OGDEN, Utah — The Vegas Golden Knights Road Trip wrapped up Saturday in Ogden at the Weber County Sports Complex. The tour bus stopped in Nevada, Idaho, Montana and Utah with the goal of introducing its newest initiative.
“Accessibility is one of the most important things. If you can see it, you can be it. If give kids the pads, the skates, everything that they need to get out there, we are so confident they will fall in love with this game,” said Ashali Vise, the Golden Knights rink-side reporter.
The NHL is introducing “Learn to Play,” a program designed to teach youth the basics of hockey while being proudly associated and sponsored by an NHL team — in this case, the Vegas Golden Knights.
“What’s really important is that we have fans for life. There will be an 8-week series of event, with gear and a whole package supplied by Pure Hockey. It’s kicking off in January; registration will be in September. We wanted to bring that support to the Weber State County Sports Complex,” said Darren Eliot, the Golden Knights analyst and director of youth hockey.
The Ice Sheet hosted a clinic with more than 100 kids on Saturday, in addition to the tour bus stopping by, giving all the Utah teams some action on the ice.
“They’re awesome. I can’t say enough about their staff. They got all of our local teams involved today which is a testament of their grassroots efforts to what they’re doing in Vegas," said Mariko Rollins, the tirector of the Weber Count Ice Sheet.
Plus, Sheri Hudspeth, who is the director of youth hockey programs and fan development with the Knights, said the turnout in Utah was the largest on the entire road trip.
“This is our biggest stop we’ve done all trip,” Hudspeth said. "We have over 100 kids that participated today. It’s great to see the support of the Vegas Golden Knights that we have here in Utah.”
If you missed the Tour Bus event and clinic, "Learn to Play" begins Jan. 4, 2023 at the Weber County Ice Sheet. Registration starts in September.
Plus, some good news for Utah hockey fans: All Vegas Golden Knights games will be broadcast on Scripps Sports via Utah 16, a channel accessible to all Utahns with TV antennas.
