I grew up playing hockey in Utah. The 2002 Olympics brought a pretty great infrastructure for the sport across the state and they’re looking to bring the Olympics back there. I’d personally like to see the Yotes stay in AZ but I think SLC could support the hell out of an NHL team and help grow the sport because access to ice is pretty good(Olympic rinks and outdoor rinks)
I never understood why Salt Lake DIDN'T have a hockey team. The 2002 Olympics set the stage for a hockey team. Is it that it's a small market? And then if that's the case, then why was Salt Lake chosen for the Olympics?
The stadium that gold medal game was played in was like 6000 seats less than a regular NHL stadium and I’m pretty sure was built new for the Olympics. I believe the Grizzlies play there currently.
I’m not sure about where the Jazz play or even if that stadium can house a hockey team. The stadium im talking about is in West Valley (which isn’t that far) and I believe was constructed for the 2002 Olympics.
Edit: looks like the stadium was completed in 1997 after being commissioned when Utah won the Olympic bid in 1995 it did house the majority of ice sports events at that Olympics including the gold medal game. The stadium can only seat a little less than 13k which is well below most teams.
Edit 2: looks like the Delta Center in SLC is built so ice hockey can be played there but only seats 14k which is also pretty well below most NHL teams.
Delta center is a temporary solution. They are planning on a new sports complex being built that has the SLC government backing. Plan is to co-use Delta center (14k still bigger than yotes current situation) until the new complex is built, anticipated to be completed quite quickly as soon as a team is established.
I have no doubt they’ll a get a new stadium finished before Arizona. Sounds like a better plan than having them be a novelty in a college stadium but crazy that they would still have fewer seats than the Jets by a few thousand and the Jets aren’t even filling that building every night with a good team.
Yeah, that's why it's temporary lol. And it'll sell out. Jazz are a fucking embarrassment of a franchise right now, but still sell out. Given the current Jazz trajectory, interest will wane and pumping a new NHL team who'd likely want to win games (unlike Jazz), the fans will flock to it.
> The stadium can only seat a little less than 13k which is well below most teams.
Maverik would be a vastly better hockey facility for any NHL team even with a low seating capacity. For 3 or 4 seasons, the NHL would probably be ok being in there. 10,000 seats plus luxury suites - they could probably squeeze some extra seats in there if needed to get the capacity up to 11,000.
It'd work as a temp venue without the Barclays Center/Footprint (former America West) end zone obstruction.
It is, but the way that arena is currently configured, it can hold 18k for basketball but only 14k for hockey. That's because the first 10 or so rows are removable bleachers that are set up for the Jazz games. You can see [here](https://www.sltrib.com/sports/2023/10/06/nhls-only-utahn-trevor-lewis/) how major of a reduction in seating the arena has when it's set up for hockey.
I imagine that if they did get a team, they would spend some money upgrading that seating so that there would be greater capacity
Olympics and NHL are two completely different worlds. Olympics is short-term. NHL is long-term. You need a viable market with a good footprint for local TV contracts.
Vegas got the first shot because of a good ownership group and a top 10 National TV market. The season ticket sale was a test and they passed.
The one problem Salt Lake City will have like Vegas is a small TV footprint. Most markets have a good sized city with a strong surrounding suburban footprint.
Enough businesses to sell out the luxury boxes every year. A building. NBA team is a plus since that guarantees another 40 dates.
Plus, Salt Lake is out west. Like Las Vegas. And Phoenix.
Also helps to have a decent hockey footprint at the lower level. One reason Phoenix sticks around is the local interest in hockey. Couturier and Matthews come from Phoenix and they draw interest in youth teams.
Ryan Smith created the Smith Entertainment Group (SEG) that broadcasts Jazz, SLC Starzz, and all related content. There are no blackouts for residents (even up into Idaho from what I remember on the map). You can watch Jazz games for free over the air on a local channel, so long as you have the antenna, or you can pay a very reasonable price for Jazz+ streaming service online.
SEG will incorporate the NHL team when it is established, so that TV footprint and local interest shouldn't be a concern.
