Jazz owner says NHL would 'thrive' in Salt Lake City

The owner of the NBA's Utah Jazz wants to be in the hockey business.  

Speaking to TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, the 44-year-old billionaire Ryan Smith reiterated his belief that hockey would flourish in his market.

“I think, for a whole host of reasons, we’re not only ready, but hockey would thrive here the same it has in Seattle and also in Vegas,” Smith told LeBrun. “There’s just no question in my mind about that.”

Smith, who is also part owner of Real Salt Lake of the MLS, says it doesn't matter whether hockey comes to Salt Lake City via expansion or relocation. 

“The questions becomes, ‘OK, what’s the process, when is the right time, and how can we help you?'” Smith remarked on where he left things off with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. “Because getting a team, we want the whole league and the partnerships to be successful.

“We believe that our group will help rise all boats. Not only from just coming in, but what we do with it, how we operate it, how we’re seen, how we market it, we think we can help hockey. And that’s why we would go into this. It’s not just investment. We just think we can create a movement and be positive.

“So my conversations with Gary and Bill are just like, ‘We’re here, we’re ready.’ There’s not much debate there. But we also want to be good partners.”

The Jazz currently play in Vivint Arena, which will be renamed the Delta Center in July, and can hold up to 14,000 people for hockey, says Smith. The building opened in 1991 and was renovated in 2017. 

Smith admits that the city may need a new arena sometime in the next 20 years, but says they'll be ready to accommodate a hockey team immediately if the NHL comes calling. 

“From my standpoint, we have a huge opportunity to build something unique," Smith told LeBrun regarding on the possibility of a new arena. "And I think hockey is a big catalyst for that. I think we can create an experience that’s both incredible for the NBA and for hockey."

Smith is the co-founder of Qualtrics - an online survey software company. Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics and are a strong to candidate to host the 2030 or 2034 Games. 

Smith says that fact alongside the popularity of the Jazz is a strong indicator the market is ready for hockey. 

“If you look at all the data, we’re probably one of the best setups for the Winter Olympics that exists,” he said. “Everything is close. We’re the fastest-growing state. We’re the youngest state. You look at our Utah Jazz, we sold out like 240 straight games in the NBA with three different makeups of a team, right?

“The fans, when they go in, they go in. We’re starting to see this massive movement toward in-person sports, and I think it’s definitely on the rise, and I’m really intrigued with hockey.”

Smith also told LeBrun his intention of being a "good partner" with the NHL.

“I know what it’s like to be in a league,” said Smith. “And we want the NHL to want us as well and want Utah, right? I think the NHL knows what we can bring. I don’t think there’s a lot of risk. We’re not coming in and saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to be obnoxious about this or anything else.’ They know where we are. They know who we are. We like each other. And I think we have some support from a lot of the owners who know how we operate.

“I think we can add a lot to the league, not only from a market standpoint, but you know, we’re one of the youngest ownership groups in the NBA. We’re very tech-focused and tech-savvy, and everybody saw that when we hosted the NBA All-Star Game this year. They were blown away.”

The NHL expanded to Las Vegas in 2017 with the Golden Knights and then in Seattle with the Kraken in 2021.