Where will ice hockey games be played during the 2034 Olympics? -Deseret News

The head of the next Olympics in Utah did not expect Utah Hockey Club owner Ryan Smith to announce a venue change for the 2034 Winter Games.

But that's exactly what happened hours before the new National Hockey League's opening game Tuesday night at the Delta Center in downtown Salt Lake City.

“There will be a little party tonight,” Smith told reporters. “And out of the corner of my eye I just want to imagine that this is going to be here for a lot longer because with the Olympics coming up where this is going to be the venue for hockey, I'm sorry, I'm saying that now. If you’re the home of the NHL and don’t have hockey…”

Smith also owns the arena, which is being renovated to host ice hockey along with his Utah Jazz team as part of a revitalization effort for downtown Salt Lake City.

Fraser Bullock, president and CEO of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, which successfully bid for the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Games, said he didn't know Smith would tell everyone about the planned venue change that was in Work has been going on for some time.

“Surprise! “There's a lot of excitement today and we're very excited to partner with Ryan and the NHL,” Bullock told the Deseret News via text message from his seat at the Utah HC-Chicago Blackhawks game that the state's new team is featuring “It’s a great moment for Utah,” said the Olympic leader.

When Utah hosted the 2002 Winter Games, the Delta Center was home to figure skating and short track speed skating. That was also the plan for 2034. Then Smith decided to attack an NHL team in Arizona, which led to the Utah Legislature quickly passing a bill in early March that included a multibillion-dollar redevelopment of downtown.

Smith announced the NHL would be coming to Utah in April after purchasing the Arizona Coyotes for $1.2 billion. And last week, the Salt Lake City Council approved a sales tax increase that would fund $900 million to renovate the Delta Center as part of a new entertainment district.

With the move of Olympic ice hockey to the Delta Center, Bullock said figure skating and short track speed skating would move to the Maverik Center in West Valley City, where ice hockey was held in 2002 and is scheduled to be held again in 2034, along with the smaller Peaks Ice Arena in Provo.

“Usually there are adjustments to the bidding plan and with the addition of NHL hockey to the Delta Center, having Olympic hockey there would be a great thing. “We will work with the IOC to make that change happen,” Bullock said. “Maverik is a great arena for Olympic ice.”

When IOC President Thomas Bach was in Utah late last month, he met with Smith, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson to hear downtown plans. Bullock said the IOC was informed of the venue change weeks before Bach's two-day visit.

Bullock said the discussion with the outgoing IOC president was “about transforming downtown” and not about using the Delta Center for hockey. He said the bid committee, which is set to become an Olympic organizing committee by the end of the year, “will be working with the IOC on this over the next few months.”

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee is “quite excited about the ongoing event plans that are starting to become a reality in the Utah area,” executive director Sarah Hirshland told reporters Wednesday. “It promises to further elevate innovation, both the experience for the athletes competing in these venues and the experience for spectators.”

With nearly a decade until Utah hosts its next games, Hirshland said it's “time to bring them to life.”

Contributor: Dennis Romboy