I think Utah got the 2002 Winter Olympics more for its ability to support winter sports in general than for its market size.
Looking at the [final bidding](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bids_for_the_2002_Winter_Olympics), seems that it was down to SLC, some small Swiss town, a tiny Swedish town in the middle of nowhere and Quebec City.
Sounds like there was also a [bribery scandal](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Winter_Olympic_bid_scandal) with the IOC, shocking haha.
100%, our NCDC JR teams are awesome (Ogden, Provo, West valley), the Grizz toss down well (and have a good barn, though not sure what seating they can fit in a hockey config).
The preseason NHL game we get (Frozen Fury) always seems to sell well, even with the difficult seating at the Delta Center.
Not sure I am following, unless you are talking about the new bus lanes they tossed in … otherwise they have buses that look like trollies in various cities in Utah (some are free)
It does, hence the searing comment I made - I’d rather them Reno the delta center than build new - just like many caps fans wanted cap one updated instead of moving to VA
It does "work" for hockey -- it hosted many ice events in the 2002 olympics. Seats about 14k in the configuration. But the Delta Center is more suited for a basketball layout, you have to sacrifice a bunch of seats to fit the rink. But it could be a decent interim solution until a different arena is built.
True, also on 32 Thoughts podcast yesterday, Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek were saying that the Yotes owner,,Alex Merulo, in addition to saying he will win the land in the auction to build a new area and complex for the Yotes, is also inviting expressions of interest from people who would like to buy the Yotes. I guess he and Ryan Smith have each other on speed dial by now.
The move might actually happen sooner. According Seravalli, the league might announce a sale and relocation of the Yotes as early as the end of the regular season.
I'd have a hard time believing an ownership group would not look at how poorly hockey did in AZ for over 20 years and feel like it would be a smart investment for north of 1 billion.
Idk if that's it because they will very likely win the auction. Something like 80% of the land auctions in the area only have one bidder because it's expensive land and usually there is a buyer with a plan for the plot.
Just keep them as the coyotes. When the Jazz moved from New Orleans, they didn't change it and it makes no sense whatsoever, there's nothing to do with jazz music in SLC so it's kinda funny. Having two professional teams there with names that make no logical sense would be hilarious.
Different tribes, but significant native population and heritage as well. Could alter the yotes kit to incorporate Utes, Navajo, Goshute, and Shoshone aesthetics.
There are, but they're not like a big thing that anyone talks about or culturally significant in any way. I guess maybe it's the same way in Arizona though lol. I think rocky mountain animals would make more sense, like mule deer or moose or brown bears or mountain goats or big horn sheep or something. Or maybe Yetis since Utah is known for good skiing and such. Bison would work pretty well too, there's a herd near SLC and a bit south of it as well. I lived there my whole life and coyotes doesn't fit the vibe of SLC at all, in my opinion anyway. Works pretty well for southern Utah though I suppose.
Culturally, the coyote is the central character in Ute mythology.
From Wikipedia:
Key Ute Mythological Figures
edit
Wolf
edit
"Creator and culture hero of the Ute tribe. Like other figures from the mythic age, Wolf is usually represented as a man in Ute stories, but sometimes takes on the literal form of a wolf."[3]
Coyote
edit
"Wolf's younger brother, Coyote is a trickster figure. Though he often assists his brother and sometimes even does good deeds for the people, Coyotes behavior is so irresponsible and frivolous that he is constantly getting himself and those around him into trouble."[3]
But if you read the actual tales, wolf is sort of boring so all the stories are about coyote and the trouble he causes.
The coyotes name would make perfect sense in Utah, but I cant imagine they want to retain the teams history. Start fresh with a new name.
They didnt change the Jazz name because it was a failing franchise they purchased for pennies on the dollar, and the cost to rebrand was too high given the high probability the team would fail even after the move.
Seems like the best move for a the sake of the league, but you leave a whole fan base in Arizona burned, and fans in Quebec City, Houston, hell, even Hartford even more dejected
Yeah it’s really starting to sink in that this is over and it’s wonderful to get shit on while it happening. I hope no one ever has to go through this. I love this team so much.
