EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- The Utah Hockey Club is no longer a concept.
The franchise took the ice for the first time Friday at the 2024 Rookie Faceoff at the Toyota Sports Performance Center, playing against the San Jose Sharks and Macklin Celebrini, the No. 1 pick of the 2024 NHL Draft.
The dream of Utah as a hockey team, which took flight five months ago in the most unusual and audacious manner, became reality across 60 minutes of nip-and-tuck hockey.
Utah lost 3-2 to the Sharks on Friday, but that wasn’t the story.
The fact that the Utah Hockey Club was playing hockey was the headline.
Business plans, budget meetings and flow charts were replaced by goals, saves and bodychecks.
“It’s been a lot of work, but it’s all worth it,” Bill Armstrong, their general manager, told NHL.com during the first intermission.
Armstrong has been the GM of the team for the past four seasons. He oversaw the starts and stops of trying to keep it in Arizona and, once that was no longer feasible, the Coyotes franchise became inactive and the NHL established the new team in Utah, which acquired Arizona's hockey assets.
“The colors looked really good out there,” Armstrong said. “It looks seamless and smooth."
The Utah players took the ice in their black sweaters with blue and white trim and there was a large exhale from those involved in one of the most demanding offseasons in the history of the National Hockey League.
“Finally wearing that jersey is a good feeling,” said defenseman Maveric Lamoureux, who became the first player to captain Utah in a game.