Utah Hockey Club Fans Break Out Shoeys In Stellar NHL Debut

Utah Hockey Club made its official debut on Tuesday when Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks rolled into town to open the NHL's newest team's inaugural campaign.

And I've got to hand it to Utah fans because they are in mid-season form and look like they've been cheering on an NHL club for decades.

Utah battled the Blackhawks to a closer-than-it-looks-on-paper 5-2 win and the Delta Center — complete with its view-obstructed seats — was absolutely rocking from the ceremonial puck drop through the end of the game.

A sold-out crowd of 11,131 — which, while the team's home barn, the Delta Center is the smallest in the NHL, that's still more than double the number of people who could fit in Mullett Arena where the Arizona Coyotes spent their final two seasons.

We've got to single out a couple of fans who were so into the game they decided to start doing some shoeys.

Just look at that. I wasn't sure what the beer situation was out in Utah. I was under the impression that they just drank sodas with Pop-Rocks and gummy bears in them. Perhaps these two fellas are out-of-towners, but these are some veterans. 

Those aren't the biggest shoes in the world, and the one dude spilled most of his brewski all over himself, but it's the thought that counts.

Speaking of which, these fans in attendance on Tuesday set a Delta Center record for beer sales.

"We could feel the energy, and we’re just happy we were able to put a game like that in front of them," Dylan Guenther — who scored the team's inaugural goal — said after the game, per Sportsnet.

I think Utah is going to prove to be a tough place to play. The fans are obviously wild, but the way the arena is laid out is kind of strange and can mess with opposing players' sense of where they are on the rink.

Considering games at the Delta Center will be a first for most teams that visit this season, I wouldn't be shocked to see Utah rack up a solid home record.