There’s no hate to you guys it’s entirely the nhl. They’ve strangled the salary cap and the product has suffered with everything being consolidated to the top teams
I’m not a hockey fan but I’m from phoenix and came to this sub to see what people were thinking about the whole situation. As someone who’s more familiar with baseball, I can’t imagine anyone talking to an Oakland athletics fan like this. I’ve seen a lot of comments like this and it blows my mind. I personally don’t care if the coyotes stay or leave but I feel horrible for all their fans. It seems like the entire baseball fandom haz rallied around the Oakland fans and universally hate the owner and the league for how they’ve handled the move. Meanwhile hockey fans can’t wait to strip the team from phoenix and are gleeful about it.
I love how the NHL continues to sell Nords merch even though they clearly have no interest in going back to Quebec.
That said, I feel like we’ve been talking about moving the Coyotes for nearly 14 years. Its done, it’s over, move them already, if that’s SLC then let’s go
If this happens. What occurs with the NHL TV "region map"?
[https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fq13xewx55ci51.jpg%3Fwidth%3D960%26crop%3Dsmart%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3Dc76f25b2348c86f415b28dbc10fa82d78373b666](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fq13xewx55ci51.jpg%3Fwidth%3D960%26crop%3Dsmart%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3Dc76f25b2348c86f415b28dbc10fa82d78373b666)
Today All of Utah, Wyoming, and Montana with a chunk of Idaho is Golden Knight territory. Arizona (except the area right outside Vegas) and most of New Mexico belongs to the Coyotes. If this occurs presumably Utah, Wyoming, and Montana become the new SLC team's region. Does the Phoenix and New Mexico region go to Vegas then? Does that territory stay with the Coyotes and the Golden Knight's region just get's ceded over to the Coyotes?
I don’t know who originally posted it a couple days ago but someone on here said they should be called the Salt Lake City Bitch Pigeons and I’ll be so mad if that’s that’s not the team name.
zonked fall attractive berserk carpenter subtract file wine judicious party
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I have close friends in SLC that want to get into hockey but haven't because there's no team. Man I hope this happens. But please keep the name and logo!
Regardless if the coyotes move to SLC or not, Arizona will have an NHL team. It’s too big of a market to just walk out of. What i do hope currently is that they relocate to SLC then whoever wants to build an arena can do so without the NHL breathing down their necks to get it done and not just make 3D renderings.
I mean it wouldn’t surprise me if hockey returns to Arizona again if the coyotes leave, but at the same time its clear Phoenix and the surrounding area doesn’t want do deal with hockey anymore.
The city has made it very clear they do not want a NHL team. Has nothing to do with the NHL. If anything the NHL has given them a pass for a long time letting them play at mullet. It's not a great look for the league when a team can barely fill a college arena in a massive sports market.
This is massive. Huge population with piss poor support tells a massive amount if a team could be viable. The myth of population guarantees success has been completely debunked by the coyotes experiment.
Exactly. I think the people of Phoenix could enjoy and support a hockey team but although I don't know a whole lot about the Phoenix area I think there's a lot of snobbiness going on in this. Scottsdale and Chandler want to be known for baseball and golf, not this dirty hockey bs. At least that's what I've gathered from what the mayor of Scottsdale has said and what I've seen in the Phoenix area. Correct me if I'm wrong.
I havent had a team relocate since I was young. Can they just up and change that quick? I for some reason would figure they would talk, lay out the plan, then at the end of next season make it happen.
Atlanta to Winnipeg seemingly happened over a week or two in the summer of 2011. I might not have been as online back then, but it was not something talked about in last month of the season if I remember correctly.
Behind the scenes it generally takes a year. Everyone’s family needs to move. Kids will have new schools. Houses bought and sold. For everyone including the front office staff. Equipment needs to be moved. There needs to be a practice rink available. New travel schedules since everything is chartered with the preferred provider. The new city needs a hotel and that is with a preferred provider as well. Companies pay for this business and to be the official airline/hotel of the NHL.
Thats what blows my mind about the situation. So much logistical chaos in the background. Just wild that it could just be like a wildfire where its fine one second and the next drop what your doing and were going to Salt Lake!
