’ lack of knowledge of NHL news sometimes appeared. “I don’t really know how long it takes for a drafted player to reach the NHL,” one of them confided on air. If only he knew how long Montreal waited for Danny Kristo.
The fact remains that the animators have identified, quite accurately, Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley, Josh Doan and Dylan Guenther as the core of the future team. “I know they don’t have defenders, which can be a problem, but the team is decent,” they added. Aside from minor league players, all former Coyotes defensemen are effectively at the end of their contracts. Except Shea Weber, but that’s complicated.
Islanders fan
The press conference was widely covered by local media. An hour before the start, three television teams were installed in the plaza in front of the Delta Center, for live interventions.
PHOTO GUILLAUME LEFRANÇOIS, THE PRESS
Al Kenworthy
A few blocks from the arena, The Press even met the good Al Kenworthy, a guy from Hartford, a hockey fan as the fine sleuth author of these lines guessed, who noticed the Islanders jersey that Kenworthy was wearing.
As a native of Hartford, I completely understand the disappointment of the people of Quebec. But I’m glad the NHL is coming here rather than Houston or another big city. I’m a fan of the Islanders, who are the little sister of the Rangers, so I have sympathy for the underdogs.
Al Kenworthy
Kenworthy has lived in Salt Lake City for about ten years, but he will not know the future team – still unnamed – since he is moving to New York this summer. “But I have friends who gave a deposit for season tickets,” he said.
Ryan Bonham is Utah Region President for USA Hockey. It essentially manages minor hockey in the state, which has only 17 rinks.
“Right now, in people’s eyes, it’s football, basketball and baseball. I think hockey has a pretty equal level of popularity with soccer. But it will surely go up with the NHL. People here love sports, we love being outside. They call us the State of Sports. I feel like the hockey team will be really popular,” he explains.
The team, he believes, will lead to growth in accessibility to hockey. He has heard of at least three plans to build new arenas, and he expects the University of Utah to obtain a division one NCAA program in the medium term.
Opposition
Gary Bettman made the jokes during the press briefing. “I saw the renovation plans and got assurances that within two years, we will have a capacity of 17,000 spectators. And local elected officials assured me that there will be no soap opera with the arena. With the situation we just got out of, I would prefer not to have a soap opera with the arena! »
However, we will have to see if the Coyotes’ landing here will go off without a hitch.
PHOTO GUILLAUME LEFRANÇOIS, THE PRESS
Scott, not far from the Delta Center
An hour after the conference ended, Scott was walking around with his signs denouncing a tax hike to fund the renovation of the Delta Center. “Party misconduct for raising a bar against the taxpayers of Utah,” one read.
“I’m very happy that a hockey team is coming,” he says, Pittsburgh Penguins jersey on his back. But I’m not happy with raising taxes to subsidize billionaires. We have a serious homelessness problem, the governor asked the legislature for $120 million and they had trouble finding $60 million. In addition, the tax increase is regressive. Billionaires don’t care, but vulnerable people feel it. »
If they want to pay for a team, I’m 100% on board. But this cannot be done on the backs of taxpayers.
Scott
Scott plans to attend the May 7 city council meeting, where a bill to revitalize the city center will be discussed. Walking the streets, we quickly notice that behind the magnificent alleys of the City Creek sector, we find some abandoned premises, and numerous parking lots which break up the urban fabric.
The question arose at the press briefing, when a local journalist asked Ryan Smith if he believed he had the support of citizens despite the sales tax increase necessary for the revitalization project.
Smith emphasized his desire to locate the team downtown, rather than building a new arena in the suburbs. “American downtowns are not experiencing their best times, especially since the pandemic. We want Jazz and hockey to be together. And we will generate a lot of revenue. »