Could Utah be a future home for the NHL?

[LadyStanley]

The Kings and Canucks come to town Monday for a preseason showcase — could Utah ever land an NHL team?

The inevitable question when preseason hockey comes town.

Could Monday’s preseason outing be viewed as a potential trial run? For years now, sports fans in Utah regularly discuss what potential major sports league could eventually be Beehive State-bound? It’s complicated, no doubt. But as one USA Today report stated, Utah is the fastest growing state in the country. More people equals more sports fans.

And more and more each year, recognizable businesses are planting new flags here. The tech industry in Utah, much like the population as a whole, is booming, too. And when it comes to entertaining the idea of a new major sports franchise, someone — or some group — will need to splash the necessary cash to even get an idea off the ground.

Arena, ownership group and funding. LMK when you've got that figured out.

Click to read more...

 

[Fenway]

Unlikely because they have a NBA team

 

[Trizent]

If hockey didn't grow at all in SLC after 2002 Winter Olympics with Canada v USA mens and womens, it will be hard.

 

[aqib]

Arena, ownership group and funding. LMK when you've got that figured out.

Arena - Where the Jazz play
Ownsership - Whoever owns the Jazz after Gail Miller passes on

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Arena - Where the Jazz play
Ownsership - Whoever owns the Jazz after Gail Miller passes on

Jazz arena can't work for NHL, especially after Barclays failure for Islanders.

 

[HisIceness]

No way no how with an NBA franchise there too. Nowhere near big enough for both.

Ditto Portland, another market that often gets mentioned.

 

[gstommylee]

No way no how with an NBA franchise there too. Nowhere near big enough for both.

Ditto Portland, another market that often gets mentioned.

Portland has a good hockey market with the WHL team. I think it'll work fine especially with Seattle. Problem is the cost of the franchise.

 

[HisIceness]

Fair enough, but I completely disagree.

 

[Vamos Rafa]

There was a reason why hockey events weren't held at Delta Center during the 2002 Olympics. The dimensions were specifically made for basketball, thus too small for a hockey rink.

 

[AdmiralsFan24]

There was a reason why hockey events weren't held at Delta Center during the 2002 Olympics. The dimensions were specifically made for basketball, thus too small for a hockey rink.

This obviously isn't true since the 2002 games had figure skating (197x98 rink compared to 200x85 for hockey) and there's going to be an NHL preseason game there in less than 24 hours. They may need some small renovations to the seating bowl to make the sight lines better but to say the dimensions are made for basketball and too small for a hockey rink is 100% false.

 

[MNNumbers]

I can't find a hockey capacity, but comparing the maps on this page: http://www.vivintarena.com/maps/seating

I would say that hockey loses some pretty expensive seating. It's not impossible, but it's not going to be as lucrative as NBA.

 

[Vamos Rafa]

This obviously isn't true since the 2002 games had figure skating (197x98 rink compared to 200x85 for hockey) and there's going to be an NHL preseason game there in less than 24 hours. They may need some small renovations to the seating bowl to make the sight lines better but to say the dimensions are made for basketball and too small for a hockey rink is 100% false.

I stand corrected on the figure skating park. But it is true that the dimensions are made for basketball. The seats behind the base line don't look like a long extension unlike the ones you see at arenas that have perfect dimensions for hockey like Staples Center, Wells Fargo Center, or Pepsi Center when there's a basketball game. The corner seatings at the Jazz arena or whatever it's called now are perfectly angled towards the basket. This arena simply can't be a permanent home for an NHL team. It would just be another America West Arena or Barclays Center where they had to give up a ton of seating behind one of the nets.

 

[KevFu]

I won't pretend to know the specifics of the Jazz arena and it's configurations/tweaks over the years (2002 was a long time ago.
The Utah Grizzlies played there until 2001).

But plenty of places were "made for basketball" but not at the detriment of hockey. Hell, the NBA arena in New Orleans is like that. And I don't think I met a single NOLA native who actively liked hockey. The three dozen or so hockey fans in NOLA were all transplants.

Also, arena leases are 30 years. I highly doubt the NHL is going to expand to any market expecting to play long-term at a 30-year old arena. I think ultimately, the Rockets' owner is going to end up bringing the NHL to Houston because "brand new hockey team = brand new arena."

 

[BattleBorn]

Delta Center/Vivint Arena/whatever is almost 30 years old.

I'm guessing the Wasatch Front is in the market for a new arena in the coming decade. Once that starts formulating, this is a completely different story.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

I've said it many times that Utah absolutely should be an expansion target of the NHL.... in about 50 or so years. They're still small, so that's all that matters, but they are rapidly growing, have a monstrously large winter sports scene, have an avid sports scene, and are per capita one of the wealthier markets. If their current rate of growth continues for five or so decades, I think they'd be a slam dunk market for the NHL. Essentially their only problem at that point is the relative geography of the metro area is fairly long and narrow, so chunks of the supposedly immediate fanbase would be quite the trek away for games.

As it is now though, not really worth being brought up.

 

[BattleBorn]

I've said it many times that Utah absolutely should be an expansion target of the NHL.... in about 50 or so years. They're still small, so that's all that matters, but they are rapidly growing, have a monstrously large winter sports scene, have an avid sports scene, and are per capita one of the wealthier markets. If their current rate of growth continues for five or so decades, I think they'd be a slam dunk market for the NHL. Essentially their only problem at that point is the relative geography of the metro area is fairly long and narrow, so chunks of the supposedly immediate fanbase would be quite the trek away for games.

As it is now though, not really worth being brought up.

