Could Utah be a future home for the NHL?

[Dirty Old Man]

(as entertaining as whatever bee-themed uniform they'd come up with would be ).

The first time I visited there, I remember asking questions like "why is their state highway sign a beehive?" and "why is there a large painting of seagulls in the Utah state house?" (Miracle of the gulls - Wikipedia), "where can I get a drink around here?"..... followed by "this *is* America, right?"

Interesting place, Utah, if you've never been.

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

I think one day in the future it is certainly doable, as the Golden Knights have been showing popularity, especially there. But if they do build a new arena they should make it for all indoor sports, it'd also be good for them to do so because Salt Lake City is already one of the best places in the world to host the Winter Olympics (Calgary is one of the top three in my opinion, but that's not the point).

But if they were to build a new arena they definitely should try an AHL team first, maybe Vegas putting their affiliate there or even Seattle or Calgary for that matter. Reason I don't want Vegas or the Wolves to separate is that they have a too good of a mutual agreement to move on from one another, they were practically made to be affiliated together. I think Seattle and Chicago might be a good fit, but the thing is Vegas is closer and they have much... more flights going in and out of Chicago than Chicago does with Seattle. Calgary would be best suited for Utah in my opinion. Seattle could take over Stockton or San Antonio if St. Louis seeks interest in Kansas City and they can work out something.

 

[alko]

Would love to see Austin get a team after Houston and Quebec City. Austin is the largest open area without a pro team. It also has the fastest growth rate of any area over 1M people. Austin is already 2.1M people. That's plenty of population as it is for at least 1 team. NBA wouldn't come with San Antonio so close, NFL will likely pick San Antonio if they want another Texas NFL team, MLB is too hard to support with only 2.1M people. NHL would be the perfect sport!

Please, make a separate thread about Austin.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

I don't see the NHL ever going to salt lake.

But I can see the Golden Knights moving an AHL team and naming them the Golden Eagles.

Speaking as an erstwhile Golden Eagles fan, I think that'd be fantastic - except the Colorado AHL franchise would probably have issues with the name...

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Austin will never happen as long as the Stars control the market.... Utah won't ever happen unless there's an ownership change with the existing franchise, one of the reasons why Utah left the AHL in 2006, and why Gilbert has that franchise since.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

I don't think the NHL will expand past 32 teams for a very long time, so scratch expansion.

As for relocation, before Salt Lake City to be considered, they would need an NHL ready arena at least in the works to be built. Apparently the Vivint Smart Home Arena just underwent a renovation, so it's unlikely a new arena will be built in the foreseeable future. I don't think the NHL wants the headache of a team playing in a basketball arena in which there are issues with obstructive seating (think Phoenix and Brooklyn as two recent examples).

As for western relocation cities, they are behind Houston, Portland and Kansas City for cities the NHL would want to be in over Salt Lake City due to size, NHL ready arenas, and in the case of KC, lack of NBA competition.

I would think if Utah was craving another pro team, they'd likely try to get an NFL team.

Stranger things have happened, however, I think it'll be quite a while before Salt Lake City would be a favourite for an NHL team.

West Valley City actually hosts the existing pro franchise and that arena was the site of the hockey/skating venue in 2002

 

[Bixby Snyder]

It would be a better option than some of the ridiculous Canadian markets that get mentioned here.

 

[frontsfan2005]

West Valley City actually hosts the existing pro franchise and that arena was the site of the hockey/skating venue in 2002

The Maverik Center seats 10,100 for hockey. They could use that for the very short-term (think the Ottawa Civic Centre from 1992-96 or the Cow Palace from 1991-93). Can the arena be expanded to seat 15,000+?

 

[Jets4Life]

Austin will never happen as long as the Stars control the market.... Utah won't ever happen unless there's an ownership change with the existing franchise, one of the reasons why Utah left the AHL in 2006, and why Gilbert has that franchise since.

We have told this to you time and time and time again. Dallas does NOT control the Austin market. When will you learn?

As for Utah obtaining or supporting an NHL team? Not likely to happen, and I don't believe SLC is large enough to support the NBA and NHL.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

"They are in the same state so they must be a same market"

is an atrocious logic.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

The Maverik Center seats 10,100 for hockey. They could use that for the very short-term (think the Ottawa Civic Centre from 1992-96 or the Cow Palace from 1991-93). Can the arena be expanded to seat 15,000+?

it's more the ownership than the arena, tbth

 

[PCSPounder]

West Valley City actually hosts the existing pro franchise and that arena was the site of the hockey/skating venue in 2002

E Center/Maverik Center was the HOCKEY venue in 2002, not the skating venue.

Delta Center/"Olympic Skating Center"/Energy Solutions/Vivint Smart Home was the venue for figure skating and short-track in 2002.

I have pics from being there, I lived in Boise way too long with SLC as the "closest kinda sorta big city where jeans my size weren't too badly marked up" place.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

E Center/Maverik Center was the HOCKEY venue in 2002, not the skating venue.

Delta Center/"Olympic Skating Center"/Energy Solutions/Vivint Smart Home was the venue for figure skating and short-track in 2002.

