The most emotional NHL scene Wednesday wasn’t when Anze Kopitar scored in overtime to lift the Los Angeles Kings past the Edmonton Oilers in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series. Nor was it the Boston Bruins scoring three third-period goals to skate past the Maple Leafs and silence the raucous crowd in Toronto in Game 3 of that series.
In fact, this had nothing at all to do with the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
And stranger than that, it happened in Salt Lake City, which has never hosted an NHL regular-season nor playoff game.
But what happened in the League’s newest city was so moving that long-time front office executive Bill Armstrong said, “I had tears coming down my face.”
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Former Coyotes players, staff welcomed to Utah in ‘surreal experience’
The NHL finally cut the cord on its decades-long failed experiment in Arizona, when the Coyotes were sold to Ryan Smith, owner of the NBA’s Utah Jazz, last week. Smith arranged a visit to Salt Lake City for players, staff and their families. And the greeting they received was overwhelming.
From nearly 1,000 people at the airport, including a host of youth hockey players, to a sold-out gathering that was more pep rally at Delta Center, their new home ice, there was an incredible outpouring of love for the former Coyotes.
“Getting off that plane and for those players today, it was a clean slate for them,” Armstrong said. “You could see the joy in their faces when they saw the kids. I don’t know if the kids will ever understand how much that meant to the players.”
It’s expected Armstrong, who was named Coyotes general manager in Sept. 2020, will retain the same role in Utah. Ditto for coach Andre Tourigny. Each was equally moved by the reception they received Wednesday.
“It made us feel at home already,” Tourigny said. “We already want to fight for Utah. I’m blown away right now.”
Unspoken was the recent history of failed arena plans, lack of fan support, constant ownership change and two seasons playing in a small college arena in the desert. This was a new beginning, time to look ahead, not in the rearview mirror.
“It’s been a surreal experience,” Armstrong said. “I don’t think there is a player here that is coming to visit that isn’t emotional about the feeling they get when they see the fans here. And how excited they are in Utah to have us.”