Tuesday, October 8, 2024

 My first NHL Prediction...

Pacific Division

1. Edmonton Oilers
2. Vancouver Canucks
3. Los Angeles Kings
4. Vegas Golden Knights
5. Seattle Kraken
6. San Jose Sharks
7. Anaheim Ducks
8. Calgary Flames

Team most likely to surprise: San Jose
Team most likely to disappoint: Vegas

Central Division

1. Dallas Stars
2. Nashville Predators
3. Colorado Avalanche
4. Utah Hockey Club
5. Winnipeg Jets
6. Minnesota Wild
7. Chicago Blackhawks
8. St. Louis Blues

Team most likely to surprise: Utah
Team most likely to disappoint: Colorado

Atlantic Division

1. Boston Bruins
2. Florida Panthers
3. Toronto Maple Leafs
4. Tampa Bay Lightning
5. Montreal Canadiens
6. Buffalo Sabers
7. Detroit Red Wings
8. Ottawa Senators

Team most likely to surprise: Montreal
Team most likely to disappoint: Florida

Metropolitan Division

1. New York Rangers
2. Carolina Hurricanes
3. Washington Capitals
4. New York Islanders
5. Columbus Blue Jackets
6. New Jersey Devils
7. Philadelphia Flyers
8. Pittsburgh Penguins

Team most likely to surprise: Washington
Team most likely to disappoint: Islanders

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

US Cities by Number of Major Sports Teams

Cities that have multiple franchises in at least one league (Except for Major League Soccer)

1. New York, New York
NFL Giants and Jets
NBA Knicks and Nets
NHL Rangers, Islanders and Devils
MLB Yankees and Mets
(Also home to MLS Red Bulls and NYFC)
CSA: 21.86 Million

2. Los Angeles, California
NFL Rams and Chargers
NBA Lakers and Clippers
NHL Kings and Ducks
MLB Dodgers and Angels
(Also home to MLS Galaxy and LAFC)
CSA: 18.32 Million

3. Washington, DC
NFL Commanders and (Baltimore) Ravens
MLB Nationals and (Baltimore) Orioles
NBA Wizards
NHL Capitals
(Also home to MLS DC United)
CSA 10.07 Million

4. Chicago, Illinois
NFL Bears
NBA Bulls
MLB Cubs and White Sox
NHL Blackhawks
(Also home to MLS Fire)
CSA: 9.74 Million

5. San Francisco, California
(Through 2024)
NFL 49ers
MLB Giants and Athletics
NBA Warriors
NHL Sharks
(Also home to MLS Earthquakes)
CSA: 9.0 Million

Cities with at one franchise in each of the four major sports

1. Dallas, Texas
NFL Cowboys
NBA Mavericks
NHL Stars
MLB Rangers
(Also home of MLS FC Dallas)
CSA: 8.65 Million

2. Boston, Massachusetts
NFL Patriots
NBA Celtics
NHL Bruins
MLB Red Sox
(Also home to MLS Revolution)
CSA: 8.35 Million

3. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
NFL Eagles
NBA 76ers
NHL Flyers
MLB Phillies
(Also home to MLS Philadelphia Union)
CSA: 7.39 Million

4. Miami, Florida
NFL Dolphins
NBA Heat
NHL Panthers
MLB Marlins
(Also home to MLS InterMiami CF)
CSA: 7.01 Million

5. Detroit, Michigan
NFL Lions
NBA Pistons
NHL RedWings
MLB Tigers
CSA: 5.36 Million

6. Minneapolis, Minnesota
NFL Vikings
NBA Timberwolves
NHL Wild
MLB Twins
(Also home to MLS Minnesota United FC)
CSA: 4.10 Million

7. Denver, Colorado
NFL Broncos
NBA Nuggets
MLB Rockies
NHL Avalanche
(Also home to MLS Rapids)
CSA: 3.69 Million

Cities with three of the four major sports

1. Houston, Texas
NFL Texans
NBA Rockets
MLB Astros
(Also home to MLS Dynamo)
CSA: 7.70 Million

2. Atlanta, Georgia
NFL Falcons
NBA Hawks
MLB Braves
(Also home to MLS Atlanta United)
CSA: 7.22 Million

3. Phoenix, Arizona
NFL Cardinals
NBA Suns
MLB Diamondbacks
CSA: 5.12 Million
Note: NHL Coyotes are inactive

4. Seattle, Washington
NFL Seahawks
NHL Kracken
MLB Mariners
(Also home to MLS Sounders)
CSA: 4.99 Million

5. Cleveland, Ohio
NFL Browns
NBA Caveliers
MLB Guardians
CSA: 3.73 Million

6. Tampa, Florida
NFL Buccaneers
NHL Lightning
MLB Rays
MSA: 3.17 Million

7. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
NFL Steelers
NHL Penguins
MLB Pirates
CSA: 2.73 Million

