On a random Thursday in December, Ball Arena was packed to the brim for the Colorado Avalanche’s game against the Utah Hockey Club.
It was nothing out of the ordinary for us Utah HC beat reporters — the Delta Center has sold out every game so far as well (although it doesn’t always open the limited-view seats). But as I’ve contemplated that game in the hours since, I’ve realized how remarkable it really is that Colorado fans still pack the arena.
Utah sells virtually every ticket every game, but a large part of that is probably due the “shiny new toy” factor. People want to see the new team in action, whether they’re interested in hockey or not. But the Avalanche are approaching the 30-year anniversary of their move to Denver. There’s nothing new or shiny about that.
Furthermore, the Avalanche are having a down year, by their standards. They’re barely holding onto a wild-card spot and the local fans are used to deep playoff runs — including a Stanley Cup championship in 2022. Why would that many fans care so much about a team that’s not even playing that well?
It’s because hockey is part of life in Colorado.
Youth hockey in Colorado
Colorado has 15,000 registered youth hockey players, 307 high school hockey programs and 48 full-time ice rinks. Everywhere you go, you see Avalanche shirts, hats and jackets; people fly Avalanche flags from their houses and their car windows; people can have intelligent conversations about the team.
By contrast, Utah has 5,000 youth hockey players, 60 high school programs and 16 full-time sheets of ice. Utah HC merchandise has only existed for a few months, so the amount that you do see around Salt Lake City is actually pretty impressive. Same thing goes for general knowledge about the team.
The “Hockey 101″ initiative, which Utah HC hosts, is an excellent step in the right direction. They’re providing children with equipment and instruction, allowing them the chance to play hockey from a young age. They’re giving loads of tickets to schools and other programs, giving kids the chance to experience NHL hockey. They’re making the players available to the public at a wide variety of community events so that people familiarize themselves with the team.
It’s not unlike the “Learn to Play” initiative that the Avalanche have hosted for so many years, or the Pittsburgh Penguins’ “Little Penguins” program that got Logan Cooley interested in hockey as a child.
Professional hockey in Colorado
The Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver in 1995-96. They won the Stanley Cup their first season there, and they did it again in 2000-01 and a third time in 2021-22. They have had their ups and downs over the years, but they’ve almost always had Hall of Fame-level players to lean on.
It’s unfair to expect Utah HC to win the Cup its first year, but the Avalanche’s early success gave them a key boost. Utah doesn’t necessarily have to be good immediately, but if they fail to make the playoffs in their first decade, they might run into trouble when it comes to selling tickets.
In addition to some minor league pro teams, Colorado is also home to three NCAA Division I hockey programs, including Denver University — the winningest program in the country.
Utah does not currently have any NCAA hockey programs of any division, though it has a few teams in the lower ACHA. University of Utah head coach Morgan Feenie told the Deseret News in September that he hopes to someday take his team to the NCAA level, but the process has not yet begun. The NHL works closely with the college programs to create more NCAA teams, but NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told the Deseret News in October that the league had not yet considered Utah in that regard.
Where will Utah hockey be in 30 years?
Colorado could serve as a comparable for where hockey in Utah could be 30 years from now.
The two states are similar in a lot of ways: the climate, the elevation, the landscape. Colorado has almost double the population of Utah, but with the rate that Utah is growing, even that could catch up to Colorado within the next few decades.
If Utah can continue building ice rinks (which Utah HC plans to do), gets a few NCAA hockey programs and has some NHL playoff success, it should have no problem selling out Thursday games in December — even 30 years from now.
