Utah hockey fans turned out in force on Wednesday to welcome the former Arizona Coyotes to their new home in Salt Lake City. The players and coaches were greeted at the airport by a crowd of approximately 100 players from local youth hockey programs, who chanted “Go, Utah! Go, Utah!” The team then attended a fan celebration at the Delta Center in the afternoon, which was packed for the free event, with many fans turned away at the doors.
“We’re 70 people who got traded the same day and we’re going to the same place,” said coach André Tourigny. “I think all of that creates some magic. I think we’ll just be tighter with that. When you want to win championships, you need to go through the trenches together. We went through some trenches this year.”
The challenges of uprooting from Arizona are tempered by the energetic reception the club has received in the state and a chance to build a new culture.
“We’re now a part of history,” said player Lawson Crouse. “Not too many people get to say they can do this. Obviously, the circumstances over the past couple of weeks have been unlike anything out there, but to be here now we feel honored, and we feel blessed and we’re really looking forward to get things rolling here.”
Immediate concerns for the team from a logistical standpoint include getting practice facilities and a locker room in place. They plan to make temporary arrangements with community venues for the near future.
“We just need ice whether it’s here or it’s at one of the practice rinks,” said general manager Bill Armstrong. “As long as we have ice, we’re good.”
Four-time All-Star forward Clayton Keller thinks the team can break through and be a playoff team in its debut season in the Beehive State after failing to reach the postseason the last four years in Arizona.
“It takes time to learn how to win in this league,” Keller said. “When everyone buys in, I think that’s when you can take some steps and reach that next level.”
