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The Grizzlies, a staple of Utah hockey since 1995, are on the cusp of departure following this season. The Elmore Sports Group, which has owned the team since 2005, initiated sale discussions after the passing of founder Dave Elmore in 2023 and amid co-owner Donna Tuttle’s health challenges. Sources indicate a potential buyer group eyeing a move to Trenton NJ, pending ECHL approval and West Valley City approval.
This relocation would end nearly 30 years of Grizzlies hockey at the Maverick Center, which West Valley City also owns. Fans who have packed the arena for the Kelly Cup pursuits and community events now face the end of an era, with memories of past glories, such as the team’s AHL days from 2001 to 2005, fading into the shadow of relocation, marking just another team that once was.
The timing of this move couldn’t be more heartbreaking and confusing. Utah is in the midst of a hockey renaissance fueled by the arrival of the NHL’s Utah Mammoth, who burst onto the scene as an expansion franchise for the 2024-25 season. The Mammoth have ignited statewide passion, drawing sellout crowds at the Delta Center, injecting fresh energy into hockey.
Read More: https://kslsports.com/utah-grizzlies/grizzlies-coach-impending-sale/552844
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#nhl #hockey #utah
41 Comments
From NJ, pretty hyped for a possible return of the Titans. South Jersey is really lacking hockey teams since they left and the AC Boardwalk Bullies. Trenton is prime (minor league) sports territory, they have a great culture especially in the Trenton Thunder, who were the Yankees Double-A for about 30 years. Anyway can’t wait!!
Also, i’m commenting this before I watch the video; but I believe I heard that the Devils/Adirondack Thunder deal expires after this year, so maybe expect a ECHL affiliation if the move happens soon….? 👀
Not to downplay the Mammoth. They are a big deal but it’s deeper than that. One of the biggest non NHL factors in the eventual move was the passing of Kevin Bruder. He was the Pres and GM but he was one of the biggest advocates of hockey in Utah and one of the biggest reasons the minor league team stayed here for over 20 years. He was respected by fans, players, and the league. Without his leadership combined with ownership issues Elmore Sports Group really doesn’t have a choice.
The average attendance for grizzlies has been around the same every season so imo the grizzlies leaving has nothing to do with the mammoth
Utah may reboot the Grizzlies as an AHL team meaning the Tucson Roadrunners will need to relocate as a result. The AHL Grizzlies could of-exist with its NHL affiliate, the Mammoth.
The New Jersey-based minor league team may end up being an AHL team as well meaning the Utica Comets will either relocate or face demotion to the ECHL.
Why nhl is different league
It would be nice to see the Grizzlies move back to Denver. They are the ECHL affiliate of the Avalanche and it would be nice to see them on the front range with the Eagles and Avs. They were here only here their first year in existence, still it was a championship run. Plus, the growth of hockey fandom in Colorado has been tremendous. I fully believe the front range could easily support the Grizzlies.
Im going to have to disagree with you on the Maverik Center being a great venue. Part of the reason why I dont like the Maverik Center is because its located in West Valley City which is a rundown low income city west of Salt Lake City.
I was just at that arena a few weeks ago for a concert. It is great for hockey but does need a renovation for concourses and the like. I think a couple things are true at once: they probably don’t move if the nhl doesn’t come. Also, ticket demand was still healthy for an echl team and even bested some AHL teams. One issue was that they weren’t a mammoth affiliate or owned by the mammoth. To really excel in the market they needed to get on the same page. I hope that in the future we see hockey back in WVC, maybe an AHL team like the knights do. The Jazz have their G-League team the Stars playing there already.
The AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners are moving to Utah. For all intents and purposes, it’s a done deal. I’m sure they’re NOT gonna keep the Roadrunner name and will be the Grizzlies…. Done deal.
Not a surprise. We all speculated about the fate of the Griz from the moment the Coyotes move was announced. I speculated they would move to Tucson, backfilling the Roadrunners, who we assumed would go to Reno. But the Grizzlies have always been an outlier, as they are one of only two teams in the ECHL west of Oklahoma – the other being in Lake Tahoe. ECHL stands for East Coast Hockey League. It wasn't designed to host coast-to-coast franchises on a minor league economic scale. The travel burdens on Western teams are not good. So retrenching the team back to Jersey probably makes sense from that perspective…So the end result is that now Tucson gets screwed. Hockey may be poisoning their own market in Arizona. Out of sight, out of mind…
Nope, getting the Mammoth is not why we are losing the Grizzlies. The people buying the team are based out of New Jersey and they're moving the team there.
Maybe they should’ve just became the major league team in Utah and Arizona could’ve kept their team…. BRING BACK THE COYOTES
Looking forward to a similar story in 2029 from Brodie when the Aviators leave Las Vegas coinciding with the Athletics starting their season in the new stadium. High level minor leagues don’t play in major league markets.
Imagine naming your team the mammoth when you have a really cool name like Grizzlies that you could possibly work with just change the names let the AHL team be the mammoths this is silly.
