Salt Lake City checked all the boxes for a new professional sports team — particularly in the National Hockey League. Salt Lake City kicked off its first season in the NHL this year after the Utah Hockey Club relocated from Phoenix. The early excitement of the fanbase, marked by sellout crowds and high merchandise sales, is solidifying Salt Lake City as a sports market. So far, every one of the 11,131 unobstructed view seats at Delta Center has been sold out, according to the Utah Hockey Club. The Utah Hockey Club generated the highest retail sales on its opening night of any hockey team this season, including the Florida Panthers, the 2023-24 Stanley Cup champions, according to the Utah Hockey Club.

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Persons: Ryan Smith —, Ryan, Ashley Smith, Smith, Gary Bettman, —, Chad Hutchinson, Hutchinson Organizations: National Hockey League, Salt Lake City, NHL, Utah Hockey Club, National Basketball, Utah Jazz, Major League Soccer's, National, Soccer League's Utah Royals, Smith Entertainment Group, Arctos Partners, Delta Center, Delta, NBA, Florida Panthers, Utah Hockey Club's, Vegas Golden Knights Locations: Salt Lake City, U.S, —, Salt Lake, Phoenix, Salt, Utah