Utah's new NHL team makes beer sales history in its opening game

The NHL experiment in Utah is off to an encouraging start.

Not only did the Utah Hockey Club begin its Salt Lake City tenure with a 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night, but the NHL's newest fan base arrived at the season opener hungry for hockey. And, well, good times.

Accordingly The Salt Lake TribuneA record-breaking number of drinks were sold at the Delta Center, with beer sales rising to over $120,000 – more than any other NBA or NHL event in the past at the venue, which has been home to the Utah Jazz since 1991.

The beer prices weren't exactly cheap either. A Michelob Ultra that cost $13 at the Jazz's preseason show the night before sold for $15 at the arena's NHL debut.

The Utah Hockey Club is technically an expansion team, although it acquired the hockey assets of the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes, who ceased operations after the 2023-24 season. The franchise will be known as the Utah Hockey Club this season before undergoing a rebrand and new team nickname next season.

The Utah Hockey Club returns to the ice on Thursday for an away game against the New York Islanders, kicking off a four-game trip away from the Delta Center. Utah fans will have another chance to break the beer sales record when the team returns to home ice for a game against the Boston Bruins on October 19th.