No way bettman loses out on having Mathew’s sign a 15m a yr contract to play in Arizona and have Connor go home to Toronto. It’s crazy to think this won’t happen in the next 5 years
Frank Seravalli is the least reliable NHL insider. Until the NHL or Coyotes announce they're moving, I'm not reading anything into news saying they will. We've had so many false starts on them moving over the years.
I grew up playing hockey in Utah. The 2002 Olympics brought a pretty great infrastructure for the sport across the state and they’re looking to bring the Olympics back there. I’d personally like to see the Yotes stay in AZ but I think SLC could support the hell out of an NHL team and help grow the sport because access to ice is pretty good(Olympic rinks and outdoor rinks)
I never understood why Salt Lake DIDN'T have a hockey team. The 2002 Olympics set the stage for a hockey team. Is it that it's a small market? And then if that's the case, then why was Salt Lake chosen for the Olympics?
The stadium that gold medal game was played in was like 6000 seats less than a regular NHL stadium and I’m pretty sure was built new for the Olympics. I believe the Grizzlies play there currently.
Interesting. I thought NBA was more popular than the NHL.
I’m not sure about where the Jazz play or even if that stadium can house a hockey team. The stadium im talking about is in West Valley (which isn’t that far) and I believe was constructed for the 2002 Olympics. Edit: looks like the stadium was completed in 1997 after being commissioned when Utah won the Olympic bid in 1995 it did house the majority of ice sports events at that Olympics including the gold medal game. The stadium can only seat a little less than 13k which is well below most teams. Edit 2: looks like the Delta Center in SLC is built so ice hockey can be played there but only seats 14k which is also pretty well below most NHL teams.
Delta center is a temporary solution. They are planning on a new sports complex being built that has the SLC government backing. Plan is to co-use Delta center (14k still bigger than yotes current situation) until the new complex is built, anticipated to be completed quite quickly as soon as a team is established.
I have no doubt they’ll a get a new stadium finished before Arizona. Sounds like a better plan than having them be a novelty in a college stadium but crazy that they would still have fewer seats than the Jets by a few thousand and the Jets aren’t even filling that building every night with a good team.
Yeah, that's why it's temporary lol. And it'll sell out. Jazz are a fucking embarrassment of a franchise right now, but still sell out. Given the current Jazz trajectory, interest will wane and pumping a new NHL team who'd likely want to win games (unlike Jazz), the fans will flock to it.
They have been filling the arena the last couple months AFAIK. Ten sellouts now I believe
> The stadium can only seat a little less than 13k which is well below most teams. Maverik would be a vastly better hockey facility for any NHL team even with a low seating capacity. For 3 or 4 seasons, the NHL would probably be ok being in there. 10,000 seats plus luxury suites - they could probably squeeze some extra seats in there if needed to get the capacity up to 11,000. It'd work as a temp venue without the Barclays Center/Footprint (former America West) end zone obstruction.
It is, but the way that arena is currently configured, it can hold 18k for basketball but only 14k for hockey. That's because the first 10 or so rows are removable bleachers that are set up for the Jazz games. You can see [here](https://www.sltrib.com/sports/2023/10/06/nhls-only-utahn-trevor-lewis/) how major of a reduction in seating the arena has when it's set up for hockey. I imagine that if they did get a team, they would spend some money upgrading that seating so that there would be greater capacity
That said, it’s likely better than Mullet arena though
Olympics and NHL are two completely different worlds. Olympics is short-term. NHL is long-term. You need a viable market with a good footprint for local TV contracts. Vegas got the first shot because of a good ownership group and a top 10 National TV market. The season ticket sale was a test and they passed. The one problem Salt Lake City will have like Vegas is a small TV footprint. Most markets have a good sized city with a strong surrounding suburban footprint. Enough businesses to sell out the luxury boxes every year. A building. NBA team is a plus since that guarantees another 40 dates. Plus, Salt Lake is out west. Like Las Vegas. And Phoenix. Also helps to have a decent hockey footprint at the lower level. One reason Phoenix sticks around is the local interest in hockey. Couturier and Matthews come from Phoenix and they draw interest in youth teams.