I have pics from being there, I lived in Boise way too long with SLC as the "closest kinda sorta big city where jeans my size weren't too badly marked up" place.

but the point is it won't happen based off the history of the current franchise and how they couldn't survive after the demise of the IHL, NECESSITATING THE SELLING of the AHL Franchise, not to mention both legal suits against them by Dallas and Arizona AND WHAT OTHER MULTI BILLION ownerships exist in that state now that the Miller empire has collapsed..... the only vestige of that is the Court that the Jazz have in honor of the founder of the Jazz, I don't see the Grizzlies being forced out nor is their ownership interested in having to fight off a competitor, whether or not it is Maverik Center or not

 

[Hasbro]

Denver is the smallest NBA/NHL market. They rank 17th tv wise last I checked. They also have 21 fortune 1000 companies.

17. Colorado- decent sized market, very rich, very fast growth rate, this don't count Colorado Springs

Denver also gets some pull from there not being any large markets in most of the Rockies and Plains. When the NFL fandom maps were going around, Broncos territory had something like 11 million.

 

[TeddyBare]

Denver also gets some pull from there not being any large markets in most of the Rockies and Plains. When the NFL fandom maps were going around, Broncos territory had something like 11 million.

My word Denver Broncos??

 

[boredmale]

My word Denver Broncos??

You have to realize besides Colorado they are popular in a bunch of states that have the combined total of like 100 people

 

[Hasbro]

You have to realize besides Colorado they are popular in a bunch of states that have the combined total of like 100 people

They have about 11 million in their territory so it's nothing to sneeze at.

In terms of hockey, Nebraska is an underrated hockey hotbed with their strong USHL presence and the UNO Mavericks. Colorado remains the closest NHL options... for that featureless wasteland.

 

[Goulet17]

They have about 11 million in their territory so it's nothing to sneeze at.

In terms of hockey, Nebraska is an underrated hockey hotbed with their strong USHL presence and the UNO Mavericks. Colorado remains the closest NHL options... for that featureless wasteland.

I am glad that you raised this. The Intermountain West territory may not seem significant since it encompasses many less populous areas, but all together it brings the $10 million plus individuals under its umbrella as you mentioend. This is important since, the owner of the Avs, the Kroenke family, has created a separate sports-related programming cable network that carries the Avs as primary piece. Altitude is carried as part of cable packages in Wyoming, Eastern and Central Idaho, and the Salt Lake City area and Wasatch Front. It brings a large number of viewers and dollars in for the owners of the Avs.

Having lived in SLC for a while, you do see a number of people wearing an Avs' jersey. The Avs now have their ECHL affiliate in SLC. I would think that the Kroenke family would have an issue with NHL expansion into SLC as they consider it part of their territory and it would result in a direct loss of revenue for them.

It is something that is overlooked, but as Hasbro pointed out, the Denver based teams are able to maximize revenue from a large geographical area that does have substantial large numbers of people when looked at in the aggregate.

 

[boredmale]

They have about 11 million in their territory so it's nothing to sneeze at.

In terms of hockey, Nebraska is an underrated hockey hotbed with their strong USHL presence and the UNO Mavericks. Colorado remains the closest NHL options... for that featureless wasteland.

Just looking at the Broncos map, they don't even have the populus parts of Nebraska and South Dakota(which are generally central and to the East of the state)

 

[Hasbro]

Just looking at the Broncos map, they don't even have the populus parts of Nebraska and South Dakota(which are generally central and to the East of the state)

Even there they've got good followings in territories where they don't hold the plurality like Albuquerque and Omaha (the later in particular after Peyton Manning's made the city a catchphrase).

And while someone in the region might not be a fan of a Denver team, it might be the closest opportunity to see THEIR team in person.

 

[voyageur]

I can't see them as a hockey city. Not enough traction. I think the NHL would be better off circling the wagon to Kansas City, which has all the elements-arena, ownership group (Hunt family), location (between Denver and St. Louis), support (AEG run arena)-as the relocation destination of the Yotes. But it's likely Houston, still.

 

[MNNumbers]

I can't see them as a hockey city. Not enough traction. I think the NHL would be better off circling the wagon to Kansas City, which has all the elements-arena, ownership group (Hunt family), location (between Denver and St. Louis), support (AEG run arena)-as the relocation destination of the Yotes. But it's likely Houston, still.

Voyageur, do you know someone I don't? All of the information I've seen says that KC which city owns the Sprint Center, doesn't want to give away anything to either an NBA or NHL team. So, any team would operate on game night revenues only. And that seems pretty tough.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

The ownership issue is essentially the big knock against KC. Aside from the initial construction phase of Sprint Center, in which the developers hyped KC as a potential future NHL and/or NBA home, there hasn't really been hide nor hair of any steps towards bringing any kind of team to that arena. I would imagine that Houston and KC were be very high on the NHL's wishlist for market and time zone reasons, but ultimately for both we're at a wait and see standpoint for any realistic ownership options for both.

 

[Dirty Old Man]

Voyageur, do you know someone I don't?

Probably not. I've got that one pegged as a Jet fan who just wants to move Arizona out of spite. Nothing tangible.

 

[JMROWE]

No Salt lake City & Utah in general is just way to small of a market & can not support 2nd major sports franchise maybe if the NBA. was not there I would say yes .

In my opinion we will be seeing 3 relocations within the next 12 years.
Coyotes - Houston
Hurricanes - Quebec City
Panthers\Senators - Southern Ontario (Hamilton)