Utah Trying To Prove Worth To NHL

Ryan Smith wants to prove that Salt Lake City and Utah as a whole can support the NHL

The Utah Hockey Club has one big goal through their inaugural season.

Ryan S. Clark writes in his ESPN column the team is trying to prove that Salt Lake City and Utah as a whole can support the NHL.

Now how exactly do you prove that?

Team owner Ryan Smith doesn't have a interest in copying what other cities and states do to promote their sports, but instead he wants to let Utah be Utah.

"I put everything in Utah. They said we couldn't build tech here, and we'd have to move to the Bay Area," Smith said via ESPN. "We couldn't get venture funding here. We couldn't IPO a company from here. We couldn't sell. We proved every single person wrong.

"Then I think that people started believing, 'Holy cow. What's going on in Utah?' That's incredibly gratifying when you're fighting for a bigger cause."

Utah is totally new to the sport of hockey, but you can tell by the start of the season and the reception that this team got upon arriving in Salt Lake City that the people have fully embraced their new squad.

Utah Hockey Club president of hockey operations Chris Armstrong is encouraged from what he’s seen thus far in terms of the enthusiasm the people of Utah have for hockey.

"I don't know too much about what the perception is, but I can tell you that on the ground that all you see is growth around you," Armstrong said via ESPN. "I think the culture of hockey lends itself to the community of Greater Salt Lake and of Utah. Hard-working, honest, passion, camaraderie, pride in team, pride in state. ... I think that speaks to the response that we've received with season-ticket deposits."

It’s very early on, but by the looks of things, the NHL has a bright future in Utah.