Cities with two major sports franchises

1. Charlotte, North Carolina
NFL Panthers
NBA Hornets
(Also Home to MLS Charlotte FC)
CSA: 3.39 Million

2. St. Louis, Missouri
MLB Cardinals
NHL Blues
(Also home to MLS St. Louis City)
CSA: 2.9 Million

3. Salt Lake City, Utah
NBA Jazz
NHL (Yet to be named)
(Also home to MLS Real Salt Lake)
CSA: 2.80 Million

(Sacramento California)
NBA Kings
MLB Athletics (2025-2027)
CSA: 2.71 Million

4. Indianapolis, Indiana
NFL Colts
NBA Pacers
CSA Population: 2.65 Million

5. Kansas City, Missouri (and Kansas)
NFL Chiefs
MLB Royals
(Also home to MLS Sporting KC)
CSA: 2.56 Million

6. Las Vegas, Nevada
(Until 2028)
NHL Golden Knights
NFL Raiders
CSA: 2.39 Million

7. Nashville, Tennessee
NFL Titans
NHL Predators
(Also home to MLS Nashville SC)
CSA: 2.35 Million

8. Cincinnati, Ohio
NFL Bengals
MLB Reds
(Also home to MLS FC Cincinnati)
CSA: 2.31 Million

9. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
NBA Bucks
MLB Brewers
CSA: 2.04 Million

10. New Orleans, Louisiana
NFL Saints
NBA Pelicans
CSA: 1.34 Million

11. Buffalo, New York
NFL Bills
NHL Sabers
CSA: 1.23 Million

Note:
Baltimore, MD
MLB Orioles
NFL Ravens
Part of the Washington, DC CSA

Cities with one major sports team

1. Orlando, Florida
NBA Magic
(Also home to Orlando City SC)
CSA:  4.50 Million

2. San Diego, California
MLB Padres
(Also home to MLS San Diego SC) 
MSA: 3.28 Million

3. San Antonio, Texas
NBA Spurs
CSA: 2.79 Million

4. Columbus, Ohio
NHL Blue Jackets
(Also home to MLS Crew)
CSA: 2.65 Million

5. Raleigh, North Carolina
NHL Hurricanes
CSA: 2.37 Million

6. Jacksonville, Florida
NFL Jaguars
CSA: 1.85 Million

7. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
NBA Thunder
CSA: 1.55 Million

8. Memphis, Tennessee
NBA Grizzlies
CSA: 1.55 Million

Cities with only a Major League Soccer Team

1. Austin, Texas
MSA: 2.47 Million

Monday, March 4, 2024

Jazz/NHL Area Plan is Fluid

 After reading this article form Building Salt Lake, who have talked to people familiar with the negotiations have come up with a description of the plan.  Let me emphasize, this is fluid, and we are still early in the process.  I would not expect things to begin to solidify until after the summer is over.  There are a lot of stake holders in the area affected, but the main player are: Smith Entertainment Group who own the Utah Jazz and the current Delta Center, Salt Lake County, who owns the Salt Palace Convention Center, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City and Utah Symphony/Utah Opera.



At the site of the current Delta Center
A. Extension to the Salt Palace Convention Center
B. Possibly a location for a new Symphony Hall and/or opera house.  About 300% larger than the footprint of the current hall.
C. Bridge over 300 W.

