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Utah’s New NHL Team Makes Beer Sales History in Inaugural Game
The NHL's experiment in Utah is off to an encouraging start.
Not only did the Utah Hockey Club begin its tenure in Salt Lake City with a 5–2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night, but also the NHL's newest fan base arrived at the season opener with a thirst for hockey. And, well, good times.
According to The Salt Lake Tribune, Delta Center sold a record-breaking number of beverages, with beer sales climbing over $120,000—more than any other previous NBA or NHL event in that venue, which has served as the home to the Utah Jazz since 1991.
The beer prices weren't cheap, either. A Michelob Ultra, which was $13 at the Jazz's preseason tilt the night before, sold for $15 for the arena's NHL debut.
The Utah Hockey Club is technically an expansion team, although it acquired the hockey assets of the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes, who suspended operations after the 2023-24 season. The franchise will be known as the Utah Hockey Club this season before undergoing a rebrand and gaining a new team nickname heading into next season.
The Utah Hockey Club returns to the ice Thursday for a road tilt against the New York Islanders that kicks off a four-game trip away from Delta Center. Utah fans will have another chance to break the beer sales record when the team returns to home ice on Oct. 19 for a matchup against the Boston Bruins.
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Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.