Recently, Smith Entertainment Group (SEG) has hinted at its readiness to welcome an NHL team to Utah.
The Delta Center, segregated for this purpose, can be an ideal interim home arena for the NHL franchise.
Smith Entertainment Group — owners of the Utah Jazz, Real Salt Lake, and Utah Royals — have formally requested that the NHL initiate an expansion process to ultimately bring a franchise to Utah. pic.twitter.com/G1Uee7kwkT
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) January 24, 2024
How the league responds to this exciting proposition remains to be seen, but the move towards this direction has been initiated.
Utah hasn’t been a stranger to hockey, the state with a profound hockey history hosted five NHL preseason games at the Delta Center now Vivint Arena, since 2018.
In addition to this, Utah has been home to minor-league teams like the Utah Grizzlies since 1995, who clinched a championship in their debut season.
From 1969 to 1994, the Salt Lake Golden Eagles, another minor league team in Utah, graced the hockey scene.
Their legacy includes winning two regular season championships in 1979 and 1980, making a mark in Utah’s hockey history.
NHL Statement on the Smith Entertainment Group: https://t.co/q5dzjaAhws pic.twitter.com/MLick3gxX3
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 24, 2024
The team relocated to Michigan in 1994, becoming the Detroit Vipers.
Welcoming an NHL team could vastly improve Salt Lake City’s bid to host a future Winter Olympics.
Fraser Bullock, at the helm of the committee working towards this goal, believes that an arena built explicitly for hockey would increase Utah’s chances of hosting Olympic hockey.
Interest in the NHL is skyrocketing, with national broadcast ratings up by a staggering 30% this season.
The league also cites record attendance and top-notch competitive balance as evidence of its booming success.
The Smith Entertainment Group, a key player in Utah’s sports scene, has been widening its sports and entertainment portfolio since purchasing the Jazz and their home arena in 2020.
Its investments have spread into Major League Soccer with Real Salt Lake as well as the Utah Royals of the National Women’s Soccer League.
Their latest endeavor may well be accommodating an NHL franchise in the state’s capital.