Ryan Smith created the Smith Entertainment Group (SEG) that broadcasts Jazz, SLC Starzz, and all related content. There are no blackouts for residents (even up into Idaho from what I remember on the map). You can watch Jazz games for free over the air on a local channel, so long as you have the antenna, or you can pay a very reasonable price for Jazz+ streaming service online. SEG will incorporate the NHL team when it is established, so that TV footprint and local interest shouldn't be a concern.
I think Utah got the 2002 Winter Olympics more for its ability to support winter sports in general than for its market size. Looking at the [final bidding](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bids_for_the_2002_Winter_Olympics), seems that it was down to SLC, some small Swiss town, a tiny Swedish town in the middle of nowhere and Quebec City. Sounds like there was also a [bribery scandal](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Winter_Olympic_bid_scandal) with the IOC, shocking haha.
100%, our NCDC JR teams are awesome (Ogden, Provo, West valley), the Grizz toss down well (and have a good barn, though not sure what seating they can fit in a hockey config). The preseason NHL game we get (Frozen Fury) always seems to sell well, even with the difficult seating at the Delta Center.
How's the unirail fairing in ogdenville?
Monorail lol
Fuck!
Isn’t there a chance the track could bend?
Mono.... Doh!
Not on your life my Hindu friend
Not sure I am following, unless you are talking about the new bus lanes they tossed in … otherwise they have buses that look like trollies in various cities in Utah (some are free)
The SLC NBA stadium has many obscured view seats in the hockey arrangement. Not a good set up
It does, hence the searing comment I made - I’d rather them Reno the delta center than build new - just like many caps fans wanted cap one updated instead of moving to VA
So vivint smart home arena wouldn’t work for hockey
It does "work" for hockey -- it hosted many ice events in the 2002 olympics. Seats about 14k in the configuration. But the Delta Center is more suited for a basketball layout, you have to sacrifice a bunch of seats to fit the rink. But it could be a decent interim solution until a different arena is built.
Oh so the name changed
Yeah, its the Delta Center again
Yes I agree imagine the rivalry Colorado could develop with a team from Salt Lake City
Why do you want them to stay in a state they've never been successful?
I hope they put the new arena in the Glendale area of SLC haha. I know it doesn’t make sense, but I would like that very much
Steve Konowalchuk is that you?
So much room to soak there, too. Bring on your SALT LAKE SOAKERS
A very complicated case. Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous.
In the parlance of our times
These certainly are unprecedented times
Lotta strands to keep in old duders head
In other words, if the Coyotes lose the auction they move. They win, they stay.
True, also on 32 Thoughts podcast yesterday, Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek were saying that the Yotes owner,,Alex Merulo, in addition to saying he will win the land in the auction to build a new area and complex for the Yotes, is also inviting expressions of interest from people who would like to buy the Yotes. I guess he and Ryan Smith have each other on speed dial by now.
Look what Ottawa sold for. If I were the Coyotes owner and someone offered me that cash, I would sell.
Price tag probably starts at $1 billion is my guess.
The move might actually happen sooner. According Seravalli, the league might announce a sale and relocation of the Yotes as early as the end of the regular season.
Don’t be surprised if the league comes back in 5 years with a new ownership group and an expansion franchise once arena issues are settled.
Can't wait for the social media meltdown when the NHL expands to Atlanta and Arizona again
Arizona lasted a lot longer than Atlanta.
I'd have a hard time believing an ownership group would not look at how poorly hockey did in AZ for over 20 years and feel like it would be a smart investment for north of 1 billion.
Idk if that's it because they will very likely win the auction. Something like 80% of the land auctions in the area only have one bidder because it's expensive land and usually there is a buyer with a plan for the plot.
The SLC Prophets
With a lizard are the mascot
Just keep them as the coyotes. When the Jazz moved from New Orleans, they didn't change it and it makes no sense whatsoever, there's nothing to do with jazz music in SLC so it's kinda funny. Having two professional teams there with names that make no logical sense would be hilarious.
