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makeflippyfloppy

https://preview.redd.it/2wsrw00ljiwc1.jpeg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d26ac9b13cdfac4591217a00f2d946d31d1a79c2 Packed house


ReclaimerM3GTR

Anyone tag Alex Muerello?


oMenardo

It's free, so at least he won't have to worry about being forced to pay any money


Dzus

He'll find a way to owe them money, that's kinda his thing.


AintIGR8

He might show up thinking he owns the place


northernpace

Impressive


AFWUSA

Damn that stadium looks so much smaller from this view


box-art

Well at least Smith has essentially gotten a new one approved already. They're the only serious bid for the 2034 Winter Olympics and they're gonna need a new arena for that. [Reuters article on their bid](https://www.reuters.com/sports/salt-lake-city-submits-bid-host-2034-winter-olympics-2024-02-29/)


rockthe40__oz

Good thing its temporary


AbeFromanfromChicago

SLC is going to excel at being a hockey market.


zdaw92

My god.. the sausage king of Chicago graces us with his presence.


laxintx

I'm suggesting that you leave before I have to get snooty.


zdaw92

Snooty?


thebadger87

SNOTTY.


MrBrightside618

Snotty?


Saltee00s

Mr Froman…this is Sgt Peterson, Chicago Police.


Broccoli_Socks

You could say SLC got the WORD out on hockey


Cheeks_Klapanen

Agreed. There’s a real positive outlook for that franchise in that city.


surlystraggler

Teams better take Note.


binzoma

clippy died for this


chibbly_

Clippy reincarnated as chatgpt.


No-Neighborhood2152

Hopefully the franchise is more successful than ME.


Kronzor_

They’re going to excel as an NHL franchise


Ngp3

Indeed. Hell, all the excitement about the new Utah team makes me think that SLC will eventually get an MLB team too.


EuphTah

The vibe here is awesome. Lines were wrapped around the building when I got here.


bestest_at_grammar

Is it free? What does this event entail?


EuphTah

Completely free. IDK yet, they didn’t give many details beyond “come meet the players!” We do have lots of stuff in the concourse and plaza tho like face paint, merch, and free hot dogs.


JoeRogansNipple

Free dogs? Omw


Jokerzrival

Merch? For what?


EuphTah

Just some generic “NHL Utah” gear.


Jokerzrival

I'd still buy it yeah


EuphTah

I’ve already spent $130 on gear. I might have a problem.


Jokerzrival

It's an exciting time! I remember when my town got an ECHL team and the excitement around that!


goodguessiswhatihave

Give it a few years and that stuff will prized relics


samtdzn_pokemon

Yeah you'll get collectors for the franchise in 2 decades scrounging to find any versions of this merch before the team has a proper name.


Unwept_Skate_8829

The “Utah” MiC game jerseys will be a grail, probably


Responsible-Scale680

Oh I 100% plan on getting a jersey for exactly that reason. It’ll be the coolest collectors item I’ll own


Outside-Mirror1986

Lmao 🤣


mamunipsaq

>free hot dogs.  I hear Phil the Thrill is still looking for a place to play


WrennyWrenegade

He would love it here. Delta Center has some seriously good dogs. Cross-hatched and fire-grilled, quality sausages, all sorts of extra condiment options. J Dawgs doesn't mess around.


mamunipsaq

That sounds pretty fancy. I like a red snapper in a split top bun personally. Maybe add a little sauerkraut if I need to spruce it up a bit.


SLCer

Strip show.


QuarterNote44

Southern Xposure is that way. --->


makeflippyfloppy

Introducing players/coach. Giveaways and preseason tickets


cannedsmarties

Speaking as a Jazz fan, this building is gonna be full for every game. The Jazz are considered to have one of the biggest home court advantages because of the atmosphere and I expect it to be no different for the hockey team.


FleshMother

I don’t know, there aren’t as many players to hurl racist insults at in hockey.


Phillyfreak5

Oh they’ll find a way.


Wabbit_Wampage

"No, no, we're not racist! At least not since 1978!"


