Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- NHL commissioner Gary Bettman praised Utah's efforts in establishing the Utah Mammoth.
- Bettman hinted at a potential NHL outdoor game in Utah, possibly at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
- Florida and Utah are the only NHL teams yet to host an outdoor game.
SALT LAKE CITY — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has become pretty familiar with Utah after three visits in a little over a year.
Fifty-four weeks ago, he shook hands with Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith and trusted the 46-year-old billionaire to bring the Arizona Coyotes to Utah successfully.
Wednesday marked something of a completion of that handshake deal as the Utah Hockey Club became the Utah Mammoth in a Delta Center currently being renovated to give fans a better hockey experience.
"Everything you tried to do, and everything you've done, has been a mammoth undertaking," Bettman said to the Smiths in the first, and certainly not the last, pun on the Utah club's new name.
"Being part of the community and making a difference in the quality of life and transforming downtown, not just for the next few years, not just the Olympics, but generationally, is a testament to your vision and everything you've accomplished," he said.
Bettman called the organization's ability to multitask "off the charts," as it follows up an inaugural hockey season and brand launch with dual construction projects underway at the Delta Center and a new training facility at South Town in Sandy, which Smith said will "bookend" the Salt Lake Valley for the Mammoth.
Here's a look at the plans of the Delta Center.
— Ryan Miller (@millerjryan) April 30, 2025
The floor will be raised two feet, and new retractable seating system will be used. pic.twitter.com/4wXcUNwQfd
Smith also jokingly thanked Bettman for the fourth overall pick that Utah jumped 10 spots into during Monday's NHL draft lottery, to which Bettman replied: "Good things happen to good people."
Outdoor NHL game in Utah?
Bettman said during Wednesday's announcement that the NHL is looking at some new locations around the country for outdoor games. He specifically mentioned Florida and Utah, which are, coincidentally, also the only two teams yet to participate in an NHL outdoor game.
"I believe that we can pull all the things together that need to be pulled together," Bettman said when asked to elaborate on a potential outdoor game in Utah. "And just up the road a little bit, there's a nice stadium. We have to schedule these things a little bit in advance, but it's on our radar."
A source at the University of Utah confirmed they have been in discussions with the NHL about the possibility of hosting a hockey game at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
The NHL's outdoor games typically fall into one of three categories: the Heritage Classic in Canada; the Winter Classic, usually held at baseball stadiums; and the Stadium Series, which started in 2014.
The last NHL outdoor game was part of the Stadium Series on March 1 between the Detroit Red Wings and the Columbus Blue Jackets at Ohio Stadium, home of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team.
Florida is set to host two outdoor games next year, with the Winter Classic on Jan. 2, 2026, between the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers at the Miami Marlins' LoanDepot Park; and the Stadium Series on Feb. 1, 2026, between Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Raymond James Stadium.
With Rice-Eccles Stadium as the preferred venue, a Stadium Series entry for Utah likely would not take place until early 2027, though Ryan and Ashley Smith said they hope the next time Bettman is in Utah, it is to award the Mammoth the Stanley Cup.
"When you do raise a Stanley Cup, I hope I'm still doing this to present it," Bettman said.
