Renovations for Delta Center instead of new arena for NHL team
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) – It was another seminal day in Utah sports history, as the NHL came to town for the official announcement about a new franchise beginning this fall.
“This is another one of those moments where it’s like, where were you when NHL came to Utah?” said owner Ryan Smith.
“We, the NHL are thrilled to be here in Utah,” said commissioner Gary Bettman. “And frankly, I am delighted to welcome Utah to the NHL.”
It really was a matter of weeks for this deal to be put together, for Ryand and Ashley Smith to buy the Arizona Coyotes and move them to Utah. In Commissioner Bettman’s 31 years on the job, he’s never seen anything like this.
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“The structure of the transaction and how it came about was unique,” Bettman said. “I wouldn’t have happened without Ashley and Ryan’s determination. I’ve been in professional sports for more than 43 years, and there’s never been a transaction quite like this one.”
The biggest news today was that a new arena will not be built, but rather renovations will be made to the Delta Center to accommodate some 17,500 fans, almost all of whom will evenutally have unobstructed views of the ice. In today’s configuration for hockey, the Delta Center provides just over 12,000 unobstructed views. The Smith also plan to build a downtown entertainment center around the arena.
“We’ve all decided that there’s one moment here to reimagine what our downtown experience is in Salt Lake,” Smith said. “If we could figure out how to get the Delta Center renovated and then really focus on that, the entrance of the experience for this downtown, that’s way more important to me than building a new arena.”
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“I’m OK with it because this is an arena with great bones,” Bettman added. “It’s great for basketball, but it needs some adjustments for hockey to get from 12,000 unobstructed seats.”
With already over 23,000 deposits put down for season tickets, Bettman is thrilled with the response of the Utah community.
“This is a great sports market, particularly winter sports,” he said. “Our game right now is in what some people are calling a golden era. This is going to be a great marriage.”
As for the name of the team, that won’t be decided for at least a few weeks.
“I think it’s early,” Bettman said. “We’ve been we’ve been drinking from fire hose, and you need a little bit of time to do it, right? Not the least of which is trademark clearances. So if we have to go generic for a little while, I think that’s the best course.”
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“I just think it’s one of those moments that we just we deserve this,” Smith said. “We’re going to do well with it. We’re not going to let you guys down.”
The new NHL team in Utah will begin play this October at the Delta Center.
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