At the block east of the current Delta Center
D. New Multi-Story Convention Center Wing
E. Revitalized and enlarged Japanese Garden
F. Bridge over 200 W.  (Largely unchanged)

At the next block east,
G.  The site of the new sports arena.  Likely, there will be some convention center facilities here to connect the south portion and the west portion.
H.  100 South between West Temple and 200 West restored.
I.  A connection from the Salt Palace South Convention Center to the sports arena.
K.  Promenade over West Temple from The City Creek Center.  This is the view from the rendering shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Ryan Smith.  In that X post, the building to the left of the promenade is the Marriott Hotel.  The Building to the Right is Nordstom.  (Or a new building to replace Nordstrom.)  This could be built over the garage, ballroom and lobby area of the hotel.  This could also be a redesign of the entire west portion of City Creek Center.
L. Site of Marriot Hotel downtown.  One of 4 Marriott's in Salt Lake City.  3 are downtown, the other is in the University of Utah Research Park.  This one is the oldest.  Was built in the late '70s.

The block to the south
J. The exhibit halls at the South End of the Salt Palace remain.

You have been told that the project was to give Ryan Smith a shiny new home.  That is only part of the truth.  The purpose of the project is to revitalize the downtown area of Salt Lake City and keep it fresh. This concept is a little over 50 acres. Here are the problems that downtown is having at the moment that this project is meant to solve.

1. The Delta Center is a good basketball arena.  It could host the Jazz for another 10 years or even longer.  But it does not convert to hockey or other sports well.  The acoustics are terrible.  Musicians who perform there complain.  Fans complain.  Anyone who is there for a purpose other than basketball complains.

2. The Salt Palace is undersized compared to other cities..  It is less than half the size of Denver Convention Center and a fifth the size of the Las Vegas Convention Center.  It is smaller than Phoenix, Portland and Seattle.

3. The City Creek Center and Gateway Plaza have become victims of the retail apocalypses.  The gateway has seen more store closures than City Creek by far.

4. From the musicians perspective, Abravanel Hall is a little too dead.  It is clearly built for the audience, with can make playing in an ensemble a little difficult.  Here is an article on what the hall is like for a musician.  Perhaps something better is in order.  From the audience perspective, its a great place to catch a concert.  As an audience member I see no reason to replace it.  But I would love a place that could attract more world-class musicians.  I'm not saying musicians hate it.  I don't know of one that does.  But I get the impression, they don't love it either.  This could end up as the more controversial part of the plan.

Again, this situation is fluid. I feel that the Symphony will be cast as the victim. I can see that side of the story. They will need a temporary place to rehearse and play, while the Jazz and the NHL will get to remain in the Delta Center.  I have played in a couple of community orchestras myself and understand the problem.  I know what it is like to be shifted from one rehearsal hall to another.  There are four theaters in the vicinity of Temple Square that can be used for concert halls.  But can they practice there?  You can use the Eccles Theater and Rose Wagner Theater as well, but not to interfere with other events at these locations.  But they will need a permanent place to rehearse.  From an arts perspective, it would be nice to have a dedicated Opera House.  It would also be a great place for non-opera events.

Overall benefits of this plan:

1. Traffic flow downtown will improve with 100 South being open all the way through
2. A larger convention center with the ability to host multiple conventions
3. More events downtown.  Every single Friday and Saturday night should have something happening, even during the summer.
4. A more balanced symphonic experience.  One where both the musicians and the audience have a pleasant event.

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

The Rendering is In...and I wasn't that far off

The rendering is in, and this is it...



But we are left to guess what the plan will be.  This is my guess, and this looks like a Billion Dollar project.

Below is my guess on what the plan is...


Phase 1: September 2024 to September 2027
-Close the parking lot, begin construction on the arena.  
-Take steps to protect Japan-town, the Japanese garden and the Japanese Church of Christ
-Close and demolish the Radisson Hotel
-Close and demolish the Fidelity field office
-Close and demolish the west wing of the Salt Palace (West of 200 W.) while preserving the rest of the facility
-Begin construction on the south plaza and the pedestrian bridge

Phase 2: Late 2034-and beyond
-Close and demolish the original Delta Center
-Build a tunnel under or bridge over 300 West
-Build a 

Monday, February 26, 2024

The Plan for an NHL Hockey Arena in Utah

The day has come, the Jazz days in the Delta Center are numbered,  We'll see the Jazz at 100 South John Stockton drive for a few more years.  But those days will end.  Probably soon.  The desire to keep the Jazz downtown instead of moving them to Draper have come to a head.  Ryan Smith floated something about building a NHL arena at the old prison site, rumors floated that the Jazz would go with them. Mayor Erin Mendenhall said, "we ain't gonna have none of that." And suddenly, the state will allocate 1 billion taxpayer dollars to build a new arena downtown.

