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Emily Kaplan, ESPNJan 26, 2024, 07:15 AM ET
CloseEmily Kaplan is ESPN’s national NHL reporter.
The NHL in Utah is starting to feel inevitable. That was the sense around the league this week when Ryan Smith publicly released a letter to the NHL formally requesting a team.
As one NHL owner told me, “Entry to the NHL is a calculated process which [commissioner] Gary [Bettman] likes control over.” Bettman and Smith have struck up a relationship over the past several years. When I asked the team owner what Smith’s letter meant, he said: “It’s clear this is someone that Gary trusts and is interested in doing business with.”
I talked to Smith this week, and his passion and energy is undeniable. His pitch to the NHL is simple: His ownership group wants to give more than they take, folding into the sport’s mantra of growing the game. Salt Lake City is an emerging, vibrant market. And Smith will bring a fresh perspective, specifically focusing on innovation.
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“I’m still active in the tech world. I’m in my early 40s,” Smith said. “Tech is what’s creating a lot of this in Utah. How we can help from a technology standpoint and bringing communities together, it’s really working. That’s a big piece of this. I’m still very involved in Qualtrics, the company I started. I just announced an incubator. Sports and tech, there’s a lot of commonality on how all of this works. I think it’s super helpful to have active tech folks in the conversations that are helping it drive.”
Most notably: Smith said his ownership group (which owns the Utah Jazz and MLS Real Salt Lake City) could host a team as soon as next season at the Delta Center, which has already hosted some NHL exhibition games. That’s significant as the Arizona Coyotes arena situation is coming to a head. Sources from the NHL and NHLPA have told me the Coyotes need to provide firm answers soon, or the league will lose patience — which it has already exercised a ton of.
Smith said he didn’t care if he inherits a…
Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/39385300/nhl-utah-trade-rumblings-jack-eichel-health-update
Author : Emily Kaplan
Publish date : 2024-01-26 12:23:53
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