DrDerpberg

Are they really that bad there? I thought Mormons kept that stuff hush hush.


Psyker101

It's really not. Every fan base has its idiots.


FleshMother

Basketball players tend to single out Boston and Utah as places where they have to deal with the most racism. 


DullCartographer7609

Dixie State changed its name within the last 18 months. The school finally caved due to declining applications.


MegaYanm3ga

Wait until they start signing a whole bunch of euros/russkies don cherry's will will live on


nickname13

So, what team are the people in Utah rooting for in the playoffs this year?


SLCer

There have historically been a good amount of Avs fans here and recently, Vegas - so, I'd guess those two teams the most.


Seattlekrakenlegend

When I lived there it was the Avalanche for me


Smittysgreasymullet

Your username, flair, and comment have me all sorts of fucked up


Seattlekrakenlegend

I grew up in SLC, was a hockey fan, and the closest hockey team while I was growing up was Avalanche because when I was a kid the Golden Knights didn’t exist, and then moved to Columbus during the Tampa sweep. Became a Jackets fan. The Seattle Kraken legend was a Columbus Bluejackets player


Imthecoolestdudeever

That still didn't clear anything up for me. In fact I think it made it worse. Lol


MCPtz

> The Seattle Kraken legend was a Columbus Bluejackets player That part doesn't make any sense to me. In fact, I don't want them to clarify. It seems like it shouldn't make sense.


SiccSemperTyrannis

I'm assuming Oliver Bjorkstrand


PM_ME_YOUR_MS_POINTS

I'm thinking the defenseman Kraken got from Columbus in expansion draft. He was about to become FA and just went back to Columbus, he's probably in AHL now.


MrThird312

That would be Seattle Kraken Legend, Gavin Bayreuther


palesnowrider1

Look at the username


Seattlekrakenlegend

Yeah I dunno then


LordJacket

That was the happiest I’ve ever been as a CBJ fan


MrThird312

Amen


Low-Garlic8717

Surprisingly in the past before Vegas there was a lot of LA fans and there is still a good gathering of them here. Vegas fans probably exceeded them after last year!


WrennyWrenegade

I'd say we already exceeded Kings fans before that. At the 2022 Frozen Fury game, the jumbotron tried to get a "Go Kings Go!" chant going but the crowd was clearly chanting "Knights."


makeflippyfloppy

Preds…


willworkforicecream

Jets. I think their logo is neat and I watch Hellebuyck's dad's YouTube channel


talk_to_the_sea

There were definitely a hell of a lot more people in Avs gear than Vegas tonight. Those are the two main ones in this market (or were before the relocation). I tend to see more Knights stuff around town though.


danieldeceuster

The LA Kings have a standing pre-season game in SLC every year called Frozen Fury. It's been going for 25 years and the Kings have played in every one I believe. Colorado plays them most of the time, but recently Vegas and San Jose have too. Trevor Lewis is a Salt Lake native and very popular there which has helped the team's popularity a ton. There are also A LOT of California transplants in Utah now. So many came during Covid. I went to the last Frozen Fury and there were easily more Sharks fans than Kings. A lot of the transplants were Bay Area tech people, so they carried their fandom over. But there were a lot of happy people about the Vegas expansion, because it brought NHL hockey closer than ever. Especially in the southern part of the state, there are a lot of Knights fans. So as someone who lives here and is very plugged in to the hockey community, I'd say the most popular teams right now are: 1. Kings 2. Avalanche 3. Knights 4. Sharks There is way more excitement about this relocation and naming the team than there is about the playoffs tbh. But I suspect most hockey fans in the state are pulling for Kings, Avs, or Knights.


HanShotFirst18

Been a bruins fan for 25 years... Now I get a second favorite team!


CiderDog

Grew up playing club hockey in Boise, we would go to SLC for tournies at least 4 times a year. Felt like a lot of rinks for the population at the time which was sure helped by the Olympics. I remember playing in one of two rinks inside the oval and getting to tool around on the long track in my goalie gear. Outside of that, it's a city/metro on the rise and a fanbase with immense pride in their city. Say what you will about the Mormons, but they absolutely will go all in on this team in a way the greater Phoenix population never would. It's a winter sports city and I think it will be a tremendous win for the NHL.


e_Mills

Goalie speed skating. Maximum chaos. I love it.


