Hockey fans in Utah destroy stadium beer record in first game

The Utah Hockey Club – yes, that's really its name – played its first game (and won!) on Wednesday. Do you know who also won? The arena's beer vendors, who broke the Delta Center's record for alcohol purchases at a sporting event.

While this was literally the hockey team's first game, the Delta Center has been the storied home of the NBA's Utah Jazz for 33 years, older than me.

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So, yes, in just one day, hockey fans drank more beer in one night than at any of the Jazz's 1,300-plus home games. That doesn't even count the playoff games!

At Utah's opening game, $120,000 worth of beers were sold in the arena.

It's not like beer prices were increased to drive up these numbers either. By all accounts, the prices were in line with the typical costs that sports and concert-goers have become accustomed to.

This is a great sign for the NHL and the Salt Lake City region after the NHL announced the new team moving over from Arizona in April 2024. The Utah Hockey Club is only the second professional sports team among the state's four major leagues. Clearly the people there are more than willing to support another team, as evidenced by their passionate pursuit of drinking as many beers as possible in a night.

If you're wondering why the hell a professional hockey team is called a “hockey club,” it's because no one can make a decision. It's that simple. The owner says there's no rush to secure an official nickname and wants to allow enough time to make an important decision.

That being said, it will likely end up being either the Yeti, the Mammoth, or the other four narrowed down by fan voting.

Perhaps one more should be added to the list of possible names: the Utah Guzzlers.