SALT LAKE CITY — Weeks after Jazz owner Ryan Smith said plans to bring an NHL team to Utah were "in motion," those dreams may now be in the power play stage, with the governor fully on board.
There is widespread speculation that the NHL's Arizona Coyotes will soon relocate after voters Tuesday went against propositions to build the team a new arena. Where the puck bounces of the boards next is anyone's guess, but Salt Lake City is often mentioned as the franchise's new home.
Part of Salt Lake City's appeal is a deep-pocketed possible owner in Smith, along with the Delta Center already ready-made for hockey. Last month, Smith quickly replied "in motion" when asked on Twitter to bring the NHL to the Beehive State.
Just being part of the conversation for relocation, along with cities like Houston and Atlanta, excites Governor Spencer Cox.
"I think it speaks to the growth that we've had and the success that we've had as a state, and the way that the rest of the nation views us now versus maybe the way they viewed us 20 years ago; that has definitely changed," the governor said Thursday.
The recent hockey talk comes on the heels of the Miller family's attempt to lure a Major League Baseball expansion team to Salt Lake City. Cox said he hasn't been part of negotiations with either group or sport, but says these opportunities are the real deal.
"...I don't think it's just PR. I don't think it's just, kind of, a wish," he said. "I think there's actual substance behind both of those."
Salt Lake City is already home to the Utah Grizzlies of the minor league ECHL, with its games played at the Maverik Center. The NHL has previously brought preseason games to the Delta Center, with another scheduled between the Kings and Sharks on Oct. 5.
A timeline has yet to be laid out by the NHL for a decision on whether the Coyotes will relocate or stay put in Arizona, and the same for MLB with expansion. But if the governor's confidence is any sign, it may soon be time to face off on the ice and yell batter up in Utah.
"It's possible that neither of them happen," he said, "but I would say it's more likely than not that we get at least one, if not both of those over the course of the next few years."
