SALT LAKE CITY — As dreams of bringing an NHL team to Salt Lake City continue to skate through the minds of Utah hockey fans, a newly-released rendering shows what the home for a club could possibly look like.
The Smith Entertainment Group shared the rendering with FOX 13 News on Tuesday, just as a bill that would help bring a team to northern Utah makes its way through the legislature.
A proposed arena could house both a proposed NHL team and the Utah Jazz. The new rendering shows an arena sitting at the end of a pedestrian mall featuring shops and restaurants.
Utah Jazz owners Ryan and Ashley Smith are hoping to lure a hockey team to the state, whether its via an expansion franchise or relocation. A report last month said the possibility of the NHL coming to the Beehive State "is starting to feel inevitable."
In a social media post Tuesday, Ryan Smith shared why he believes an arena would be bigger than just a place to hold events.
"Our efforts are not about an arena, it’s about revitalizing a downtown that desperately needs investment," he wrote. "Imagine a downtown experience like this with the NBA / NHL at its core."
The bill, which is currently in the Senate, would create a massive sports and entertainment district and allow Salt Lake City to hike sales taxes to contribute some funding towards a new arena.
