In a state dominated by the Utah Jazz and college football, Utah will be getting a taste of the NHL on Oct. 5 when the Los Angeles King play the San Jose Shark at the E-Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

This game will mark the end of the preseason for both teams and should provide Utah hockey fans with a rather enjoyable game that will display some huge NHL talent.

Utah is a town with only one major sports team, the Utah Jazz, but is a town that knows good hockey. Utah is the one-time home of the Salt Lake Golden Eagles, a team that won four championships in twenty years.

The Golden Eagles then gave way to the current hockey team, the ECHL Utah Grizzlies who have been around since 2005. In three season in Utah the Grizzlies have compiled a 90-102-24 record and have reached the playoffs in two of their three seasons of existence.

Although I highly doubt that the NHL will ever come to Utah it is nice to see that NHL teams will go to places that do not have a chance to see NHL hockey on a regular basis. This is also a great chance for the NHL to reach new fan bases and create a larger fan base, most of which was lost to the NHL lockout.

I myself reside in Salt Lake City so I will be getting my tickets soon, sure it is just preseason NHL hockey but for a city that does not get to see the NHL on a regular basis it should be a playoff atmosphere for a preseason finale.

Welcome to Utah NHL!