There is a “palpable sense of optimism,” both for the team and for the future of hockey in Utah after the Utah Hockey Club played its final home game of its inaugural season on Thursday, according to Brogan Houston of the DESERET NEWS. Next time there’s NHL hockey at the Delta Center, “the home team could have a new name -- and it will have new jerseys.” The club “did everything they could to show their appreciation for the fans” during Thursday’s game. They held a “fan appreciation night with a party outside, offered team store discounts and free inaugural season patches and the players unloaded bins full of merchandise to toss to the fans after the game.” Everyone was “happy to talk about their favorite moments of the season and how much they’ve loved Utah.” There has “hardly been an empty seat at the Delta Center all year long.” The Utah HC organization has a “metaphorical two-goal lead” on hockey in Utah. Things “went better than anyone could have asked for this season.” That momentum “will carry them throughout the next few seasons, but it’s not enough to let off the gas pedal.” The “primary focus needs to remain on growing the game and engaging with the community” (DESERET NEWS, 4/11).
Utah Hockey Club ends season with optimism, eyes future