What is wrong with the Delta Center?  Well, two things.  First, its old.  It is the 3rd oldest in use in the NBA behind Madison Square Garden and the Target Center in Minneapolis.  The second reason is that the Delta Center is a basketball first arena that doesn't convert well to other events.  For Hockey, the sightlines are not good, especially in the upper bowl.  With the current configuration, about 4,000 seats are lost when converting from basketball to hockey.  For concerts, the acoustics are terrible.  Some acts, like the Eagles, figure it out, others do not.

The NHL appears destined to have a Salt Lake City franchise sooner or later.  Sooner, if the Arizona Coyotes can't work out their arena issues.  Later if they do.  It will happen, but they could play in Draper as Ryan Smith could build a new arena at the old prison site without state help.  The bill working its way through the legislature is not really about keeping the Jazz in Utah or attracting an NHL team to the Wasatch front.  It's about keeping the Jazz downtown.  Many in the state feel that this is where they belong.

One might ask, how does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints feel about the issue.  As you now, right now the Salt Lake Temple and Temple square are in year 5 of a 7-year refurbishment.  They have said publicly on many occasions, that it is important to them that the area around the temple is clean and presentable.  Sure, Temple Square should be a shelter from the outside world, but the world near the temple should be, for lack of a better term, worthy.  They spent a lot of money to turn Crossroads Mall and the ZCMI center into the City Creek Center.  They would probably support a move to refurbish other areas downtown.  That parking lot kitty-corner to the current arena, they own that.  They would likely sell it to improve the area.  

Should you have NBA Basketball and NHL Hockey in the same venue? If you have basketball and hockey in the same arena, it needs to be done right.  If you build the arena to favor one sport, it tends to lessen the experience for the other.  There are some arenas, however, that do both right.  Madison Square Garden in New York, the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and The American Airlines Center in Dallas are the only ones that appear in rankings near the top half for basketball and hockey.  The TD Garden in Boston and the Scotia Bank arena in Toronto are considered good basketball arenas, but so-so hockey venues.  Little Caesar's Arena in Detroit and Washington's Capital One arena are good Hockey venues that don't do basketball well.  While Denver's Ball Arena doesn't do either well.

Not every city that has both NBA Basketball and NHL Hockey play in the same arena.  Having two arenas can be a good, albeit more expensive option.  I can't find, however, where the two arenas are within blocks of each other.  Usually, they are miles apart.  The Timberwolves play in downtown Minneapolis, the Wild play in downtown St. Paul.  There are none that are even in the same city.  You could keep the Jazz downtown and allow Hockey to build in Draper.  I would support it as long as Ryan Smith does not ask for help with both.  We will only build one venue for you, man.

About the tax question.  They plan to increase the sales tax in Salt Lake City by .5%.  If you pay $10 for you hamburger, it will cost you an extra nickel to see the Jazz stay downtown.  It that too high of a price to pay?  Well, for some, any price is too high a price to pay.  It will likely be signed by the Governor and passed by the Salt Lake City council.  However, there are questions about what it could mean for neighborhoods like Poplar Grove.  Which would also be my concern.  (I will not address that in this blog post, but it is coming.)

What happens to the current Delta Center?  It will likely remain in tact until after the 2034 Olympics, should Salt Lake be chosen.  What happens afterwards depends on what option for the new arena is chosen.  There is one options where what we know right now could go sooner, but  I will discuss that below.  That does not mean it will meet the wrecking ball, per se, but it appears that come 2035, that portion of the Salt Lake Skyline will be gone.

Here are some options that are being considered for the multi-billion dollar project.  This my ranking from worst to best.

Option 3: Wreck the west wing of the Salt Palace Convention center for the new arena.  This could be take some architectural gymnastics as you need to leave Japanstreet in tact.  Out of the 10 acre block, you would only have 7 acres or so to work with.  It could be done, I think the current arena has a footprint of only 7 acres, while the other three acres are used for statues and other things.

But I think that this block, instead, could be used a a junction between the Convention part of the Salt Place and the entertainment part.  Perhaps a smaller, around 8,000 seat theater could be put here for smaller concerts, graduations, devotionals, etc.  Rather than just one hotel on this block, perhaps two or three.  I'm thinking of something similar to McCormick Place in Chicago would work here.  I don't think this is a viable option to build an arena here.

