Utah NHL team proves they already have more fans than Coyotes

The NHL must have been smiling ear to ear after seeing that Salt Lake City and the state of Utah are embracing their new NHL team as Smith Entertainment Group hosted a Welcome The Team event which shown there are far more fans than the Coyotes with 12,000 in the stands.

Crowds like this are what's needed for the NHL and Ryan Smith's confidence that this was the right move to do. As the news has settled, it's been reported that 22,000 season ticket deposits just over a 24-hour period.




It was clear the Coyotes time in the desert had to end as the issues and the lack of proper facilities reached a boiling point. Both the NHLPA and several owners were at their wits end with this arrangement and as NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stated the arrangement could not go on for another 5 years.


Once the decision was made, the NHL worked quickly with Smith and former Arizona Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo to craft a hybrid model deal to have the operations move to Utah and the Coyotes become inactive for the foreseeable future.

The task is daunting for the Smith group with the timetable short and much to do to be ready for Early October. One thing is clear, Utah has embraced the NHL.