Utah Hockey Club Owner Wants to Host Outdoor Game

The owner of the Utah Hockey Club voiced his desire to host an outdoor game.

Jan 18, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Hockey Club center Clayton Keller (9) thanks fans after the game against the St. Louis Blues at the Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images / Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images

The Utah Hockey Club has made an impact immediately in the NHL. In just their first season in the league, they've already developed a passionate group of fans and garnered support around the hockey community as they try to sneak into one of the Western Conference Wild Card spots.

With the Utah Hockey Club trying to bring in championship players on the ice, their owner is trying to make the organization a championship one off of the ice. The latest effort for team owner Ryan Smith is to bring an outdoor game to Utah and he made that clear in a recent comment on social media.

Utah Hockey Club writer Chase Beardsley pitched the idea of a possible outdoor game on his X account in response to a photo shared of the University of Utah football arena, Rice-Eccles Stadium. Beardsley fantasized about the possibility of the hockey club hosting an outdoor game at the 50,000+ capacity arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.

"Imagine an outdoor game here," he wrote.

Smith quickly responded to the hypothetical with an encouraging response. According to the team owner, he's attempting to do just that.

"Working on it," he replied.

Working on it! https://t.co/A8n8wCbdAh

— Ryan Smith (@RyanQualtrics) January 20, 2025

While Smith may be just throwing this out there, the idea doesn't sound so far-fetched. The NHL has grown their ability to host and play outdoor games, especially in unique and unexpected locations. For example, the league recently announced a pair of outdoor games to be held in Florida in 2026. Compared to that, hosting a game in a wintery state like Utah where the ideal climate is more likely seems like a given, rather than an outside chance.

In the meantime, Utah is trying to make the postseason in their inaugural season, but the climb is becoming steeper. The team is currently 19-19-7, sitting six points back of the Calgary Flames for the second wild card spot.

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