Tuesday, Oct. 8 will forever go down in NHL history as the Utah Hockey Club played and won their first game against the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2. It was a massive celebration of the arrival of the sport with the crowd the loudest they can be. Utah begins its first season in the league with a win. There were a lot of big moments in their first game. Here are some takeaways from Tuesday evening’s victory.
Dylan Guenther Makes History
Almost five minutes into this game, Utah’s second line broke into the Blackhawks’ zone. Michael Kesselring passed it to Dylan Guenther who used his lethal slapshot to get the puck past Petr Mrazek. Delta Center exploded as Guenther’s teammates surrounded him, celebrating the first goal in Utah Hockey Club history.
Kesselring and Logan Cooley received assists on the historic goal. It was also the first NHL goal scored in the Delta Center.
Guenther wasn’t done yet. With the score 3-2 and Mrazek pulled, the Edmonton native managed to grab the puck behind the Utah net and wrapped it in to score his second of the game.
Guenther is well known for his shot but he’s an all-around great player. Head coach Andre Tourigny sees that and knows he brings more to the team than just goals.
I think he’s a hell of a player,” Tourigny said. “He scores goals. That’s almost what I don’t like because people see him as just a goal scorer. He’s way more than that. He passes the puck well, he defends well, he works hard, he has a good forecheck, he has a great stick, he’s good on the PK. He does way more than shooting. I mean, that said, it’s not a bad thing to have that skill, to shoot the puck that way. But he’s way more than just a shooter.”
Clayton Keller, who was named captain of the team before the season began, predicted Guenther as the first goal scorer in Utah history. Keller has played with Guenther for the past couple of seasons and knows he’s a big part of the culture and future Utah is building.
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“I’ve said it from day one,” Keller said. “He’s a special player. He works super hard. He’s so talented and he’s a guy I’ve loved playing with the last year and a half or so. He’s going to be a huge part of our team, and he’s produced a couple of goals tonight.”
For Guenther, the play that landed him the goal was all about speed. Kesselring and Cooley are some of the fastest players on the team and are able to keep up with the speedy Guenther.
“We just came up with a lot of speed, and Kess (Kesselring) jumped up in the play nicely,” Guenther said. “I was calling for it, and he made a nice pass, and early in the game, just trying to get pucks on that, get pucks through, and it ended up going in.”
Who else but Guenther to score Utah’s first goal in NHL history? The forward signed a long-term contract over the offseason and is one of the core pieces for this Utah team. Last season, while only playing half of it with the Arizona Coyotes, he had 35 points in 45 games. Now, projected to play all 82 games with Utah, he’ll look to have a big season. His wrist shot is capable of terrorizing teams and Tuesday’s game showed what could be a regular occurrence this season.
Delta Center Could Be the Loudest NHL Arena
Salt Lake City could secretly have the loudest arena in the league now. The atmosphere was incredible and electric. Every first game in a franchise’s history is expected to be energetic but nothing could match the energy the fans brought on Tuesday.
“Even during the summertime when you’re watching playoff games, you see how crazy the fans are,” Cooley said. “You kind of felt that same energy during the last minute of the game. To see all the towels going, it’s pretty special to be a part of.”
Connor Ingram witnessed it all from the net in Utah’s zone. While he isn’t one for massive attention, he appreciated the support that his new fans brought to the Delta Center.
“It’s awesome,” Ingram said. “I mean, you got how many? 15-16,000 jumping up. Again, not much more you can ask for.”
When the team came to Utah in April, Tourigny called it one of the best days of his NHL career. Now, flashforward to the end of their first game, he’s excited to look back and say he was a part of something special. However, he’s more excited for everything to get back to normal.
“It’s special when you have a new franchise, you play the first game, and you have all the atmosphere around and all of it,” Tourigny said. “So I think it was just a special day, and we’ll remember that forever. But at the same time, like I said, I love my job. I love to be in the groove with the team and to grind together to get better every day. That’s what I love about my job. So I’m looking forward to that, let’s say normalcy or something like that.”
Utah sold out its game with 16,020 fans attending the historic event. That number includes the obstructed seats. It seems like every time Utah did something, no matter if it was a fight or a goal or even a small check, the fans roared chants and appraisal. It seems like Utahns have already adopted the team to their home.
Utah Goes Down in History Books
With the 5-2 win, Utah became the eighth NHL expansion team to win its inaugural game. It’s history as the team starts its history and season off with a win.
“All of this is history,” Keller said. “It’s only gonna happen once, so you try to soak it all in. I think we all had nerves. That’s a good thing. You want nerves before the first game of the season.”
The more important part, however, is starting the season 1-0-0. It brings a good vibe to the locker room and it’s a big two points in the league. At the end of the season, two points could be the deal breaker for making it or not making it into the playoffs.
“It’s huge,” Ingram said. “In the NHL, anytime you pick up two points, whether it’s the first game of the year or the last game of the year, you’re going to take it.”
Utah begins its inaugural season with a win in the books. While they won’t return to the Delta Center until Oct. 19, everyone will carry the win into their upcoming eastern seaboard swing where they play some of the hardest teams in the league. For now, though, they’ll celebrate the win for a second and focus on the next test.
“Every team wants to get off to a good start,” Keller said. “This is the best league in the world, and you can’t take nights off. It’s great to get the win and now we turn the page and focus on the next game. You got to have a short memory in this league, so we’ll just be focused on that.”
Utah will play their next game on the road against the New York Islanders on Thursday, Oct. 10. The Islanders have yet to play a game this season but they’re no lightweight team, making the playoffs last season.