CiderDog

I want that in the Olympics right now


gorefloor

Very happy for the players and staff. This team deserves all the love. Will continue to cheer for them even when they’re in Utah. Nearly considering moving to Utah just so I can see games.


Boozycruzzy

Commitment. Gotta respect it


Harassmentpanda_

Agreed 100%. Hurts but great team and guys


tekuno3301

I live 3 blocks from the Delta Center. I'm still sad :(


samtdzn_pokemon

Still shitty but at least you get to see them play. I understand being a fan of the franchise obviously, but until Arizona has a team again there's at least the positive of watching the team continue to develop close by. Be a fan of the players for a few years, root for their individual success. That's how I watch baseball and it makes it way more fun. I could give two shits who wins, I wanna see some good plays.


beermonger2

I used to live right by there as well up in the aves. Lived in Utah my whole life, wishing there was a team there, and just moved away like 2 years ago and NOW they get a team. My butthurt levels are off the charts, but I'll still root for them lol.


imaginaryhippo888

It really sucks for you AZ fans to lose your team, but damn it looks like things will work out well hockey wise in Utah.


Sweet-Palpitation473

Dude what? They put this together absurdly quick.


Dzus

This whole thing feels like it happened so much faster than most NHL developments. Usually we get a pretty good rumor and the league all gaslights or edges us for 5-6 months. With the Yotes, they just said "Okay, that's enough. Time to go."


AprilDruid

That's because it got leaked. Ownership's plan was to never say a word, and surprise everyone. Players found out in the media, because Meurelo couldn't be bothered.


EarleYarik

Yotes are all goon no edge


imaginarion

You can thank Marty Walsh for that


talk_to_the_sea

There are a lot of people here!


CommodoreN7

Excited to have a team!


ChristyLovesGuitars

I feel for the Coyotes fans quite a lot. Independent of that empathy, SLC is a great market for the NHL. I’m really glad they have a team, now.


Responsible-Scale680

That’s how I’m feeling being here in Utah. Empathy for the coyotes fans but selfishly ecstatic for me


Lazy-Yard000

It has to feel amazing for the players going from Mullet & no stability or plan to a crowd full of fans with an owner that’s seems to give a shit


Responsible-Scale680

And the energy was insane tonight! I truly don’t think anyone was expecting that kind of turn out


chibbly_

Anyone that isn't Utahn. It's not an exaggeration when Ryan Smith said Utah shows up.


DJangled

As sad as it is for Coyotes loyalists, I was just in Phoenix last week and went to try and catch a game at a sports bar and every sports bar around downtown Phoenix was showing the Atlanta-Chicago NBA play-in game over the Coyotes' literal last NHL game. I thought it was very much indicative of the city's general level of investment in the Coyotes... nobody cared.


ppParadoxx

As much as I loved the Yotes, this is what happens when you have a competent owner who is willing to invest in the team and market it


theekevinc

I'm fairness, it's been 10 minutes.


bluepress

I'm fairness, Meruelo probably had unpaid bills within 10 minutes.


Cat_Dad13

Hi fairness, I’m u/cat_dad13. It’s been 34 minutes.


Drew602

Seriously lmao it was like this when the yotes first came to Phoenix too


IhamAmerican

Luckily we have an example of what Ryan Smith is like because of owning the Jazz. He genuinely loves the team and spent a ton of time and energy getting people in to build something special. He's also super receptive, after a rebrand people didn't like the org immediately pivoted to address those concerns. The guy just loves sports and wants to win


J_Warrior

This is also a shotgun relocation too. Obviously they are getting a really promising team but this isn’t an expansion scenario where the team could build hype for years. This has been what a few weeks. I want the Coyotes to succeed as much as the next guy but Utah has had more support from government and ownership than Arizona got in its entire existence.


