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Familiar faces all over the ice in Salt Lake for Coyotes fans
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Familiar faces all over the ice in Salt Lake for Coyotes fans

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The night that many Arizona Coyotes fans feared or hoped was just a nightmare has arrived.

The Utah Hockey Club, until April of this year the Arizona Coyotes, took the ice at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday evening in its first NHL game. It was the first for the front office, coaching staff and players who were once the Coyotes.

Coyotes fans know the story. In April, strong speculation about the team’s move to Utah began to surface. On April 17, the Coyotes and their fans knew that day would be the last game for the team as they knew it in Arizona, and the emotional scenes from Mullett Arena were heartbreaking as fans suddenly said goodbye to the Yotes after 28 years. desert.

The following day, the sale of the team’s players and other assets to Utah Jazz owners Ryan and Ashley Smith was made official.

It all happened so quickly. The last week of April, former Coyotes – the team name and brand retained by Alex Meruelo – landed in Salt Lake for a meeting and tour of their new downtown home, met by throngs of fans eager to welcome them in the city.

Months later, the low season has arrived. Training camp is over, the roster is finalized, the Delta Center seats are decorated with T-shirts and rally towels and Utah HC – with Coyotes All-Star Clayton Keller now Utah’s captain and many of the same players Coyotes fans came to know and love in Utah uniforms.

The team held its first morning skate on Tuesday. They faced the Chicago Blackhawks in the opener after a late afternoon-early evening of pregame festivities around the Delta Center.

“It looks great with all the towels in the seats and everything. I’m sure the crowd will be loud and super packed, so I’m just looking forward to it,” Keller said after the morning skate. “It’s super cool for us and they’ve really made us feel welcome since Day 1 and how excited they are about hockey. Excited to finally start here.”

The Utah vs. Chicago NHL was shown live on ESPN on Tuesday.