Option 2: Rebuild the Delta Center on the same site.

I thought this wouldn't be an option if the Coyotes are moved here, but using the Maverick Center in West Valley would be needed whether or not Arizona comes here.  When I say rebuild, I think of something like the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.  This would leave the outside pretty much as it is, but to redo the configuration on the inside.  This would probably lead to a lot of dust, but the end result could be awesome.  

In order for this to happen, the Jazz would need to move to temporary quarters for 2-3 years.  Of course, the Huntsman Center would be the obvious choice, but it may not be viable.  The Maverick Center could also work, but it is about half the size.  Other options would be a little way out of the city.  Like Ogden or Orem.  These are not really good options.  This option is possible, but not as realistic.  

Option 1: Build the new arena in the parking lot kitty-corner to the current.

This is the better option.  You have 10 acres to deal with.  While the Delta Center was good for the early 90s, but this time, they would need to make better use of the lot.  Perhaps one corner could have a hotel, bar, restaurant, etc that is always open.  There seems to be one corner of the current arena lot that isn't used, even during games.

I have confirmed that the land the parking lot is on is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  It was part of the Triad Center deal.  Outside of arena events and General conference, it isn't use a lot.  Even less since the COVID-19 pandemic.  There are plenty of other parking lots within the UTA Free Fare Zone  Plus, a ticket on Trax is usually less than parking.  This lot could be sacrificed.

After the 2034 Winter Games, the current Delta Center could then become Church property for the expansion of Ensign College, or whatever is needed at the time.  It could also be sold to Salt Lake City to be a Salt Palace expansion, or serve as a hotel/convention extension similar to what the Hyatt Regency does at the other end.

Finally, I think that the NBA and NHL should share an arena.  The NBA only plays 41 home games a year.  Yes, there are concerts, Disney on Ice and other events there, but that might add another 20 nights of events in the City.  The NHL would bring downtown another 41 home games.  You can run a bar or restaurant when you have big crowds for only 60 nights a year.  That is only 16 percent of the time.  You have to have business on other nights as well.  If the NHL and the Jazz share the arena, you push a busy downtown to over 100 nights per year.  Plus, some of the big concert tours passing up SLC may come here.  Now you are talking business.  It makes sense to do it this way.

You also have to not have an arena by itself, you need to build hotels, provide spaces for restaurants, bars and other things that fans of the game will want to do before and after the game.  It all needs to be within walking distance, or staggering distance if you have had one too many.  Although I am not normally one to use taxpayer funds to finance a billionaires dream, this could help keep downtown vital.  If not done, Draper will get the fun.

Arenas that host both the NBA and NHL:

Considered good for both sports:
1. Madison Square Garden: New York Knicks and New York Rangers
2. Crypto.com Arena: Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers (Until 2024-'25) season and Los Angeles Kings
3. American Airlines Center: Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Star

Considered good basketball arenas but not good hockey arenas:

1. United Center: Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks
2. TD Garden: Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins
3. Scotia Bank Arena: Toronto Raptors and Toronto Maple Leafs

Considered good hockey arenas but lesser for basketball:

1. Capitol One Arena: Washington Wizards and Washington Capitols
2. Little Caesar's Arena: Detroit Pistons and Detroit Red Wings

Multi-purpose arenas that are not considered good for either basketball or hockey

1. Ball Arena: Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche
2. Wells Fargo Center: Philadelphia 76ers and Philadelphia Flyers
(Note: Replacement in the planning stages.)

Cities that have both an NBA and NHL franchise, but they do not share a venue

1. Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota (Timberwolves play at Target Center in Minneapolis, Wild play at the XCel Energy Center in St. Paul)
2. Phoenix, Arizona (Suns play at the Talking Stick Arena in Phoenix, Coyotes play at the Mullet Arena in Tempe)
3. Miami, Florida (Heat play at Kaseya Center in Miami, Panthers play at Amarant Bank arena in Fort Lauderdale.)
4. Long Island, New York (Brooklyn Nets play at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn, New York Islanders play at the UBS Arena in Elmont) 
5. San Francisco/San Jose, California  (Golden State Warriors play at the Chase Center in San Francisco, San Jose Sharks play at the SAP Center in San Jose)

