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Utah Hockey defenseman Michael Kesselring (7) moves the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks left wing Patrick Maroon (77) during the first period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tue Oct 8, 2024 (AP New photo)

Utah Hockey Club Roars in NHL Debut

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–In an early afternoon press conference outside the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Utah Hockey Club co-owner Ashley Smith praised the herculean efforts of staff and government officials in the rapid transformation of the Arizona Coyotes into the NHL’s newest franchise, still awaiting a permanent name pending the outcome of fan voting.

No sooner was the ink on the transfer of the team dry, work began on relocating players and team administration to their new home, modifying Delta Center to accommodate both NBA and NHL requirements, and generating over 30,000 season ticket deposits for the 2024-2025 season.

Last season, the Coyotes played at Mullett Arena at Arizona State University where NHL attendance was capped at 4,600 seats. Utah had 172 days to completely transform a franchise and begin the new season where it will likely sell out every game.

Co-owner Ryan Smith also praised the efforts of the staffs of the Smith Entertainment Group and Utah Jazz who sacrificed their usual summer vacations and worked up to 18 hours a day during the offseason to bring the Utah Hockey Club into the SEG family.

Newly relocated players and administration were blown away as new neighbors throughout the region showed up at their doors with food and offers to help become acquainted with schools and any kind of information they might need as they settled into their homes.

Commissioner Gary Bettman, long accustomed to boos wherever he makes an appearance, received rare cheers from the assembled gathering of fans who endured scorching heat to witness history being made.

As the afternoon wore on, tens of thousands of hockey fans including children holding up homemade signs thronged the entry to Delta Center to welcome and cheer the arrival of the players.

Thousands of those who were unable to get seats for the sold out home opener remained outside for a massive watch party where they viewed the game on large monitors.

Those inside the arena stood and screamed loudly, waving white rally towels, as players skated onto the ice one by one for opening game introductions. Finnish defenseman Juuso Valimaki had the honor of being the first player introduced. The crowd crescendoed with each introduction, coming to a climax as captain Clayton Keller took to the ice.

Following a stirring performance of the national anthem by Kaylee Bucio, fans erupted as Utah Jazz power forward Lauri Markkanen, adorned in UHC attire, skated onto the ice for the ceremonial puck drop together with Ashley and Ryan Smith, captain Clayton Keller, and Chicago Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno. Markkanen, a 7-foot tall power forward from Finland, demonstrated tremendous skating ability of his own, making one wonder how far he might have gone had he pursued hockey over basketball.

At long last the game began and the Utah Hockey Club got off to a quick start. At 4:56 of the first period, right wing Dylan Guenther netted the first goal for the new franchise, assisted by Michael Kesselring and Logan Cooley.

The roar of the crowd was so deafening as to trigger decibel lever warnings on Apple watches. The jumbotron showed thousands of fans at the watch party outside joining in the first goal celebration. At 13:35 of the first period, captain Clayton Keller put UHC up 2-0 with a goal assisted by Nick Schmaltz and Barrett Hayton, which is how things stood at the end of the first period much to the approval of the sold out crowd.

Utah picked up where they left off at 8:46 of the second period, going up 3-0 on a goal by Barrett Hayton, assisted by Mikhail Sergachev, recently acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning where he won two Stanley Cups, and Nick Schmaltz. The three goal lead turned out to be short-lived as Teuvo Teravainen put Chicago on the board at 14:25, assisted by Connor Bedard and Seth Jones. One could hear the cheers of a small but happy number of Blackhawks fans among the crowd as the shutout was broken.

The Blackhawks clamped down defensively in the last half of the second period and put additional pressure on UHC in the third period when captain Nick Foligno, assisted by Alex Vlasic and Connor Bedard narrowed the score to 3-2 with a little more than 15 minutes remaining in the game.

With 44 seconds remaining in the game, Dylan Guenther scored his second goal of the game into an empty net, assisted by Logan Cooley and Sean Durzi, giving Utah a little breathing room and a 4-2 lead. Earlier in the game, Durzi entered UHC’s record books with the squad’s first fighting major in the second period along with Connor Murphy of the Blackhawks.

With both teams at even strength, center Logan Cooley found the back of the net one more time with 22 seconds to go, assisted by Ian Cole, to put a punctuation mark on a thrilling 5-2 opening night victory for the NHL’s newest franchise. Goaltender Connor Ingram stopped 26 of 28 shots for the win.

After the game, Utah Hockey Club Head Coach André Tourigny commented on playing the first game in a new environment:

“Well, I think what I did like is the maturity we showed during the game. I think there were a lot of emotion, there’s a lot of stress, lot of wanting to win and wanting to deliver. And when Chicago pushed back, I really liked the leadership on the bench, the experience we have. Our leader did a great job to make sure we stay level as much as possible.”

When asked what he would remember about the inaugural game, Tourigny, who goes by “Bear,” responded, ”We won. That’s what I will remember. But what I will remember, I think, it’s been a hell of a journey. It’s been fabulous every step. It’s been a huge boost of energy for our team, for our players. And to hear the crowd to start the game, the presentation of the players, when we score our first goal, and when the thing get a little bit scrappy, that was just phenomenal.”

Captain Clayton Keller, also commenting on the inaugural game, said, “The first preseason game we had was pretty crazy. And I think this was a whole ‘nother level. Super fun game to be a part of, the fans were awesome…We couldn’t be more excited to play in front of them for the rest of the year.”

Forward Dylan Guenther, who scored the first goal in franchise history along with netting the team’s fourth goal to lock up the victory in the final minute added, “That building was special, so it was a ton of fun to play in front of that crowd.”

In speaking of the environment of the inaugural game, Guenther responded, “I mean, an intense one. I think like a playoff game, almost with that atmosphere. If the building stays like that all year, it’s a huge advantage for us.”

Chicago Blackhawks Head Coach Luke Richardson had this to say about playing in Utah:

“It was a great crowd and a very lively building. I think with the first period they had, they fed off the crowd, but the crowd got lots to cheer about which was unfortunate for us. We’re excited to be here playing Utah, and we’re looking forward to coming back and putting on a better show next time on.”

Chicago Blackhawks Forward Nick Foligno added, “I didn’t know what to expect. To be honest, I heard great things, and it’s lived up to the hype. They were loud, they were energetic, and you could tell they’re excited to have hockey here. As far as a fan standpoint, it was a great night for hockey in Utah. We’re thrilled as a league to have [Utah] here. It was definitely loud, and they’re avid fans, so I’d give them a ton of credit. They were definitely into it tonight, and hopefully that sustains all year long.”

There will be no rest for Utah after their historic opening night victory. The team now hits the road for four games, traveling east to play the New York Islanders on Thursday followed by the New York Rangers on Saturday and the New Jersey Devils on Monday before flying to the west coast to play the Ducks in Anaheim on Wednesday. The next home game will be on Saturday, October 19, against the Boston Bruins.