Markers and colored paper were scattered across tables on the Delta Center concourse.
Utah Hockey Club fans gathered around and began to write.
They were all personal messages for Connor Ingram, the UHC goaltender who entered the player assistance program on Sunday to focus on his mental health after losing his mother, Joni, to breast cancer in December. While Ingram is unavailable to the team as he receives care, the Utah community wanted him to know they were there to support him.
The initiative “Letters to Ingy” was started by fan Jackie Johnson. She first spread the word of Wednesday’s second-intermission meetup on Reddit and Facebook, before taking it to X where it gained traction. Next, fan Brandon Merrill, who runs the @utah_hockey (Utah Hockey Club Club) account, helped publicize the mission.
(Belle Fraser | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club fans gather to write letters for goaltender Connor Ingram, NHL hockey in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.
“I talked to [Brandon] and he was like I will let some of the local podcasts know and then all of a sudden it just blew up,” Johnson said. “People in Utah love Ingram.”
“We take care of our own. Just like they take care of their own on the ice, we want to take care of them off the ice,” Merrill said. “The team talks about it in interviews — they are like a big family. But the fanbase is also like that.”
Merrill’s letter to Ingram thanked him for inspiring others to focus on their mental health.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club goaltender Connor Ingram (39) as Utah Hockey Club hosts the Los Angeles Kings, NHL pre-season hockey in Salt Lake City on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024.
Ingram has been an advocate on the topic for years. After entering the player assistance program for the first time in 2021 while he was part of the Nashville Predators organization, Ingram opened up about his obsessive-compulsive disorder and battles with depression. He earned the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy — awarded annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey — in May 2024 following an impressive season with the Arizona Coyotes.
“These last three years have been about mental health and getting yourself better through therapy and through those ways. To me, that was such an important message,” Merrill said. “He’s just a huge inspiration to me and a lot of other men that might be a little bit timid to take our mental health seriously. I thought it was a great cause.”
The same sentiment was felt by Johnson, who was initially drawn to Ingram because he was “so open and honest” about his journey with mental health. It’s something that hits close to home for Johnson, she said.
(Belle Fraser | The Salt Lake Tribune) A pile of cards written for goaltender Connor Ingram at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.
“Finding out he was back in the player assistance program, it makes me emotional. I was like wow, this is a chance for us to show him that we love him and that we have his back,” Johnson said. “He’s a big, tough dude and he still [gets help]. It makes other big, tough dudes feel like they can do it — and that small girls like me can do it.”
It was not just letters that were made for Ingram on Wednesday, either. Fan Justin Noertker brought a couple of autographed pucks, along with metallic Sharpies for other fans to write their names and messages on.
“The idea that I could do anything to maybe give Connor something to think about for the rest of his life — it was a no-brainer to do something small that might be big for him,” Noertker said. “We couldn’t be more grateful to have this team, so we will always come together for our teammates.”
(Belle Fraser | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club pucks are signed by fans to give to goaltender Connor Ingram at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.
For fans who could not attend Wednesday’s game, Johnson set up an email, letterstoingy@gmail.com, that people can send their messages to. She is also scheduling some letter pick-ups before compiling everything in a decorated box to pass off to Ingram through the team.
Head coach André Tourigny was asked about the fan project following Wednesday’s 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks and he took pause when considering what the Utah community had put together for one of his players.
“That gives me chills. That’s unreal,” Tourigny said. “That’s another reason why we’re so proud to play in front of those fans. I could not be more grateful for that. That’s unbelievable. I didn’t know that, but kudos to them.”
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