SALT LAKE CITY — For the first time since the NHL approved the relocation of the Arizona Coyotes to Utah, new team owners Ryan and Ashley Smith, along with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, will talk publicly about the move that changes the sports landscape in Salt Lake City.
All parties involved in the relocation will speak at a media briefing at 5 p.m. at the Delta Center.
While many will have questions about how the deal came together, local interest will focus on the team's new name and where it will play in the future.
Smith spoke to The Associated Press in the hours after Thursday's announcement about the team's name, colors and jerseys. It's possible the team will simply call itself the Utah Hockey Club during its first season before choosing a permanent brand the year after.
"We’ll start with Utah on the jersey and we’ll figure out the logo and everything else, and what it is that we are, but that’s a one-way door,” Smith told The Associated Press. "You’ve got to do it once. And with this timeline, I think both the league feels better and we feel better to just run the process and then we’ll drop it when we drop it.”
The subject of a future arena was brought up between Smith and The Associated Press. Currently, the Delta Center can seat up to 12,000 to watch a hockey game. However, Smith wants to expand the arena's capacity to 17,500 on nights the rink is the center of attention.
“We want to actually use our arena and really spend time creating the best dual-sport arena that exists out there because we want to keep people as close as we possibly can or as vertical as we possibly can to watch both games,” Smith said. “It’s super fun and challenging, but we’re going to do it.”