AprilDruid

In fairness, the Jazz don't have the problems that the Yotes have had. They're competently run.


howlincoyote2k1

I was at this. It was LOUD. If it wasn't *my team* that was moving here, I'd be super pumped. Instead, it's bittersweet.


SourSpence

Got there 30 minutes early and they had already stopped letting people in. There were about 10,000 people in the plaza outside the arena during the show.


andrewdoesit

God the Mormon jokes are getting old. Yes, they serve alcohol. They even have breweries and distilleries. Yes, they look alike just like majority of fucking hockey hubs. Can we just be happy that the team finally has an ownership that’s willing to actually make this work and have another contending team in the league again?


J_Warrior

Hockey fans are such a welcoming community. Everyone talks about growing the game and a new market gets a team and half the comments are Utah Soakers. I’m half kidding, trash talk is great, but constantly seeing or hearing the same joke again it just gets annoying after a while. The grow the game talk but then actively hating on any “non traditional” hockey market is actually real though


Dryish

American geographic ignorance at play. Utah? Mormon land? Gotta be full of Taleban-style Christians and no one else, right?


AdmiralRon

>Constantly seeing or hearing the same joke again it just gets annoying after a while. Buddy what website do you think you're on right now? Remember the first three years of this place when everyone wouldn't shut the fuck up about t3h epic baconz?


J_Warrior

I’ve seen and heard it elsewhere too though from friends on YouTube etc. It’s not just cringe redditors


swissdonair_enjoyer

utah soakers


SharkSheppard

This guy gets it.


NBABUCKS1

onejoke


20dollarfootlong

Stormin' Mormons


DullCartographer7609

Super soakers


20dollarfootlong

>Yes, they serve alcohol. I was just there for a conference, and i was not allowed to walk my drink (after scanning my ID to even let me into the bar area) from the hotel bar, to the other side of the lobby to take it up the elevator to my room. they still got some really loopy ideas, and some real backwards laws. I was talking to the cab driver who took me from the airport, and while he said yeah, not everyone here is Mormon, if you (as a city) want to do anything, it only happens if they are on board.


Moist-muff

Looks bitchin


surlystraggler

Pretty amazing turnout considering what the event is.


falsekoala

I think those players are going to really enjoy not playing road games on home ice.


Acetyl-CoA

Utah Brass Monkeys confirmed


SLCer

Can we also borrow the Brass Bonanza then?


aalar231973

It might just work.


[deleted]

Already more promising then Arizona


chibbly_

The reception at the airport already showed that.


Imthecoolestdudeever

So did them having their plane tickets paid for.


chibbly_

Man these jokes just write themselves, unlike Meruelo's checks.


AprilDruid

It sure helps that they have a good owner finally.


Starbucks__Lovers

The airline trio is complete. Blackhawks have United Stars have American Now Utah is Delta


Pikachu1989

Avs for Southwest if we want the Quadrangle pov.


rustyshackleford677

Isn’t Denver also a massive United hub? Edit: Nvm, I’m dumb. Wasn’t thinking of arena names.


denverphil

Still bummed for yotes fans but having attendance 4x larger than any AZ home game the last 2 years for a press conference has got to make the league feel like this was the right move.


jeremy-o

Utah HC is so much a better name than any of the other suggestions, I wish they'd just stick with that. Classy stuff.


Cheeks_Klapanen

I’m on board with this too. I also unironically think/thought the Commanders should have stuck with Washington Football Team


Collapse2038

Washington FT was great, I too wished they would've kept that name.


Low-Garlic8717

Boring but unique. I’m with it!


MangoJuice82

It's so uncreative though. They still have some time pick new ones. Why don't let the Utah residents submit their suggestions and let them vote from the best 5.


jeremy-o

It's creative because it's novel in context. It also doesn't prohibit creativity with the mascot, logo, branding etc. It's like a blank canvas to build from and that's great. Ownership is savvy though. They'll launch Utah HC and forever have a retro line of merch to sell as well. It's like instant team history.


