Ryan Smith Teases Outdoor NHL Game in Utah
In a recent tweet, Utah Hockey Club owner Ryan Smith teased that an outdoor NHL is coming to Utah in response to a question posed by Utah Jazz analyst Holly Rowe.
In a recent unveiling of the upcoming outdoor matchup between the Red Wings and Blue Jackets, Rowe took to X to ask Ryan Smith if an outdoor NHL matchup can happen for Utah Hockey Club.
While Rowe's question of whether the game can happen at "Cougar Stadium or Rice Eccles" didn't get answer, Smith said "In Motion .." in response to Rowe's post.
While there is no timetable for when an outdoor Utah Hockey Club matchup might happen, or if its something BYU or Utah is even interested in doing, seeing Smith tease the idea should be something all Utah HC fans take note of. After all, the team's relocation to Utah began as just a rumor before it became reality.
It also wouldn't be to surprising for an outdoor game to happen one of Utah's college football stadiums considering the upcoming matchup between the Detroit Red Wings and the Columbus Blue Jackets is taking place at Ohio Stadium, home of the Ohio State Buckeyes.
In fact, the NHL has already announced two upcoming outdoors games hosted by the Florida Panthers. So there is a realistic shot that a new team like Utah Hockey Club could host an outdoor series, especially with the selling point of introducing the NHL to a new Utah market.
While Ryan Smith certainly has stronger ties to his alma mater, BYU—having recently attended the news conference where BYU AD Tom Holmoe announced his retirement—both Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium and BYU's LaVell Edwards Stadium would be great venues to host a Utah Hockey Club game.
Dec 1, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz owner, Ryan Smith, on the sidelines against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at the Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Creveling-Imagn ImagesCertainty it would make sense for the game to be at the Utah Utes stadium just because it is much closer and there certainly would be plenty of beer to be sold.
But who knows, maybe Smith's ties to BYU could make Utah HC's first outdoor game happen in Provo, Utah.
But until an official announcement comes from the NHL, an outdoor game in Utah will just remain as a possibility Smith hopes he can make happen in the future.