Smith Entertainment Group Asks NHL for Expansion to Utah

[LindG1000]

 

[Pete]

Please just move the coyotes there so that we don't have to worry about more unbalanced conferences. 

[jsm7302]

Yes!

[Keirik]

@Long live the King you in Utah?  Maybe you can give some insight as to the area and how big of a hockey town it is? 

[siddious]

Utah Jazzercisers

 

make it happen Bettman 

[jsm7302]

6 hours ago, Pete said:

Please just move the coyotes there so that we don't have to worry about more unbalanced conferences. 

Utah and Atlanta

[Long live the King]

4 hours ago, Keirik said:

@Long live the King you in Utah?  Maybe you can give some insight as to the area and how big of a hockey town it is? 

 

The Delta Center sucks for hockey.  If you've watched any of the preseason games they've played there the stands block the camera view of the corners.

 

 

But as it says that would just be temporary until a new arena is built.

 

As far as the market we have an ECHL team, in a less than ideal location, that draws over 5k in attendance.  The Jazz consistently average 18k in attendance.  I think they'd easily be able to draw similarly for a NHL team.  An NHL arena in Salt Lake City or Draper would offer far more in terms of other attractions than the ECHL arena location.

 

Everything is about the 2034 Olympics.  I think a fancy new arena gets built regardless.  

 

 

Edited January 24, 2024 by Long live the King

[Keirik]

4 hours ago, Long live the King said:

 

The Delta Center sucks for hockey.  If you've watched any of the preseason games they've played there the stands block the camera view of the corners.

 

 

But as it says that would just be temporary until a new arena is built.

 

As far as the market we have an ECHL team, in a less than ideal location, that draws over 5k in attendance.  The Jazz consistently average 18k in attendance.  I think they'd easily be able to draw similarly for a NHL team.  An NHL arena in Salt Lake City or Draper would offer far more in terms of other attractions than the ECHL arena location.

 

Everything is about the 2034 Olympics.  I think a fancy new arena gets built regardless.  

 

 

Awesome, thanks for the insight. When I aw the news of that you popped into my thoughts so I figured i'd ask. Hey, at least you'd get a local game when the boys are in town, right? 

 

   I'm all for expansion in cities that make sense. Can't say I'm all too familiar with Utah but a nice outdoor game in MOAB would be pretty damn cool. Overland to pregame lol

[L'albatros]

5 hours ago, Long live the King said:

 

The Delta Center sucks for hockey.  If you've watched any of the preseason games they've played there the stands block the camera view of the corners.

 

 

But as it says that would just be temporary until a new arena is built.

 

As far as the market we have an ECHL team, in a less than ideal location, that draws over 5k in attendance.  The Jazz consistently average 18k in attendance.  I think they'd easily be able to draw similarly for a NHL team.  An NHL arena in Salt Lake City or Draper would offer far more in terms of other attractions than the ECHL arena location.

 

Everything is about the 2034 Olympics.  I think a fancy new arena gets built regardless.  

 

 

Are we gonna lose you as a rangers fan?

[Long live the King]

20 minutes ago, Albatrosss said:

Are we gonna lose you as a rangers fan?

 

Never

[Long live the King]

1 hour ago, Keirik said:

Awesome, thanks for the insight. When I aw the news of that you popped into my thoughts so I figured i'd ask. Hey, at least you'd get a local game when the boys are in town, right? 

 

   I'm all for expansion in cities that make sense. Can't say I'm all too familiar with Utah but a nice outdoor game in MOAB would be pretty damn cool. Overland to pregame lol

 

 

An outdoor game with the snow capped mountains would look pretty cool. 

[BrooksBurner]

36 minutes ago, Albatrosss said:

Are we gonna lose you as a rangers fan?

 

He's way too much of a homer to do that. Are you new here?

[L'albatros]

11 minutes ago, BrooksBurner said:

 

He's way too much of a homer to do that. Are you new here?

No, but i got a swinging dick

 

[siddious]

30 minutes ago, Long live the King said:

 

 

An outdoor game with the snow capped mountains would look pretty cool. 

Make the arena outdoors all The time

[Vodka Drunkenski]

Please just stop with expansion and watering down the league even more

[Valriera]

1 hour ago, Vodka Drunkenski said:

Please just stop with expansion and watering down the league even more

I’d argue the expansions have authored the best stories in hockey over the past few years, and you could make an argument that VGK’s inaugural run was one of the best sports stories of the decade 

 

But I do share the sentiment that it would be better to fix the problems we do have rather than make new ones.