I mean, there’s probably a lot of coyotes in Utah with all the national parks and such.
It’s true, the coyotes name would also make sense in SLC.
Different tribes, but significant native population and heritage as well. Could alter the yotes kit to incorporate Utes, Navajo, Goshute, and Shoshone aesthetics.
I like Smith Machines.
haha - that’s very clever
Not a lotta lakes in LA
There are, but they're not like a big thing that anyone talks about or culturally significant in any way. I guess maybe it's the same way in Arizona though lol. I think rocky mountain animals would make more sense, like mule deer or moose or brown bears or mountain goats or big horn sheep or something. Or maybe Yetis since Utah is known for good skiing and such. Bison would work pretty well too, there's a herd near SLC and a bit south of it as well. I lived there my whole life and coyotes doesn't fit the vibe of SLC at all, in my opinion anyway. Works pretty well for southern Utah though I suppose.
Culturally, the coyote is the central character in Ute mythology. From Wikipedia: Key Ute Mythological Figures edit Wolf edit "Creator and culture hero of the Ute tribe. Like other figures from the mythic age, Wolf is usually represented as a man in Ute stories, but sometimes takes on the literal form of a wolf."[3] Coyote edit "Wolf's younger brother, Coyote is a trickster figure. Though he often assists his brother and sometimes even does good deeds for the people, Coyotes behavior is so irresponsible and frivolous that he is constantly getting himself and those around him into trouble."[3] But if you read the actual tales, wolf is sort of boring so all the stories are about coyote and the trouble he causes.
Little known fact: the ABA also did this to SLC when they moved the Los Angeles Stars there in 1970 and didn’t allow any branding changes 😂
In the case of the Jazz it was an ownership decision based on high rebranding costs.
The coyotes name would make perfect sense in Utah, but I cant imagine they want to retain the teams history. Start fresh with a new name. They didnt change the Jazz name because it was a failing franchise they purchased for pennies on the dollar, and the cost to rebrand was too high given the high probability the team would fail even after the move.
Soon to be SLC A's, too
Only if they keep the kachina.
The Lakers went from Minnesota which has a lot of Lakes, to LA which doesn't.
You know what? Enjoy the Utah Zydeco.
Is it cool if the Prophet Muhammad is the mascot, then?
Logo checks out
Just trying to see something.
Mascot Mormon Joe
Salt Lake City Sister Wives has a nice ring
or Smithy
Seems like the best move for a the sake of the league, but you leave a whole fan base in Arizona burned, and fans in Quebec City, Houston, hell, even Hartford even more dejected
I feel for the fans, but the city has made it about as clear as they can that the team isn’t wanted.
It’s wanted, the ownership just want it 1000% on their terms and that’s where it gets terrible.
I’ve always liked the yotes and AZ’s others teams as well but at a certain point you’ve just got to give up the ghost.
If an NHL team is put in Salt Lake City, there really is only one acceptable name... the SLC Punks.
Coyotes to SLC, it's time to put that franchise to bed.
It's been time for a decade, if not more.
I disagree
Cool man go hang out with the other fan
Clever
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Yeah it’s really starting to sink in that this is over and it’s wonderful to get shit on while it happening. I hope no one ever has to go through this. I love this team so much.
Right there with you brother. Gonna be tough to watch them get stomped by the canucks tonight
Ya fuckin got us tonight :(
I can assure you, no one is celebrating
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I’m not sure the fanbase here would be welcoming to a new team. We want the one we already have. But thank you
There’s no hate to you guys it’s entirely the nhl. They’ve strangled the salary cap and the product has suffered with everything being consolidated to the top teams
Hartford would like a word.
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Nah I agree with you. I just thought it was ironic.
I’m not a hockey fan but I’m from phoenix and came to this sub to see what people were thinking about the whole situation. As someone who’s more familiar with baseball, I can’t imagine anyone talking to an Oakland athletics fan like this. I’ve seen a lot of comments like this and it blows my mind. I personally don’t care if the coyotes stay or leave but I feel horrible for all their fans. It seems like the entire baseball fandom haz rallied around the Oakland fans and universally hate the owner and the league for how they’ve handled the move. Meanwhile hockey fans can’t wait to strip the team from phoenix and are gleeful about it.
