Can hockey in Utah work? Jordan Martel thinks so.
This forward from Saguenay is one of the dozens and dozens of players who have been able to skate in this state since the creation of the Utah Grizzlies in 1995. The ECHL club plays its games at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, about a 15-minute drive from Salt Lake City, where the Arizona Coyotes will have to relocate for next season.
From a distance, you might think that basketball and skiing are the only popular sports in this corner of America, but Jordan Martel says that’s not true.
PHOTO JEANNOT LÉVESQUE, LE QUOTIDIEN ARCHIVES
Jordan Martel
“It’s a really good sports town and they love hockey there,” said Martel, who became a member of the Wheeling Nailers this season after being traded by the Grizzlies in December. It’s a city that is also very beautiful, which is very clean. Honestly, I think the Coyotes guys are going to like this! »
The 26-year-old played two portions of the season in Utah in 2022 and 2023, and he remembers an arena that was very well attended. This season, the Grizzlies averaged 6,003 fans per game, their best average since the 2002-2003 season.
Will these fans all converge on Salt Lake City when the first puck drops there in October? Jordan Martel thinks so.
PHOTO RICK BOWMER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Downtown Salt Lake City
Good crowds
“It’s an audience that knows hockey and loves hockey,” he adds. When I played there, it was always in front of very good crowds, often between 6000 and 8000 people [le Maverik Center peut accueillir 12 000 personnes]. I wouldn’t be surprised if NHL hockey could work there.
“I remember a very involved audience during our matches. They are hockey fans like we find in Quebec. What I noticed above all is that they really like the robust game there, they like it when it’s quite physical and also when there can be fights. I have nothing negative to say about the world there! »
What is certain, according to Jordan Martel, is that the Coyotes players, once the shock of the move has passed, will really love their new environment. Especially since the players from Arizona have had to content themselves with skating on the ice at the very modest Mullett Arena for two years.
They will now be able to move into the otherwise professional comfort of the Delta Center, which is also the home of the NBA’s Utah Jazz.
“The Coyotes guys are going to like it, that’s for sure,” concluded Jordan Martel. I talked quite a bit with the Grizzlies guys while I was there, and every player without exception loved playing there. In addition, Salt Lake City is a beautiful city, which is surrounded by mountains. I have never heard a single bad comment about this city. »
Ice fishing and golf
PHOTO COURTESY OF UTAH GRIZZLIES
Charles-Édouard D’Astous
Charles-Édouard D’Astous also had only good words for Salt Lake City, where he wore the colors of the Grizzlies for 70 games in 2021-2022. What did he like the most?
” View. It’s 25°C, you look in the distance and you see snow in the mountains. I haven’t been skiing, but if you want, you can go skiing in the morning and play golf in the afternoon. Not many places in the world where you can do that. One day during the playoffs we went ice fishing, and the next day we played golf.
“It’s one of the most beautiful ski destinations in the United States, but no one goes there, we all go to Western Canada! Park City is like Tremblant. »
The Rimouskie, who spent the last two seasons in Finland, also remembers a public that loved his hockey, even if he experienced smaller crowds in his time.
“We had around 4,000 people per match. It’s good for the ECHL. It seemed quiet, because it was a big arena. But in the semi-final, during the series, we had 10,000 people. I couldn’t say. I don’t know if the ECHL team will stay. But they will have people. It’s still the National League. I wouldn’t bet $100 that it’s going to become a huge market like Montreal or Toronto, but people are still interested in it. But for us, for the ECHL, people supported us. »
Although he did not play at the Delta Center, D’Astous was still able to visit the arena as a spectator.
“I went to see a couple of games of basket ball. Beautiful arena, super beautiful. There were often concerts. It’s fun, it’s downtown, you can go have a beer afterwards.
“It was built for shows and basketball. But an arena is okay. The NHL came to play preseason games. I wasn’t there, but I saw photos and there were people there. It fit well. As I remember the photos, it wasn’t like the Barclay Center with corners where you couldn’t see the ice. »
With Guillaume Lefrançois, The Press