You’d be hard-pressed to find a locker room as positive as that of the Utah Hockey Club the day after being mathematically eliminated from playoff contention — a product of the Minnesota Wild’s 8-7 win over the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday.
That’s because the future is bright.
Utah HC’s inaugural season was a success in every sense of the word. It introduced a new market to hockey, packing some 16,000 seats on a nightly basis; the team played meaningful games in March and April, which was always the goal; and the budding, young stars took major steps in their development and the group matured as a whole.
Even though the team will no longer be able to compete for the Stanley Cup this season, players have no intention of letting off the gas. Karel Vejmelka will make his 22nd consecutive start Thursday in hopes of giving the fans a triumphant final home game.
“The mindset doesn’t change at all,” said Logan Cooley Thursday morning. “We’re not just a team that’s going to roll over and cruise through these next games. You’re always building for something, you’re always working toward something — individually and as a team. For us, we’re still hungry, we still want to end off on the right foot, especially for these fans.”
Head coach André Tourigny agreed that the fans’ passion motivates them to continue to push.
“It’s been a great season at home,” he said. “The support of our fans and the way we’ve been welcomed here has been magical. (This is) our last opportunity, so I want to make sure we leave the right taste.”
The team is holding a fan appreciation event Thursday, which includes a party on the plaza outside the Delta Center as well as discounted merchandise and a postgame team awards presentation.
Unfinished business
As positive as the season was for the NHL’s newest franchise, there’s still regret that it couldn’t make the playoffs after getting this close.
“Looking back, I think we had the potential to end with 10 or 12 more points,” said Ian Cole, a 15-year veteran who hadn’t missed the playoffs since his rookie year. “You look at some of the games that we — I don’t want to say ‘gave away,’ but some of them, yeah, certainly — we could have put ourselves in a much better spot."
The extended summer break will provide this relatively young team ample opportunities to reflect on the mistakes that cost them games throughout the season. Ideally, they’ll learn from the little things and be able to improve next year.
“We’re all working towards the same goal of making the playoffs and eventually winning the Stanley Cup,” Cooley said. “I think we’ve got the guys in here to do it.”
