In honor of the first-ever regular season in franchise history, Utah Hockey Club invites fans and the local community to attend a free, open-to-the-public Inaugural Game Celebration, presented by Delta Air Lines, on Tuesday, Oct. 8 outside Delta Center and along 300 West between South Temple and 100 South. Ahead of the team’s first regular season matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks at 8 P.M., the event will include hours of fun and free activities with Utah Hockey Club merchandise giveaways and chances for attendees to win tickets to watch that night’s game from inside Delta Center.
“From the day Utah Hockey Club became a reality, Utah has shown up to support and cheer on our team. Today is for the entire community, and we want everyone to be part of this once-in-a-generation, historic moment as we kick off our first-ever NHL season,” said Ryan Smith, chairman of Smith Entertainment Group and governor of Utah Hockey Club. “Whether fans are tuning in from home, experiencing the action inside the arena, or enjoying the hours-long festivities on the Delta Center plaza, October 8 is going to be a day to remember, and we want the entire community to enjoy it. We are so excited for what we have planned to make sure everyone can participate in the energy and excitement of what’s to come.”
FREE AND OPEN-T0-THE-PUBLIC ACTIVITIES ON THE DELTA CENTER PLAZA
*all times are MT
- Smith Entertainment Group (SEG) will kick off the day with a press conference at 12:30 P.M. with remarks from SEG owners Ryan and Ashley Smith and National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman. Fans and media are invited to attend.
- At 2 P.M., ESPN will go live from an open air GameDay-style set with national coverage of the NHL’s Opening Night Tripleheader. ESPN’s studio and pregame show, The Point - with Steve Levy and analysts Mark Messier and P.K. Subban - will host live pregame, intermission, and post-game analysis and programming from Salt Lake City for all three games, which include St. Louis at Seattle (2:30 P.M.), Boston at Florida (5 P.M.) and Chicago at Utah (8 P.M.). Throughout the day, special guests will join the ESPN broadcast for live interviews.
- At 4 P.M., a full series of fan festivities kick-off including live music from DJ Joune and DJ Logik, free games and hockey activities. Exclusive Utah Hockey Club merchandise and apparel will be for sale at multiple locations and several food trucks and a beer garden will also be open for purchases.
- Starting at 5 P.M. Utah Hockey Club players will arrive at the plaza for a special inaugural game day walk in on a Mountain Blue Carpet. Youth hockey players will welcome them as they make their way down the carpet and into the arena for game day preparations.
- At 5:30 P.M., Utah Hockey Club, in partnership with the NHL, will host a free-to-attend Inaugural Game Celebration concert featuring Shaboozey – country music’s hottest rising star who recently won the 2024 People’s Choice Awards for “Best New Artist” and “Best New Artist Song” for his hit "A Bar Song (Tipsy)” – that will take place on the north end of 300 W at S Temple.
- At 6:30 P.M., a special 4-ship formation flyover of F-35A jets is scheduled to be flown by active-duty and reservist fighter pilots from the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings based at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. This flyover will be in support of the inaugural game for the Utah Hockey Club, and the ongoing relationship between the base and the team.
- The outdoor party will shift to a free-to-attend Watch Party once the doors open to ticketed fans, and fun activities will continue through the entirety of Utah’s game against Chicago. Fans outside will watch the inaugural pre-game celebration, puck drop, and the full game on two massive screens staged on each end of 300 W at the corners of South Temple and 100 S.
