The Utah Hockey Club needs a new name quickly, says Salt Lake sports columnist

If I had $50 for every time I heard or saw the words “history” and “historic” at the Delta Center on Tuesday night, I might have enough money to buy a decent seat for a single upcoming Utah Hockey Club game . I must have heard and seen these words a hundred times. Maybe you can even buy a hamburger and a Coke.

And it was storied and historic, in the sense that Utah had never had its own NHL team to cheer for. It does now. Hockey fans in and around Salt Lake City no longer have to settle for adopting someone else's team, the Golden Knights or the Avalanche, or pretending they actually care about the minor league in which the Grizzlies play . And the sold-out crowd at the big opener cheered the UHC for its courage as it took on the Chicago Blackhawks and won 5-2.

There was only one thing missing…

Can this team just agree to a damn name, adopt it and put an end to all the Utah Hockey Club nonsense? That's it – a lot of hyped up, silly, unnecessary delays. Not that anyone here should be overly concerned about what people outside of Utah think, but…Utah Hockey Club? Really? People laugh about it. The NHL loves Utah, but every other team in the league has a name. This is not a way or a reason to stand out or be cute, special or different.

Right now it's like watching an infant take its first steps without having completed the birth certificate.

It's not that complicated. Give this team what every other NHL team has. I don't care what it is… Outlaws, Venom, Blizzard, Magpies. Whatever. Just go ahead and give the players and fans the name, the identity they deserve.

Where were we? Oh yes, from the moment the Hockey Club stepped onto the ice, people in the newly designed seating arrangement in the Jazz Residence building were swinging towels and making happy noises. They roared as What's-His-Name, a skater from Canada, shot the puck into the Chicago goal.

(See how awkward it is to not give something a proper name?)

It's going to take some time to learn these guys' names, let alone their games. Let's see… there's a Matias Maccelli from Finland, an Alexander Kerfoot from British Columbia, a Mikhail Sergachev from Russia, a Jusso Valimaki from Finland… um, that's worth taking some time to get used to and yourself to become fully familiar with it.

I walked around the arena chatting with people wearing crisp black, blue and white T-shirts that said “Utah HC.” I asked a random sample if they were hockey fans. “I am now,” was a common response. I asked a man in a Coyotes sweater if he was okay with the move from Arizona to what is now Utah, and he said it wasn't a big deal because he was really a San Jose Sharks fan. Another person in Utah gear said he's still learning the difference between “icing” and “slashing.” I think he was joking, I'm not sure. However, some said they know and love Bobby Hull's game and have always loved it. Oops, those must have been Blackhawks fans.

In any case, this was an unforgettable night. Oops, wasn't that the title of an old book and movie about the sinking of the Titanic? The ice was much friendlier on this occasion.

The club's players performed well in front of their new, enthusiastic crowd, feeling the enormity of the moment and probably relishing the prospect of doing their passing, shooting and checking in front of thousands upon thousands of supporters in an authentic NHL arena – if that The Delta Center is the case now – instead of hundreds and hundreds at a college rink in Tempe.

The seats were actually bursting at the start, the music was loud, the energy palpable, the curiosity high, the drama electrifying, the learning curve – at least for some – steep, but even the pre-game introductions were met with great noise. It sounded like, as if a squadron of F-35 fighters were landing on the ice. As the entire team raised their sticks in a circle to honor the fans, more applause erupted.

Then the puck dropped.

Dylan Guenther, who is only 21 years old, scored the first UHC goal ever at the beginning of the first period. The boy from Edmonton, one of the club's rising stars, fired a lightning-quick shot off his stick, assisted by Pennsylvania's Logan Cooley, another up-and-coming player. Just a few weeks ago, Günther told me how excited he was to play in Utah. His exact words: “The city is buzzing. This place is beautiful. The people are nice. I'm looking forward to playing here. It will be cool to play in a big arena in front of a big crowd. I can barely wait for it.”

On Tuesday evening he said afterwards: “This building was something special.”

This building cheered him enthusiastically in Game 1, for his first goal and after another goal later.

Missouri team captain Clayton Keller scored the game's second goal early in a great sequence that ended with the puck hitting the net. Great shot, and we also found out that Keller loves playing ping pong and has a dog named “Lucky.”

From that point on, the skaters in black and blue — guys like Wisconsin's Nick Schmaltz, Ontario's Barrett Hayton and Sean Durzi, and Czech Republic's Karel Vejmelka — built their lead through deft skating, passing and shooting. and then, despite some sloppiness in the third period, he held on to the stick like a glove. Saskatoon goalkeeper Connor Ingram helped save the night.

I don't want to exaggerate, but overall it was a sporting experience that Utah fans can call a testament to their passionate lives. Ice hockey may be viewed by some as a physical, almost brutal sport, and that is the case, but when played at a high level it is a great team game that is almost poetic.

“The camaraderie on this team is really good,” said Günther. “The nice thing about hockey culture is that you have to stick together as a team.”

The first poem written in hockey history here – that's another $50 – was rhythmic at the start and then rough in the final minutes, everything on the ice matching what was coming from the stands.

Even the Blackhawks noticed and appreciated the scene. Striker Nick Foligno said: “I didn’t know what to expect. Honestly I heard great things and it lived up to the hype. They were loud, they were energetic and you could tell they were excited to play hockey here. From a fan perspective, it was a great night of hockey in Utah. We're excited as a league to have (Utah) here. It was definitely loud and they're avid fans, so I'd give them a lot of credit. They were definitely excited tonight and hopefully that continues throughout the year.”

So it was a good time for everyone, for every Jack and Jill, every Viktor and Vladislav, certainly for both the experienced fans in Utah and for the people who can't yet distinguish between a deke and a dangler, a forecheck from a five -hole place. In the end, the Utah players themselves seemed equally pleased with their win and emotionally exhausted.

“It was a crazy day,” said Keller. A historic – yes, another $50 price tag.

What everyone was absolutely certain of late Tuesday night was the difference between a win and a loss. “We won. I will remember that,” said UHC coach Andre Tourigny. And he should. The club got what they wanted on the first try, playing at the highest level of Bobby Hull, Wayne Gretzky or Gordie Howe's game. Utah's game was October 8, 2024. The names? Well…we’ll all work on that.