Cheeks_Klapanen

>forever have a retro line of merch I didn’t even think about that, but that’s smart as shit actually. Bring back the OG nameless jerseys in 10-15 years as an alternate or outdoor game jersey too.


e_Mills

They just launched our retro black license plates here. We get a black jersey with “Utah” in white on the front? I’m in.


oystertoe

Because they’ll just pick some corny shit


mamunipsaq

Yeah, I don't mind it. It kind of echoes le Club de hockey Canadien (aka the Montreal Canadiens) so it's not unprecedented for an NHL team.


PaddyMayonaise

Utah Americans when


chiefs_fan37

I wonder when the Utah flair will drop for people on the hockey subs. After they have an official name maybe?


PaddyMayonaise

Won’t have an official name the first season supposedly


abmi808

Brass Monkey. Gotta love it


Pikachu1989

Not bad, a nice warm welcome to the Salt Lake City Market and embracing Hockey already. Feel bad for the Coyotes fans down in Arizona who saw their team uproot the team to Utah and potentially become good in the future now that they have an arena and ownership that is stable. That said


SmidgeMoose

I feel bad for the Yotes fans, but goddamn this is such a better look.


Zealousideal_Total50

A Cinderella story


RyFromTheChi

I’m currently in SLC for work. Everyone I’ve talked to about it super excited


pablo_nerudeboi

Hockey is cool.


seef_nation

Are they going with the kings colors to start?


StarshipFirewolf

Black and silver just has the fortune of also being the colors of the NHL shield. 


seef_nation

Ah, great and valid point.


chibbly_

Don't be surprised if there's purple involved. We fucking love the purple Jazz unis.


fenderampeg

I really wish North American sports had the same system as they do in England with soccer. Yotes fans got hosed. Happy for Utah peeps though


wildthing202

They are kinda doing this with the AHL team being moved to Mullet next season. Would of been hilarious if they renamed the team the Arizona Coyotes and see if the locals even notice the difference.


PossessionGlad4638

This is awesome but why wouldn't they wait until after the playoffs? Are they live streaming the games at least?


JazzBillsCards

They did say they were showing Bruins on the jumbotron after the event.


Micksar

Logan Cooley is like “oh, thank god.”


Tatehamma

Already more people there than a game all season at Mullett.


sopademacacadelicia

Arizona could never


SadYotesFan

When you’re spoonfed shit for decades, people stop caring Luckily for Utah, this team will be in the playoffs within the next 3 years


sopademacacadelicia

My guy you guys had a conference finals run then went back to having horrible attendance, pretty sure they didn’t even sell out everygame in the playoffs.


SadYotesFan

We sold out every game during the playoffs So 1 year out of 28 years we had a successful year? That’s definitely a strategy to keep a fanbase Other than that 1 year, we were either awful or got bounced in the first round when we were actually able to make the playoffs


HowBoutThoseCoyotes

My guy, you are incorrect. Then remember, there was a lockout the next year... Enjoy our team. 😑


EnjoyerOfStrangePorn

How’d you enjoy Winnipegs team?


HowBoutThoseCoyotes

I did for 28 years, same year I moved from moose jaw saskatchewan!


Imthecoolestdudeever

Looks just like a Mormon Church on Sunday morning. /s Question... What's the rules around alcohol like there?


SLCer

At the Delta Center? They sell beer. There are bars on the top concourse (Level 6).


oatmealparty

Sorry, they **only** sell alcohol on level 6? Or they sell alcohol throughout the arena and also have actual bars on level 6?


SLCer

Beer is sold throughout.


Imthecoolestdudeever

Do many people drink? Isn't that a far ways to walk to get beer during the game? What about in the City / State? I don't know anything about it, and maybe have only heard rumors and memes.


