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The owners of the NHL’s Utah Hockey Club and NBA’s Jazz are beginning a massive renovation of their downtown Salt Lake City Arena that will eventually increase hockey capacity to roughly 17,000 and basketball to nearly 19,000 fans. Smith Entertainment Group announced its plan Wednesday after a meeting of the Salt Lake City Council earlier in the week.
After inking a five-year contract extension with the Utah Jazz during the offseason, Lauri Markkanen participated in the inaugural ceremonial puck drop of the Utah Hockey Club in Delta Center on Tuesday evening, strengthening his bond with Salt Lake City. An expansion team debuting in the 2024-25 edition of the NHL, the Utah Hockey Club will share the same home with the Jazz. A win, 5-2, against the Chicago Blackhawks combined with Markkanen’s appearance to the delight of the fans.
ESPN canvassed 136 teams in the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB and NHL from November 2023 to July 2024 on whether they offer accommodations that fans with invisible disabilities say would make their game-day experience better. Of the 136 teams, 120 responded. In the NFL, the Broncos, Texans, Patriots, Cardinals and Bengals did not answer questions. In MLB, the Brewers, Pirates, Mariners and Cubs did not answer. In the NBA, the Timberwolves declined to answer and the Clippers responded before their move to the Intuit Dome. In the WNBA, the Lynx declined to answer. In the NHL, the Panthers, Sabres, Jets and Senators did not answer. (The Utah Hockey Club was omitted because of the team's impending move to Salt Lake City.) Some teams did not answer every question in the survey.
Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia has his sights set on bringing hockey back to Arizona, Sportico reported Wednesday. Arizona is now without an NHL team after the Coyotes relocated to Salt Lake City following the 2023-24 campaign. The franchise will have a new name come the 2025-26 season, but when it plays games this year, it will be known as the Utah Hockey Club. "I'm definitely going to be part of the community, and if I can help bring hockey back, I'll look at that," Ishbia told Sportico. "It's definitely something I'm interested in. It's a four-sport town. I'm disappointed we don't have a hockey team, but I understand what happened, and we're going to try to fix that one day."
A plan that would drastically change downtown Salt Lake City with a "sports, entertainment, culture and convention district" surrounding a remodeled Delta Center has cleared its first major hurdle. The Salt Lake City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to endorse a partnership agreement with Smith Entertainment Group — the parent owner of the Utah Jazz and Utah Hockey Club — on a downtown revitalization plan on Tuesday. The vote sends the proposed 136-page document to a state committee for approval before the agreement can be finalized.
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