Could Utah host an outdoor NHL game?
If you thought the 16,000-seat Delta Center got loud at hockey games this season, wait until the Utah Mammoth play at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman spoke at a press conference inside the Delta Center on Wednesday, where, among many other things, he discussed Utah's potential to host an outdoor game.
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While speaking on how 'crazy' it seemed for Smith Entertainment Group to leave the team name voting up to the fans, Bettman stated that the NHL '(does) crazy pretty well,' mentioning the two outdoor games to be played in Florida next year as examples.
'Florida?' shouted a voice from the crowd.
'We'll have one here, too,' Bettman responded. 'We've already done a site visit.'
Once the discussion was opened up to media questioning, he provided more details.
'I believe we can pull all the things together that need to be pulled together,' he said. 'Just up the road, there's a nice stadium. We have to schedule these things a little bit in advance, but it's on our radar.'
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The building to which he's referring is likely Rice-Eccles Stadium, where the University of Utah plays its football games. It holds 51,444 people for football, and those numbers typically don't change much when stadiums host hockey.
Fans cheer during the national anthem before the NHL Winter Classic hockey game played outside at Wrigley Field. | M. Spencer Green, Associated Press
Once the Florida Panthers play the Winter Classic next season, the Mammoth will be the only active franchise to have never participated in an outdoor game.
Would they be able to sell alcohol at an outdoor NHL game in Utah?
Most conversations about a potential outdoor game in Utah included a question about how they would be able to sell beer. Neither Rice-Eccles Stadium nor LaVell Edwards Stadium, where BYU plays, permit alcohol sales.
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The league ran into this issue at the 2019 Winter Classic at Notre Dame Stadium. At the time, the school did not permit alcohol sales — but it made an exception for the NHL. The University of Utah does allow the sale of alcohol at some on-campus events with approval from a vice president, so perhaps the NHL could get an exception.
It comes with a word of caution, though: Notre Dame Stadium ran out of food and alcohol early in the game. The NHL would be wise to over-prepare this time around — especially with the amount of beer Utah hockey fans consumed at the Delta Center this season.
How do outdoor NHL games work?
Outdoor NHL games typically use football or baseball stadiums. The league has a pair of portable rinks that it can set up virtually anywhere, so there's no need to alter the field in any permanent way.
These games are about much more than the two points in the standings available to the competing teams: They're spectacles for both the fans and the players to enjoy.
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The 2025 Winter Classic between the Chicago Blackhawks and the St. Louis Blues featured a fan festival, interactive games, opportunities for fans to take pictures with the Stanley Cup and a pop-up shop replicating Wayne Gretzky's childhood basement.
Participating teams usually introduce special edition jerseys for outdoor games. It would be the perfect chance for the Mammoth to unveil a powder blue jersey. Teams have also made it tradition to walk into the game in matching costumes, often based on a local culture or industry.
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