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"Little bit of a Seattle vibe" - Analyst Jamie McLennan believes Utah Hockey Club could surprise the league with Kraken-like inaugural season
TSN analyst Jamie McLennan is optimistic about the Utah Hockey Club. He thinks the expansion team could have a season like the Seattle Kraken's second year.
Utah has started strong, winning three of its five games. Their wins include a close 6-5 victory over the Rangers, a 5-4 win against the Islanders, and a solid 5-2 win against the Blackhawks.
McLennan pointed out that Utah's current performance is similar to Seattle's early days. (Start at 10:00)
“They got a little bit of a Seattle vibe from a couple years ago where they just a really balanced team,” he said.
Jamie McLennan also mentioned that Utah focuses on teamwork and effective systems.
“I watched them the other day. I'm like, this team has this, like, when you watch Seattle, it's like, a couple years ago, Seattle just had this team that played together and systematically, and they get good goaltending."
"It kind of was, like a perfect mix of things right now, and I'm just saying right now, from what I've seen, and I've watched Utah play twice now, they got a little bit of Seattle vibe from a couple years ago," McLennan said.
The Kraken's journey is a good reference for McLennan's thoughts on the Utah Hockey Team. In its second season in existence, Seattle faced the Colorado Avalanche in its first playoff series and made history by beating the defending champions in seven games.
This underdog story relates to Utah’s early efforts to find their place in the league. McLennan warned that their strong performance might not last, but something positive is developing in Utah.
Utah Hockey Club fans are NHL's most polite and set beer sales record in inaugural game
A study by Canada Sports Betting of nearly one million comments on NHL subreddits found that Utah Hockey Club fans are the most polite. They use fewer swear words than fans of other teams. In contrast, Vegas Golden Knights fans curse the most. They are followed by fans of the Dallas Stars and New York Islanders.
The Utah Hockey Club had a successful first game against the Blackhawks at the Delta Center. The event set a venue record, bringing in over $120,000 in beer sales, which is the most for any NBA or NHL game in the building since 2001. A Michelob Ultra sold for $15 during this NHL debut, up from $13 during the Jazz preseason game.
The Utah Hockey Club is off to a strong start this season. They have a 1-0-0 home record and a 3-1-1 overall record. The team is tied for fourth in the league, averaging four goals per game. Dylan Guenther leads the team with five goals and one assist.
The Utah Hockey Club will play against the Boston Bruins on Saturday, October 19. This will be their first meeting this season. The Bruins have a record of 3-2 in the Atlantic Division.
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