Minutes away from puck drop, 14 kids joined both teams and the officials on the ice for the anthems, as Kaylee sang. While the team played on the ice, kids were playing the in-arena contests. Those not at the game still had the opportunity to participate as both the TV and radio broadcasts had kids join their broadcasts.
“I got to hang out with Sarah (Merrifield), and she showed me a bit of her job,” Sauvee shared about her Next Gen experience with the TV broadcast. “I got to interview Dylan Guenther, that was fun. I asked him questions and he had fun answers.
“We got into hockey probably two years ago,” Sauvee continued. “Just getting a Utah team and an NHL team was just really cool to see. We got season tickets and (it’s) really fun.”
This whole experience was an opportunity to bring a family-focused day to Delta Center and help encourage a life-long fandom for not only those participating, but everyone kid in attendance. Ryan Reynolds (not the actor) brought his three-year-old daughter to the Next Gen game and she had a front row seat to see the newest sport in town.
“It’s so exciting, especially for kids who group up wanting to play the game but never really had much access,” Reynolds said. “It’s so cool to see kids get a chance to (participate). I would have died for an opportunity like that as a kid.”
When it comes to games that could excite a fanbase, Saturday’s had it all. Utah scored six goals, played hard, and picked up a win against a perennial contender, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“It was fun,” Alexander Kerfoot said about the Next Gen game. “I think that this was a great atmosphere for kids to come and watch the game and this is a new market, we’re trying to grow hockey here. Smith Entertainment Group’s done an awesome job of growing the game in this community and to have a night like this where we get to bring in some youth hockey players and some kids during an early game on the weekend, it’s really fun and I hope that we can do that again in the future.”
The significance of this celebration isn’t lost on Utah Hockey Head Coach André Tourigny, who discussed how the Next Gen game was an opportunity to celebrate the community.
“It’s important to give back, it’s important to be involved in the community,” Tourigny explained. “We have an opportunity to make fans for life today. That’s the way I see it. I think, who doesn’t like to be around kids and give back to them. It’s always easy when the guys get involved … I think being with the youth is great and it’s a way to show our appreciation to our fans and how grateful we are.”
As Utah Hockey Club’s first season is in the homestretch, the memories made at Saturday’s game will bring back the next generation of fans for years to come.