[BrooksBurner]

57 minutes ago, Valriera said:

I’d argue the expansions have authored the best stories in hockey over the past few years, and you could make an argument that VGK’s inaugural run was one of the best sports stories of the decade 

 

But I do share the sentiment that it would be better to fix the problems we do have rather than make new ones.

And apparently simultaneously say that coach didn’t/doesn’t know how to coach

[Sharpshooter]

Vegas that year was basically the Penguins. They were Gary's boys for the year, they wanted that franchise to be successful immediately. That also happened to coincide with sports betting becoming legal at some point. It was a combination of that and mostly luck that dissipated in the Cup Final. Still a cool story, I won't say it wasn't, but there were lot of moving parts to assist in that happening.

 

Re: Gallant, we know that he's good at getting immediate results and then fizzling out. It happened in Vegas, Florida and here. Although I think he got a bit of a raw deal getting let go in Vegas. A lot of fans were upset at his dismissal. 

[Pete]

10 hours ago, BrooksBurner said:

 

He's way too much of a homer to do that. Are you new here?

I think at this point you're so far to the other side (I don't know what you would call it, maybe just trolling?) that you believe anybody who doesn't solely focus on the negative and tries to support what the team is actually doing, even if it's not what "the fans" think they should be doing, is a Homer. 

[Pete]

35 minutes ago, BrooksBurner said:

And apparently simultaneously say that coach didn’t/doesn’t know how to coach

He was so good that they kept him :checks notes: One and a half more seasons while his record steadily got worse and dismissed him while his team was securely in the playoffs. 

 

Now remind me how many jobs he's interviewed for since he got canned from the Rangers?

Edited January 25, 2024 by Pete

[Pete]

29 minutes ago, Sharpshooter said:

Vegas that year was basically the Penguins. They were Gary's boys for the year, they wanted that franchise to be successful immediately. That also happened to coincide with sports betting becoming legal at some point. It was a combination of that and mostly luck that dissipated in the Cup Final. Still a cool story, I won't say it wasn't, but there were lot of moving parts to assist in that happening.

 

Re: Gallant, we know that he's good at getting immediate results and then fizzling out. It happened in Vegas, Florida and here. Although I think he got a bit of a raw deal getting let go in Vegas. A lot of fans were upset at his dismissal. 

I don't know why everybody was so upset at Vegas. Why should an expansion team toil in mediocrity for decades like Columbus and to a degree Nashville outside of fits and starts.

 

He made the expansion draft to make it a little more equitable.

 

Kind of a tired narrative regarding the penguins and the knights. If you think that NHL is going to sit there and let teams fold, I don't know what you're thinking. 

[BrooksBurner]

6 minutes ago, Pete said:

I think at this point you're so far to the other side (I don't know what you would call it, maybe just trolling?) that you believe anybody who doesn't solely focus on the negative and tries to support what the team is actually doing, even if it's not what "the fans" think they should be doing, is a Homer. 

 

Kinda like you and him dropping I told you sos 3 weeks into the season. Pot, kettle.

 

And I was just busting his chops here. It's not serious

[Pete]

1 minute ago, BrooksBurner said:

 

Kinda like you and him dropping I told you sos 3 weeks into the season. Pot, kettle.

 

And I was just busting his chops here. It's not serious

 

Not sure how those things are even remotely the same considering I'm actually supporting the team and all you do is talk shit about it, but whatever hoss! 

Edited January 25, 2024 by Pete

[BrooksBurner]

5 minutes ago, Pete said:

He was so good that they kept him :checks notes: One and a half more seasons while his record steadily got worse and dismissed him while his team was securely in the playoffs. 

 

Now remind me how many jobs he's interviewed for since he got canned from the Rangers?

 

Who says teams haven't called and he's declined? He's getting paid. Maybe he wants a year off...or more.

[Sharpshooter]

3 minutes ago, Pete said:

I don't know why everybody was so upset at Vegas. Why should an expansion team toil in mediocrity for decades like Columbus and to a degree Nashville outside of fits and starts.

 

He made the expansion draft to make it a little more equitable.

 

Kind of a tired narrative regarding the penguins and the knights. If you think that NHL is going to sit there and let teams fold, I don't know what you're thinking. 

I'm not upset at them, I just think that's what happened. Because of the draft, expansion teams have been better off. Seattle is competitive after only being in the league for one year. You could say that Columbus, who's been in the league since 2000, still hasn't escaped from mediocrity. Actually, I think their fans would take mediocrity at this point. Save for maybe two or three years here and there, that franchise has basically been a dumpster fire.