Was Utah the right move for the NHL?

Jacob’s Pick: No

It was inevitable that the Coyotes were eventually going to leave Arizona. The Coyotes were often at the bottom of the league in attendance and ended up moving to a college hockey arena with a capacity of only 4,600 people.

But was Utah the right choice for the franchise’s next home? Hockey in Utah definitely could work, but it is far from a perfect location. The arena will have to undergo renovations to be fully suitable for hockey, there isn’t a clear hockey following in Utah right now and Salt Lake City isn’t a large market.

Larger markets were available such as Houston and Atlanta. These could seem like poor choices due to both being southern cities, and Atlanta has lost a team before.

Houston could set up beautifully due to there only being one hockey team for a large population in Texas, and it would automatically create a great rivalry with the Dallas Stars.

As for Atlanta, they lost the Thrashers to Winnipeg, but Atlanta deserves another chance with an NHL franchise. The Thrashers were well-supported and had good attendance, but ownership ultimately tanked the team and forced the relocation. The right owner would make a franchise in Atlanta work.

Other cities that have been thrown out as new homes for NHL franchises include Portland, Hamilton and Kansas City, but there’s two that stick out to me- Milwaukee and Quebec City.

It still blows my mind that Milwaukee doesn’t have an NHL franchise given the hockey following and talent that comes from Wisconsin. It could also create a great rivalry with teams in the region such as the Wild, Blackhawks and Red Wings.

Quebec City has been waiting for the Nordiques to make their return. The team had a great fan base before the team moved to Colorado due to financial struggles. Would those same struggles return if the team did? That is unknown, but the city has an NHL-ready arena, a great fan base and epic rivalries would return.

Utah wasn’t a bad choice to bring an NHL team, but I would argue the cities listed above would have been better options.

Austin’s Pick: No

I am personally not a fan of the move to Utah. I have been watching the NHL basically since I was born and grew up with the Coyotes being in the league.

It boils down to the simple fact that Utah actually wanted a hockey team and the cities of Phoenix and Tempe did not.

The Coyotes had moved into Mullet Arena right on Arizona State's campus to end their tenure and while it was a fun place to watch a game (I’ve been there), it wasn’t up to NHL standards.

It was kind of obvious the Yotes were going to move because their owner Alex Meruelo did not care about the team and the fans one bit. They had many opportunities to get a new area and Meruelo just didn’t.

The Coyotes were also just starting to get good. We saw last year they were right in the thick of things until their 14 game losing streak in February.

Coyote fans had many reasons to be excited because all the young players that were drafted over the last handful of years are finally producing at the NHL level.

The biggest reason why I don't like the move is because of the effect it might have on the game at the youth level.

Arizona is a big time youth hockey market and it only got bigger over the years. Guys like Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies probably would not even be in the NHL if the Coyotes didn’t exist.

I hope kids still want to lace up their skates and play but I guess only time will tell.

It wouldn’t shock me if there’s magic in Salt Lake City this year and all those home grown Coyote players make a deep run in the playoffs.

Andrew’s Pick: Yes

I am a fan of the Arizona Coyotes’ move to Utah. I have grown up with the Coyotes in the NHL but they never were a team that had consistent play throughout the years.

That could be because of multiple reasons but it stems down to the problem of the owner. Mereulo did not care about the team and fans at all.

I was initially a little concerned about the move to Utah because I wasn’t sure how fans would react to it. Would there be a lot of fans in the arena?

We got that answer right away. Utah was victorious in front of a sellout crowd.

What made this better was Ryan Smith, new owner of the Utah Hockey Club, was sitting in the crowd as a regular spectator. That showed an owner that loves his team and is willing to do what it takes to put a great team on the ice.

The fans have shown out for a team that looks to be in contention for at least a playoff spot, if not more.

This is a completely different scenario than the one in the MLB with the Oakland Athletics. Utah has proven that they deserve a team based on what we have seen so far. In the MLB, Las Vegas does not look to be as ecstatic for the Athletics to make their way to Vegas in a couple of years.

Additionally, the Coyotes are still Arizona owned. The Hockey Club did not carry the name or anything with it and if Arizona gets a new team, all of its history will return to Arizona.

Do not be surprised if this team makes a run and become a hockey city with all of the support it has from its owner and its fans so far this season.

Jacob Rudy is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jar7371@psu.edu.

Austin Moran is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email acm6506@psu.edu.

Andrew Deal is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email asd5765@psu.edu.