New Pro Sports Team Coming to Salt Lake City By 2025?
For southern Idaho hockey fans, there's a very real possibility that you could be watching the National Hockey League's next expansion team in an arena in 2025 just three hours southeast of Twin Falls. The owner of the Utah Jazz and a team of investors are presently negotiating with league representatives to make Salt Lake City the birthplace of the thirty-third NHL squad.
The recent development of serious efforts to bring professional hockey to Utah is as exciting to me as the first time I was delightfully introduced to Heather Graham in Boogie Nights. In fact, as I was writing this post to all my Idaho friends and beyond I was watching the second period of the Anaheim Ducks game against the Dallas Stars Thursday evening; the period ended in a two-to-two tie.
Hockey is the last true sport that hasn't been tainted by over-officiating or spoiled, insanely wealthy crybabies. I saw my first live hockey game in 1999, and I've been addicted ever since. These bearded, busted-toothed gladiators are earning every cent of their much inferior paychecks compared to those handed out in professional baseball, basketball, and football.
NHL Bid To Bring Pro Hockey To Salt Lake City By 2025
Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith laid out the entire plan to get professional hockey to Salt Lake City as soon as next year. Smith divulged some of the glorious details on Wednesday's edition of the Pat McAfee show on ESPN. Hopefully, this is not a case of excessive hubris on the part of the owner of Utah's only professional sports team.
(Warning: There are a few naughty words in this video clip)
The idea of professional hockey just a couple of hours away from the Magic Valley should make Idaho fans of the sport very happy, especially since the traffic will remain outside state lines. It also beats the hell out of driving to Las Vegas to catch a Golden Knights game.