There is no reason the think the two teams cannot coexist!
Calgary has the Flames, AHL Wranglers, and WJHL Hitmen… then again that’s hockey country
Former Fresno Falcons fan here. We are still mourning the loss of minor league hockey in our area. Lucky for me, I am close enough to Bakersfield to attend Condors games (AHL). Personally, I enjoy the minor league games more than NHL. It is a different environment, for sure.
The Smith Entertainment Group is going go to want to purchase its own AHL or ECHL team in due course.
This video reminded me of the hockey teams that were present in Stockton, the ECHL Thunder and the AHL Heat. I'm just wondering if the powers that be in Stockton would entertain another hockey team coming to town. I believe the Sacramento/Stockton area has some support for hockey. Thank you for your coverage on this.
I have been a Grizzlies fan my whole life. Sure the team has been struggling to win lately but after going to a mammoth game their are key differences. The grizzlies were cheaper, rowdier, and not a bad seat in the house. They even had spent years building a community with toy drives and other cool events. In my heart their is room for both.
Honestly I think many people never gave the grizzlies a chance. However with the mammoth here Hockey is exploding like never before. I just wish we could buy the grizzlies to keep them here. People would eventually realize there are benefits of having teams year and we won't lose our history.
Chicago Wolves and Chicago Blackhawks exists in the same city, so it's possible
I'm not for a city losing their team. But maybe the Utah Grizzlies can move to Little Rock, Arkansas. Yeah i know it won't happen. I just like the way Arkansas Grizzlies sounds. Wherever they relocate to, best of luck to them.
Fort Worth could use a minor league hockey team… (IN Fort Worth. Not NRH.)
Crazy. We love the Grizz here in Utah. Sad if this happens.
It's horrible timing because I can't afford to go see the Utah mammoth I'm not going to pay $2-300 to go to a hockey game when we could see professional hockey with the grizzlies for like $25 a ticket
It would be hilarious if Arizona got the Grizzlies
I attended multiple games for both the Grizz and the Mammoth. The NHL games I used as a date night with my wife, grizz we took the family to for roughly the same cost
Salt Lake had the Salt Lake Golden Eagles from 1969 until 1984. They were in three different leagues over that span including the Western Hockey League, the Central Hockey League and the International Hockey League , none to be confused with similarly named leagues currently in Canada.
Here in Manchester, NH, we've lost 2 minor league hockey teams in recent years. The Manchester Monarchs, AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings and the 2015 winner of the Calder cup moved close to home in California in 2015. To fill that void, the Manchester Monarchs of the ECHL was immediately created after only for them to go financially belly up and cease operations a few years later.☹️
This was expected. Utah isn't big enough for both an NHL and a minor league team, especially when you have an NBA team there too. Grizzlies days were numbered the moment it was announced. Ugh, Trenton New Jersey? Bad move. they'll get relocated again. Fresno, Stockton, or Sacramento could use some Double-A hockey. But thats how you grow hockey. With few exceptions you don't double up NHL and minor league markets. Side note – The should've bought the Grizzlies name and used that for the NHL team. Its a good name, and it preserves some continuity. Also, pretty sure the Mammoth would rather be the only game in town. They should have their AHL team in Phoenix or Tucson.
Why not talk to the Avalanche and see if you can get split ownership situation which I think occurs with other ECHL teams.
For being in the East Coast Hockey League, they're way out west.
Well, Phoenix could use a new professional team. I’m not a big believer in the idea that AZ will get another NHL team anytime soon. Not within the next 10 years at least in my opinion.
MLB made an exception for Las Vegas, they already had a minor league team but they allowed the move to Vegas for the A's. So Vegas will have both minor and MLB baseball. It will be interesting to see if the minor league team in Summerlin is hurt when the A's move. They have had the number 1 attendance in the minors. The ballpark is really nice, if anyone goes to Vegas it actually a great little getaway from the strip. Summerlin also has some really nice places to eat.
Echl hockey is a ton of fun. We are spoiled with the Florida Everblades here in Fort Myers.
Will the Avalanche still be affiliates with the Grizzlies if they move to Jersey?
This is pretty poor reporting. The sale of the team has nothing to do with the Mammoth. The owner of the sporting group died two years ago. Grizzlies attendance actually increased since the Mammoth came to town. The ownership group, besides west valley city, is not located here in Utah. They have no real stake in keeping the team here so selling for top dollar was always going to be the goal. It’s a good thing The Maverick Center is good enough for a AHL team. Will be easy to add a team to the league here in Utah.
I would prefer seeing the Mammoth buying the Grizzles and making them a part of their affiliation development system.
Alter the Grizzles jersey colors to match the Mammoth.
There goes the Tahoe Knight Monsters 🆚 Utah Grizzlies rivalry
THIS WAS AN INEVITABLE RESULT OF THE NHL TO SLC, RIGHT?
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Last time they had a west coast pro hockey team move to the East Coast was the NHL's Colorado Rockies moving to East Rutherford New Jersey that became the New Jersey Devils after the 81-82 NHL season