If people chugging beers out of their shoes by the third period did not show that Utahns have embraced their new NHL team, the Delta Center has the numbers to back it up.
Utah Hockey Club beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 to earn the franchise’s first win in Tuesday’s home opener.
“That building was special,” said forward Dylan Guenther, who scored the first-ever Utah goal. “That was a ton of fun to play in front of that crowd.”
But history was made beyond the ice.
Delta Center had a record-breaking demand for beverages from the hockey audience. The arena did $120,000 in beer sales alone, which is more than any NBA or NHL event it has hosted, Smith Entertainment Group said.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club's first NHL season kicks off at the Delta Center against the Chicago Blackhawks in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024.
Beer prices were slightly higher for the Hockey Club’s opening night. A Michelob Ultra went for $13 at the Utah Jazz’s preseason game on Monday, but sold for $15 at Utah HC’s game on Tuesday. Even at $15 a pop, that would be 8,000 cans sold Tuesday night.
Utah Hockey Club had a packed — and lively — crowd to cheer it on to victory. Delta Center sold out of its 11,131 full-view tickets. The game’s final attendance was 16,020 with the use of single-goal view seating in the upper bowl.
“To hear the crowd, that was the loudest building I’ve ever played in,” said forward Logan Cooley, who assisted on Guenther’s goal.
Fans were eager to represent Utah Hockey Club. Their merchandise spending at the inaugural game doubled the Delta Center’s previous single-night sporting event sales number. The Foreign Rider Solace Hood Sweater — which has ‘UTAH’ printed across the chest and is in the style of a jersey — was Tuesday’s top-selling item. The inaugural game t-shirt was runner up.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Fans enjoy the festivities at the Delta Center, before the inaugural Utah Hockey Club game between the Utah and the Chicago Blackhawks, on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024.
From the pregame festivities outside of Delta Center, to warmups, the national anthem and throughout the three periods, Utahns’ enthusiasm — and high spending — showed the state is ready for the NHL.
The players felt it, too.
“When we scored that fourth one, the building erupted,” goaltender Connor Ingram said. “You see the towels go. I think that’s why any of us play the game of hockey, that moment right there. That noise, that feeling.”
