KEARNS, Utah (AP) — Bill Armstrong stood in the Utah Hockey Club locker room at a temporary practice facility as players came and went from a space that didn't exist not that long ago.
The quick transformation to meet NHL standards is difficult even for the team's general manager to grasp, and it's a testament to the commitment management has made since acquiring the then-Arizona Coyotes in April.
New owners Ryan and Ashley Smith could've scraped something together to get by while a permanent practice facility is being constructed. But even with a tight timeline, they opted to go all-in, even on a building the club probably won't use for even a year.
“It's been as much as I could've asked for as a player,” defenseman Sean Durzi said. “They put up a facility for one season for us — and it's world class — in five months. If that doesn't scream commitment and all-in and everything that they want us to succeed, I don't know what does.”
The temporary facility at the Utah Olympic Oval, where many winter Olympians train, was the most pressing and perhaps most difficult undertaking. It was not, however, the only one as the club raced against time after NHL owners approved the franchise's move on April 18 to get everything ready by the Oct. 8 season opener against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Among the items on the to-do list were an initial renovation of Delta Center, moving players, coaches and front-office personnel from the Phoenix area and breaking ground on a permanent training facility so that it could be completed in time for the 2025-26 season.
Personnel from the NBA's Utah Jazz, also owned by the Smiths, assisted in those efforts. Jazz business relationships in the Salt Lake City area also eased the transition.
The temporary facility was the most urgent priority because players spend far more time there than at the arena. Having the Utah Olympic Oval also helped because much of what was needed was already in place.
But not everything. The locker room, coaches' offices, video room and players lounge needed to be created.
“We don't have the space at the Oval that we're going to have at a permanent facility,” said Jazz President Jim Olson, who also heads facility projects for Smith Entertainment Group. “So we had to tighten up the spaces. It was important to us that it just wasn't a makeshift facility, but the players could really feel good there and feel like it gave them what they needed to be able to achieve what their goals are, and that's to be a great hockey team.”
Any hockey team, a great one or not, needs an acceptable place to play, and Delta Center wasn't NHL-ready when the Coyotes were purchased. The 33-year-old arena was built for the Jazz, undergoing a $125 million renovation in 2017.
To get the building prepared for the season opener, locker rooms, coaches' offices and an area for the training staff were needed. Olson said it was important that players have a direct pathway to the ice, especially crucial when an injury occurs so the athlete can quickly return to the locker room.
The broadcast team, game operations and media also needed working areas.
And the fans needed to be able to watch the game without obstructions — at least most nights. Capacity for this season is 11,131, with seats with obstructed views added for select games. Future arena renovations will add to the capacity and what officials hope is an improved game experience.
“To get the sightlines where we need, it'll be a significant renovation of the entire bowl — upper bowl, lower bowl, everything,” Olson said. “Because it's taking all of our efforts to get ready for this season, we've only looked at that at a very high level. But after we know everything's working well this year, we'll start more of our focus on the future.”
The present, though, beats the past two seasons when the Coyotes played at Arizona State University's arena as they hoped to secure funding for their own building in the Phoenix area.
“It was extremely tough in the sense that the player, his whole life growing up plays in small arenas trying to get into a big arena,” Armstrong said. "That's the defining moment for him, and we didn't have that available for him. I think the hard part was where we were, the fans from the opposing teams would buy up all the tickets.
“Now in saying that, I do think it made them tougher. I do think when the fans in Utah come out to cheer for us, we will appreciate them more.”
The organization also had to orchestrate the move of the team itself, including executives, coaches and players.
Forward Clayton Keller, who led the team with 78 points last season, played his entire career in Arizona, beginning with three games in the 2016-17 season before becoming a full-time player the following year.
He said the club employed a moving company to assist the players as they got ready to make the move northward.
“It was," Keller said, "a nice, easy transition.”
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
Mark Anderson, The Associated Press