Hockey team kicked out of current city by NHL organization and there's a twist to it
Photo credit: Utah Grizzlies
With the nascent Utah Mammoth taking hold of Utah as its base of operations, the ECHL's Utah Grizzlies franchise has been pushed out by the NHL and Gary Bettman.
The NHL has another casualty on its hands, as the ECHL's Utah Grizzlies are forced to move, after the Smith Entertainment Group and the team failed to come to terms on a deal that would allow the city to support both teams.
The ECHL franchise would post an emotional message, as it announced it would be selling the team to out-of-market investors:
"This step comes with deep reflection and heartfelt appreciation for a community that has embraced the Grizzlies for nearly three decades," a Facebook post from the Grizzlies read.
Concerning Developments
There was an unsealed document that detailed a resolution to the Salt Lake City Council (West Valley City), which Fox 13 obtained.
The document is a request for approval for the Grizzlies to be sold to the "Pro Hockey Partners LLC", an investor group. West Valley City owns shares in the Grizzlies and would require a vote before the minor shares were sold.
"The vote on Tuesday is for consent for a sale. That's pretty much all we're willing to disclose at this point," Andrew Carroll, West Valley City's director of asset optimization, told FOX 13 News in an interview Thursday.
The team will be relocated out of the Maverik Center, according to Andrew Carroll, which may spell doom for the Grizzlies' future in Utah.
Heartbreak is the result of the upcoming vote for a sale, as the Growlin' Grizzlies Booster Club has been coming to games since they arrived in Utah, according to President Cydne Butler.
Now, professional hockey will be a monopoly in Utah, run by the Mammoth in what was already an unfair competition due to the resources the NHL has.
For the Grizzlies, the booster club adopts the ECHL players who have professional hockey dreams, and gives them support while they're here in Utah.
The Grizzlies will be a distant memory once the minor share of West Vallie City is sold, and the Mammoth will run wild, stomping on the past.
The team has been an institution and a fixture in the area since 1995, and now it seems unfair as the Grizzlies are forced out of their home.
Previously on HawksInsider
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