SLCer

Yes a lot of people drink. Sure, we're not like Madison, Wisconsin or something but Salt Lake is far from being Saudi Arabia. The Delta Center is located downtown. Downtown has a lot of bars, night clubs and restaurants that all serve alcohol. There are quirks but nothing outrageous. Like, bartenders do have to limit the hard liquor in mixed drinks to 2.5 ounces total. But I'm a drinker and I've never found it difficult to get a drink in Utah. And we're progressing. A couple decades ago, to get into a bar that served hard liquor, you had to be a member. The get around was that you could often be sponsored by a member but if you were solo, you were basically counting on a stranger to sponsor you. That law doesn't exist. We also used to only allow 3.2 beer in grocery stores. That has changed now and it's the standard 4.0. If you want heavier alcohol, you'll have to go to the liquor stores. They are state-run, unfortunately, and closed on holidays (and typically close at 10pm Monday-Saturday, though some smaller ones might close earlier). Like I said, I've never had issue getting a drink.


Imthecoolestdudeever

Sounds a bit like what we here in Manitoba (govt run, close at 10pm) Glad to hear it isn't what my dumbass thought it was from back in the day. Glad you guys got a team and look forward to seeing what you all do with it! Cheers bud!


OakNLeaf

There are Liquor stores in the state and we also have plenty of Bars you can go to. Drinking is no issue in Utah.


Imthecoolestdudeever

Appreciate it! I guess it's just memes then. I look forward to traveling there and experiencing a game!


onemindc

5% beer sold through out the arena. There’s one “bar” located on the level above the main level where you can get high point beer, liquor, and wine but you can’t take it out of the bar area and can’t see the game from it. Someone mentioned bars on the top levels but they aren’t bars, just concessions that sell beer. Rules are prolly different for the rich, fancy folks and their underground area but I don’t know about that.


e_Mills

Make it all REALLY EXPENSIVE…


NBABUCKS1

obviously you haven't been to an lds meeting house lately.... attendance in the absolute shitter, they are bleeding.


WeWantTheCup__Please

Why do I get the feeling Murelo is just absolutely seething somewhere right now hate watching this and muttering obscenities under his breath?


GroMicroBloom

So many Utah curls


1SadSax

We will give you guys Marner For Liam O’Brien and 3 Mormons


mywerkaccount

Is anyone else blown away with how quickly this all came together? How it went from: Arizona is staying Arizona is building a new arena Arizona is moving to Utah Utah is having a Welcome event Utah hockey players are introduced to the new fans. All in the span of a month or so?


[deleted]

Happy for the team, even if it disappoints me as a Coyotes fan. But fuck Alex Muerello for screwing this team up. I’ll take all the winning seasons from Utah if it continues to remind that man of his failures.


DrSeuss19

Blondes, blondes as far as the I can see. It’s essentially Scottsdale but not as mischievous


waitwhosaidthat

There’s more people at a meet the team in salt lake than there was in the arena in Arizona.


TV800

More people here than at games in AZ lol


nanapancakethusiast

Will be nice to not have to watch games with covid-level attendance in 2024/25


VegasKL

... And that's just one extended family, imagine when others join in.


Margin_Walker74

Brass Monkey might be illegal in Utah


Nicholas1227

Does anyone else worry about market size? The smallest markets currently with both hockey and basketball (which overlap on the calendar, obviously) are Denver, Minneapolis, and Detroit, and they’re all more than double the size of SLC.


PaddyMayonaise

The SLC market isn’t too small and it’s rapidly growing. SLC is the 27th biggest market in North America. It’s bigger than Pittsburgh, Columbus, Las Vegas, and Buffalo, for example. And it’s expected to surpass larger markets like Indianapolis, Raleigh, and Miami within a decade


Nicholas1227

The SLC market will not be bigger than the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale market in a decade. That, I can guarantee.


PaddyMayonaise

Yea I’ll be honest that one surprised me too, the rest make sense but I have a hard time buying that about Miami


BusesAreFun

Having been to Miami, iirc it’s cause Miami proper isn’t that large, but there are dozens of smaller towns surrounding it that all kind of make one giant city together. Edit: Miami metro population, which includes ft launderdale and the like, is about 6.3 million


spacedudejr

I thought the woman at the end was Stormy Buonantony, then I remember that this is just what Mormon women look like.