When the Golden Knights first came into the NHL one of their stated goals was to become “the team of the Rockies.” That, of course, included taking the state of Utah and Salt Lake City by storm.
VGK have played multiple preseason games in Salt Lake City as part of the “Frozen Fury” series and are currently scheduled to play another against the LA Kings there before next season.
Now, with the Arizona Coyotes moving to Salt Lake City, it throws the viewing markets in the southwest for a bit of a loop. Previously, the VGK viewing area extended well north of Las Vegas but was limited south due to the existence of the Coyotes, Kings, and Ducks. But with Phoenix now an “inactive” market, Vegas’ head honcho sees room for expansion.
Commissioner Gary Bettman said today that the Phoenix Valley will continue to get Utah games but he did not comment on the Golden Knights.
In the past, many cities without NHL teams have been considered to be in the viewing areas of multiple teams. The same can be said about baseball in which Vegas is in the viewing area of half of MLB it seems.
So, moving forward, expect to see a greater focus from the Golden Knights on Phoenix. The more the fan base grows, the better. It may be nice for the fine people of Arizona to experience some winning hockey too!
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