Population really isn't an issue, though the distribution of that population in that spaghetti noodle metro area definitely is. However, they've got the transportation infrastructure to take advantage of the population a little further away from the arena than most cities of that size. They've also got the benefit of 80% of the LDS population within bordering states immediately becoming Utah/SLC fans and creating kind of a Vegas-type effect of dragging people in from outside of the metro area, if even on a smaller level.

If there's a new arena and an interested owner, I'd definitely expect SLC to get into the conversation for a team.

 

[PCSPounder]

The Del ERRRRRR Energy Sol ERRRRRR Vivint Smart Home (wait, is it still that? Do I care?)...

In Phoenix in those early Coyotes years, at least they made one end viable. That's never been an option in SLC. I would not like that option there. The only reason I'm not going to say it's worse than Barclays is because I haven't been to Barclays, but the pictures send me the message that SLC is worse.

Having said that... waiting to see if this current Jazz team can win a couple playoff series, because otherwise I kind of doubt they have long term viability in that market. That plus the age of the arena = possibilities. Without the Jazz, it would work.

I did say "kind of doubt." Plus there's a reason half the stake houses in Utah have basketball courts. However, there's a chance.

 

[BattleBorn]

The Del ERRRRRR Energy Sol ERRRRRR Vivint Smart Home (wait, is it still that? Do I care?)...

In Phoenix in those early Coyotes years, at least they made one end viable. That's never been an option in SLC. I would not like that option there. The only reason I'm not going to say it's worse than Barclays is because I haven't been to Barclays, but the pictures send me the message that SLC is worse.

Having said that... waiting to see if this current Jazz team can win a couple playoff series, because otherwise I kind of doubt they have long term viability in that market. That plus the age of the arena = possibilities. Without the Jazz, it would work.

I did say "kind of doubt." Plus there's a reason half the stake houses in Utah have basketball courts. However, there's a chance.

We'll get some pictures from the game tonight and see how poorly it's designed for hockey.

I'm guessing the stake houses had courts well before the Jazz, they're all pretty much the same floorplan and have been for as long as I've had the chance to show up in one.

 

[KevFu]

Delta Center/Vivint Arena/whatever is almost 30 years old.

I'm guessing the Wasatch Front is in the market for a new arena in the coming decade. Once that starts formulating, this is a completely different story.

Right, that's what I meant... if the NHL lands in SLC, it's going to be either in the new arena that replaces that current Jazz venue...
or a sitch where they get the expansion team, and construction on a new arena begins and they play like a season or two max in the old place.

 

[Melrose Munch]

No way no how with an NBA franchise there too. Nowhere near big enough for both.

Ditto Portland, another market that often gets mentioned.

Portland is almost at 3 million. And they have Oregon and Southern Washington. Not the same.

 

[HisIceness]

Portland is almost at 3 million. And they have Oregon and Southern Washington. Not the same.

I am very confident Portland will end up with an NFL or MLB franchise first.

No way does the NHL try to compete with the Blazers and Timbers while the market is still at the size that it is.

 

[MikeCubs]

The Del ERRRRRR Energy Sol ERRRRRR Vivint Smart Home (wait, is it still that? Do I care?)...

In Phoenix in those early Coyotes years, at least they made one end viable. That's never been an option in SLC. I would not like that option there. The only reason I'm not going to say it's worse than Barclays is because I haven't been to Barclays, but the pictures send me the message that SLC is worse.

Having said that... waiting to see if this current Jazz team can win a couple playoff series, because otherwise I kind of doubt they have long term viability in that market. That plus the age of the arena = possibilities. Without the Jazz, it would work.

I did say "kind of doubt." Plus there's a reason half the stake houses in Utah have basketball courts. However, there's a chance.

The Jazz aren't going anywhere. Utah has some of the leagues most rabid fans and they have average 19,314 fans per game in the entire history of their arena since it opened in 1992.

Former Comissioner David Stern said after he retired the Jazz have the best fans base in the league.

Utah Jazz: Donovan Mitchell hits SI Top 100 at No. 34

In 2008 NBA players voted Utah as the most intimidating home court due to their great fan support

Si Players Nba Poll - 02.11.08 - SI Vault

The arena was just renovated long term last year for $125M.

Best of 2017, #3: Vivint Smart Home Arena Renovations - Arena Digest



Nearly good as new^^^

Per Forbes the Jazz are worth $1.2B and made a $61M profit the year before last before the renovation was finished.

Also last year Gail Miller(former Jazz owner Larry Miller's wife)announced ownership of the Utah Jazz and Vivint Smart Home Arena have been transferred into a Legacy Trust in order to keep the franchise in Utah for generations.

Miller family transfers ownership of Utah Jazz | NBA.com

Once Seattle is taken by expansion there is no open market close to as good as Utah/Salt Lake City.

 

[ES]

I could see it good addition for AHL. Affiliate of VGK or Avs.

 

[MikeCubs]

In case anyone is wondering how long the renovation will last

Utah Jazz unveil Vivint SmartHome Arena renovation plans

snip

-"We have an opportunity to do something very special that will last for another 25 to 30 years," an emotional Gail Miller said, echoing her late husband's words to Salt Lake City leaders when he first pitched his dream for the downtown venue

-"I know it makes a significant difference," Miller said of the renovation's impact on the franchise's bottom line.

-"Behind the scenes, this building has great bones," Icon CEO Tim Romani said. "It's a phenomenal building. It allows the renovation project to really focus on fan experience instead of using a large portion of the budget to fix costly projects that are inherent" with an older arena.

 

[superdeluxe]

Doubtful since they already have one winter sport.