Tuesday marked the start of a new era in the NHL.
The Utah Hockey Club made its debut against the Chicago Blackhawks at Delta Center, marking the beginning of the team’s highly-anticipated inaugural season.
The team, which is composed mostly of players from the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes, is looking to make a splash in its first year as a franchise. To help them do that, Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen participated in the inaugural puck drop.
Here’s some more highlights from Tuesday’s action:
The season started off strong with Dylan Guenther scoring in the first period. The Utah Hockey Club added another in the first from Clayton Keller.
Barrett Hayton scored on a deflected shot from Mikhail Sergachev in the second period to make it 3-0.
While the Utah Hockey Club will likely have a new name, jerseys and team colors in the near future, residents of Salt Lake City were nonetheless excited to bring a team to their city.
For years, Utah has had just one professional sports team in the Utah Jazz. Now residents of the mostly empty market have another team to cheer on, so they’re likely going to bring the energy this year.
The odds are somewhat stacked against Utah as an expansion team, but the NHL’s recent expansion teams have proved to be successful after just a few seasons.
The Vegas Golden Knights, formed in 2017, reached the Stanley Cup Final in their first season and won it in 2023. The Seattle Kraken, formed in 2021, reached the second round in their second season as a team.
Now, the Utah Hockey Club is looking to be the latest expansion team to find success early on.
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