Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- The Utah Hockey Club's recent victory over the Boston Bruins in Salt Lake City highlighted the strong presence of Bruins fans in Utah, as black and gold jerseys filled the stands.
- Many fans expressed their continued loyalty to the Bruins, despite residing in Utah, with ties to New England remaining strong among the local fanbase.
- As the Utah Hockey Club seeks to build its brand, games against prominent "Original Six" teams like Boston and Chicago are seen as crucial opportunities to attract local support and establish a new fan base.
SALT LAKE CITY — Michael Kesselring noticed all the black and gold Boston sweaters on Saturday night. How could he not? That was the same sweater he once dreamed of donning one day growing up in nearby New Hampshire.
But he would have liked to see less of that famed Bruins logo on Saturday during Utah's 2-1 win.
"Way too many black and gold jerseys in the stands," the Utah Hockey Club defenseman said.
Indeed, when Boston's Cole Koepke scored in the second period, it sounded like the game had suddenly moved to New England.
And it looked that way long before that. Hundreds of Boston fans arrived early and surrounded the glass, so when the teams went out for warmups, they were greeted with a sea of black and gold.
Fans from all over Utah — and the surrounding areas — came to cheer for their beloved hockey team on Saturday; a team that wasn't wearing blue.
James Hermes booked a special trip to Utah for the game. He grew up just outside of Boston and estimated he's been to about 500 games at the TD Garden. He also takes a road trip every year to an away game. When Utah HC was announced as a new team, he started planning a trip to Salt Lake City.
"Beautiful arena," he said before looking around at the numerous Boston fans. "Surprisingly beautiful crowd."
So do Boston fans just travel well?
Certainly seems so. Along with those from the Boston area, there were Bruins supporters from Idaho, Arizona and even Tennessee. But among the dozens of black and gold sweater-wearing fans KSL.com spoke to ahead of the game, most were proudly from Utah.
There was a trio of brothers from Murray and sisters from West Jordan; there were friends from Provo and a family from Ogden; there were Bruins fans from Riverton, Springville, Tooele and Lehi.
Some had natural ties to the New England area. One father grew up in Massachusetts before settling down in Utah many years ago to have a family. He proudly looked at his son seated next to him wearing a black and gold sweater.
"We'll cheer for Utah when they aren't playing Boston," he said.
One couple said they lived outside of Boston before moving to Utah years ago, but said they are keeping their original loyalties.
Others, though, were just true blue lifelong Utahns … or, in this case, true black and gold lifelong Utahns.
"That's my team," said one female fan. "Now, I just don't have to travel as far to see them play."
Added another: "I'm not giving up 30 years of fandom just because a new team moved in."
It's probably not a coincidence the NHL scheduled two Original Six teams for Utah's two first home games, either. The Chicago Blackhawks were an obvious choice for the opener — a big brand and a very winnable game (Utah won 5-2) — and Boston offered up an early-season marquee weekend matchup for a new fan base.
But Saturday revealed that the Utah Hockey Club still has some inroads to make to convert its new home fully. Dyed-in-the-wool hockey fans in the state won't be so quick to jump on the new team's bandwagon … at least not when their original club is in town.
Future games against brand names like the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Blackhawks, and regional rivals Las Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche currently have some of the highest ticket prices for Utah home games. Some of that demand is coming from fans who won't be wearing black and blue.
"It's always great to play against the Original Six," Utah HC head coach André Tourigny said. "So far, we've been really lucky. Four home openers, three Original Six — that's a pretty good gig so far. But I will say, I'll take any game of 82 any day of my life."
Even if sometimes that's against more opposing team fans than he or his team would prefer.
Will it always be like that? Most likely — at least to an extent.
Utah Jazz games against the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors always draw a healthy amount of enemy colors in the stands. But Utah hopes games like Saturday's (a win against an Original Six team) can help grow Utah's brand, both around the county and at home.
"If we want to achieve that we need to take care of business today," Tourigny said. "That's the thing I know, and that's my sole focus. If we take care of business every day, hopefully, that will lead us where we want."
So far, so good. Utah is currently tied for second in the Western Conference and has scored the most goals in its division. That's not the worst bandwagon to jump on.