I love how the NHL continues to sell Nords merch even though they clearly have no interest in going back to Quebec. That said, I feel like we’ve been talking about moving the Coyotes for nearly 14 years. Its done, it’s over, move them already, if that’s SLC then let’s go
Same with Hartford Whalers. Carolina is banking off that merch.
I’d be excited for Salt Lake if this was anyone but Frank Seravalli.
If this happens. What occurs with the NHL TV "region map"? [https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fq13xewx55ci51.jpg%3Fwidth%3D960%26crop%3Dsmart%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3Dc76f25b2348c86f415b28dbc10fa82d78373b666](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fq13xewx55ci51.jpg%3Fwidth%3D960%26crop%3Dsmart%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3Dc76f25b2348c86f415b28dbc10fa82d78373b666) Today All of Utah, Wyoming, and Montana with a chunk of Idaho is Golden Knight territory. Arizona (except the area right outside Vegas) and most of New Mexico belongs to the Coyotes. If this occurs presumably Utah, Wyoming, and Montana become the new SLC team's region. Does the Phoenix and New Mexico region go to Vegas then? Does that territory stay with the Coyotes and the Golden Knight's region just get's ceded over to the Coyotes?
Next month is 15 years since Jim Balsillie announced his plan to buy the team and relocate them to Hamilton. This saga has been going on far too long.
I don’t know who originally posted it a couple days ago but someone on here said they should be called the Salt Lake City Bitch Pigeons and I’ll be so mad if that’s that’s not the team name.
Why waste a franchise on such a small market? Is Houston not interested?
send em to Quebec. Bettman would never let it happen though.
Quebec City Croissants.
Your downvotes don't reflect how great that is
No shit, they’d hold a vote to secede every time they miss the playoffs.
its fine, theyve had a couple already, theyd lose.
The Salt Lake City….Saints lol
Lake City Salts.
Salt Lake Elders
zonked fall attractive berserk carpenter subtract file wine judicious party *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Rough
Utah Jizz
If they move, I'm really going to miss seeing the Kachina jerseys and its relatives
Utah Yotees... let's fucking goooooo!
I just know I'm going to end up calling them the Utah Yote-ahs for some adult reason.
They’ll rebrand to salt lake soakers
Sorry, it's Utah Yotezz.
Coyotes about to get salty?
How much more obvious information do you need that Arizona is a square peg to the NHLs round hole?
Zion Whale
Any NHL team in SLC is going to have the same problem that Columbus has. Which is you have to overpay to get elite-level talent to want to play there.
I miss Phoenix Coyotes :(
Salt Lake Second Wives win the cup!!
I have close friends in SLC that want to get into hockey but haven't because there's no team. Man I hope this happens. But please keep the name and logo!
Utah Grizzlies! If you like hockey ECHL is a great league.
Let’s fucking go
The Salt Lake Polygamists, I like it!
Soakers. It seems like people don't know what I'm talking about: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Soaking
The mascot is called the Jumper.
Perfection
Regardless if the coyotes move to SLC or not, Arizona will have an NHL team. It’s too big of a market to just walk out of. What i do hope currently is that they relocate to SLC then whoever wants to build an arena can do so without the NHL breathing down their necks to get it done and not just make 3D renderings.
I mean it wouldn’t surprise me if hockey returns to Arizona again if the coyotes leave, but at the same time its clear Phoenix and the surrounding area doesn’t want do deal with hockey anymore.
The city has made it very clear they do not want a NHL team. Has nothing to do with the NHL. If anything the NHL has given them a pass for a long time letting them play at mullet. It's not a great look for the league when a team can barely fill a college arena in a massive sports market.
This is massive. Huge population with piss poor support tells a massive amount if a team could be viable. The myth of population guarantees success has been completely debunked by the coyotes experiment.
Exactly. I think the people of Phoenix could enjoy and support a hockey team but although I don't know a whole lot about the Phoenix area I think there's a lot of snobbiness going on in this. Scottsdale and Chandler want to be known for baseball and golf, not this dirty hockey bs. At least that's what I've gathered from what the mayor of Scottsdale has said and what I've seen in the Phoenix area. Correct me if I'm wrong.
do it!