Potential NBA Expansion Cities and their plans

Likely Expansion cities
1. The New Seattle Supersonics plan to share Climate Pledge Arena with the Kraken
2. The not yet named Las Vegas Expansion team will build their own arena but may share T-Mobile arena with the Golden Knights or the Thomas and Mack Center with UNLV to start out with

Potential NHL Expansion Cities and their plans

1. Salt Lake City: Will share the Delta Center with the Jazz temporarily.  Will likely share a new, permanent arena in the future.
2. Houston: Plan to share the Toyota Center with the Rockets
3. Atlanta: Plan to build a new arena in Suburban Atlanta and will not share State Farm Arena with the Hawks
4. Quebec City: Does not have an NBA franchise

Others:

1. 2nd Toronto Franchise: Unsure about plans
2. Portland: Would likely share the Moda Center with the Trail Blazers.  
3. Cincinnati: Would need a new arena.
4. Omaha: Would need a new arena.

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

We want the A's in Utah, but I have conditions

 


These billboards have appeared all over the Salt Lake Valley, and everywhere between Nephi and Tremonton.  (And between Coalville and Grantsville).  I want to clarify my feelings on this.  These opinions are my own.

If the A's stop in Salt Lake for 3 seasons while waiting for a permanent home in Las Vegas as a tryout to see if we can support a permanent team.  I am supportive of that.  For the last 10 years, I have been an advocate for the homeless.  I would be a hypocrite if I said otherwise.  But what I am not supportive of is a John Fisher team making Utah a permanent home should the efforts to move to Las Vegas fail.

We have a group here in Utah that knows something about how to run a Major League Franchise, the Miller Family.  They had the Utah Jazz for 36 years.  This team missed the playoff 8 times.  That is 78% of the time, they were in the post-season. They made the NBA finals twice.  The team kept two future Hall of Fame players, two Olympians, on the team for most, if not all of their careers.  Until sometime in the first decade of the 21st Century, the Utah Jazz played in the smallest media market in all of North American Sports outside of Green Bay.  Sometime between the dot com crash, the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and the Housing Crash, Utah began to pass the other small markets, and is now approaching 3 million.  There are many reason why the National Hockey league is considering Salt Lake City for expansion.

But there is one warning for John Fisher if the A's end up here on a permanent basis.  You have to try to win.  If you aren't going to do that, then sell.  You will here the same refrain in Utah that you heard in Oakland, and are beginning to hear in Las Vegas.  Try harder to win.

Thursday, February 1, 2024

Comprehensive List of Suggested Nicknames for the Utah NHL team

The National Hockey League may come to Utah as soon as the 2024-25 season.  But it will be soon.  I have perused the internet and social media and found what other people said should be names for the Salt Lake hockey team.  I will update this as I find others.  Here is the list.

Former/current Hockey Team Names in Utah:

Salt Lake Golden Eagles
Salt Lake/Utah Grizzlies

Native American Words:

Utah Kwana (Ute word for Eagle)
Utah Quchu (Shoshoni word for Bison)

Animals:

Salt Lake Scorpions (There are scorpions in Northern Utah.  This is my choice.)
Salt Lake Bison
Salt Lake Sidewinders
Utah Hawks
Utah Bighorn
Utah Yellow Jackets
Utah Hornets
Utah Mustangs (Either the horse or the airplane)
Salt Lake Sockeye (Alliteration, but sockeyes don’t make it to Utah. Rainbow Trout are Steelheads that never make it to saltwater.  Steelheads are taken by a hockey team in Boise)
Utah Cutthroat (Type of Trout, perhaps a little too violent, even for hockey.)
Utah Caribou (Not native to Utah, but works.)
Utah Elk
Salt Lake Stingers

People:

Utah Pioneers
Utah Copperheads (Copper miners, but could also be the snake)

Military:

Salt Lake Thunderbirds (After the Air Force Thunderbirds)
Utah Leathernecks (Nickname for Marines)
Utah Vipers (For the F-16, there are no reptile vipers in Utah.  This is the one the wife likes.)
Utah Warthogs (A-10 Warthogs)
Utah Talons (T-39, the main training aircraft)

Other Myths:


Utah Yeti
Salt Lake Sasquatch


Dinosaurs:


Utah Raptors (There is a dino called the Utah Raptor)


Weather:


Utah Blizzard