When Long Beach Ice Dogs owner Barry Kemp decided to move his team from the International Hockey League to the West Coast Hockey League for financial reasons, it meant more to Utah than any other IHL franchise.
The Grizzlies lost their biggest rival. Now the closest team to Utah geographically is Kansas City. Houston and Manitoba are second. Not exactly what one might call regional rivals.
Utah lost an even bigger rival in Las Vegas the year before when the team there didn't have a place to play. The IHL hopes to revive that franchise, eventually.
So it may have been natural for some to wonder if maybe Utah shouldn't consider joining the WCHL, which is made up of nine teams, all on the West Coast and in Alaska. Then there would be regional rivals galore.
The level of hockey is better in the IHL and more would be lost than gained by a move to the WCHL.
When Kemp was questioned in June about his decision, he reassured fans, saying he didn't think they would notice a difference in the level of play.
Utah coach Bob Bourne has a hard time believing Kemp was quoted accurately.
"I can't see Barry saying that," he said. "There's a difference in the level of play."
He likened it to the difference between Double-A and Triple-A baseball.
"It's our Double-A ball teams," he said of the WCHL. "(But) the play there has dramatically improved."
Which is the reason Utah turned to the WCHL to help develop younger players after Utah signed an affiliation agreement with the NHL's Dallas Stars.
"It's for the development of players and young guys," agreed Grizzlies President Tim Mouser.
"It's inconceivable to think Double-A, Triple-A and Single-A are the same level. That's not going to be the case wherever you go."
Former Grizz defenseman Taj Melson has played parts of his four years as a professional hockey player in both the WCHL and IHL. He agrees with Bourne that the play has improved but not to the level of the IHL.
"I've seen the play progress every year," Melson said. "The talent pool has gone up. Guys play in Europe and then want to move back home (so they play in the WCHL). A lot of guys have had time in the IHL."
He said a player who is talented but doesn't want to work hard can be a "superstar down there."
"The talent, overall, is better in the IHL, definitely," Melson said. In fact, if he can't land an IHL contract, he's considering attending medical school this fall. If he decides to play in the WCHL, Idaho would be his team, as the Steelheads traded for his rights earlier this summer.
Melson said the best scenario is one like Utah has where the team is affiliated with Idaho (WCHL) and Dallas (NHL). Then players work harder because someone is always watching them play, and their play could get them promoted.
Case in point: Gavin Morgan.
Utah signed the young forward earlier this summer after borrowing him from Idaho during parts of last season. He was one of the Steelheads' leading scorers, and when he arrived in Utah he made an impact and an impression.
Mouser believes Utah's fans would be disappointed if the Grizzlies left the IHL.
"(Utah) fans would certainly notice a difference," he said. And he's not worried about rivalries, regional or otherwise.
"Whoever you play and have competition with is a rival," he said, noting that there's more to a rivalry than geography.
Utahns have another reason to watch the Grizz, no matter who's on the ice with them, he said. With the Dallas affiliation, they might just get a glimpse of future NHL stars.
As for it being cheaper to operate in the WCHL, Mouser insists that making money isn't Utah's only objective.
"We're not in it just for that," he said. "We want to play at the highest level we can. It doesn't make any sense to do anything else."
E-MAIL: adonaldson@desnews.com