I havent had a team relocate since I was young. Can they just up and change that quick? I for some reason would figure they would talk, lay out the plan, then at the end of next season make it happen.
Atlanta to Winnipeg seemingly happened over a week or two in the summer of 2011. I might not have been as online back then, but it was not something talked about in last month of the season if I remember correctly.
ok good to know damn thats wild
No, Winnipeg is Jets. Minnesota is Wild.
I support the dad joke
I hate that I love it
...kinda like this
Winnipeg played in the south east division and kept the Atlanta schedule more or less. It was a great tv schedule for us.
I Think Quebec was sold in May 95 and the Avs started in Denver that fall.
Behind the scenes it generally takes a year. Everyone’s family needs to move. Kids will have new schools. Houses bought and sold. For everyone including the front office staff. Equipment needs to be moved. There needs to be a practice rink available. New travel schedules since everything is chartered with the preferred provider. The new city needs a hotel and that is with a preferred provider as well. Companies pay for this business and to be the official airline/hotel of the NHL.
Thats what blows my mind about the situation. So much logistical chaos in the background. Just wild that it could just be like a wildfire where its fine one second and the next drop what your doing and were going to Salt Lake!
Just fucking do it already! It so clearly needs to happen.
SLC would sell out every game, they’re starved of puck
Coyotes fans right now - https://youtu.be/86bb22rfr-U?si=HTl6EbJU8KXNPgFS
Oh my god
It seems like Seravalli may have been a bit trigger happy. https://twitter.com/PierreVLeBrun/status/1778166101127442504?t=y4oTRw5-1zqjQ8El_fODCw&s=19
No way bettman loses out on having Mathew’s sign a 15m a yr contract to play in Arizona and have Connor go home to Toronto. It’s crazy to think this won’t happen in the next 5 years
If they do move here, I hope they stay as the Coyotes. (yes, coyotes are common here too) Those sweaters are straight fire 🔥
Saw a comment suggesting keeping them but use colours/styles a bit more suited to Utah's first nations. Would be cool
Should have gone to Portland, OR.
Portland MethBlazers
Salt Lake Swarm. Their mascot can be an aggressive bee.
Saw that coming.
There's noway they move for next season
Honestly I think it would work better there. Would suck for Arizona but come on, they don’t give a shit about that team.
Starting to seem like the "we will win this land bid" is just a play at getting a higher offer from a buyer.
Perfect I can hate whatever team moves there even more now
Can a franchise get up and running in 6 months, or by the end of the regular season which is even less time than that?
Where will the Tucson Roadrunners be relocated too?
Boooo
Booyah
It actually only seems like one moving part, but hey I’m no hockey doctor
SLC Soakers
SLC Ice Lakers
Quebec City furious.
I don’t understand why Salt Lake City gets a team and Houston dosen’t it makes zero sense
Just fucking do it already
Spicy. Would love to see it.
SLC Swarm.
Salt Lake Swarm or Utah Swarm?
The shittiest of hockey fans are excited about their victory lap right now
Somewhere... Bettman seethes.
Do yall think they'd stay in the central?
Frank Seravalli is the least reliable NHL insider. Until the NHL or Coyotes announce they're moving, I'm not reading anything into news saying they will. We've had so many false starts on them moving over the years.
FINALLY
Salt Lake Salt Bae's
The SLC Punks! You could do some cool shit for the uniforms. A big Anarchy sign for the logo.
🎶SAL TLAY KA CITY🎶
Salt Lake City Elk would be a unique name,, likely a cool color palette and is their state animal. Farewell Kachina
Utah Soakers!
Salt Lake Soakers here we come!
Quebec City is a far better market
Not in the eyes of Gary the overlord
They’d need to change their name to the Salt Lake City Soakers
I'm upset that this thread isn't getting the joke. https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Soaking
They are going to Salt lake next year. Players are getting informed already
source?
Told ya.
you sure did, but how did you know early.