Fans concerned with Utah Hockey Club's new arena: Gary Bettman and the NHL may have made a huge mistake
PUBLICATION
Tom Banks
September 26, 2024 (11:33)
SHARE THIS STORY
Photo credit: Forbes
Utah Hockey Club made a grand entrance to the NHL in 2024, but now there have been major questions raised about their arena.
The NHL world was abuzz this off-season when the Utah Hockey Club became the NHL's 32nd team, officially relocating from the Arizona Coyotes, with season tickets selling out instantly. Now however, questions have been raised as a post on Reddit has shown many season are blocked from view when the arena is set up for hockey, which is a major red flag given the excitement around the team this season.
The Hockey Club are likely to get a new name, a new look and a new arena in the coming years, but already this off-season they've had to undergo some changes at the Delta Center to make it accommodating to a hockey team. This is one thing that clearly didn't change however, as parts of the ice are blocked off from seats that would usually provide a great view of the ice, which could deter some fans from coming to games.
According to reports, while there are 10,000 regular seats in the arena, the next 6,000 are labelled as 'partial view' seats, making almost half of the seats obstructed from view, which certainly isn't a good sign at all.
In this video, it's clear that the arena lost many seats when hockey ice is put in, as it's much tougher to accommodate hockey ice than it is for an NBA's hardcourt, and with the renovations that are expected to fix all of these issues likely to take several years, it's going to be a rough time for some fans over the coming years.