Thursday’s Utah Mammoth preseason home opener served two purposes: first, of course, to give local fans their first chance to see the newly christened Mammoth in person. That was a success — the Mammoth won 2-1.
But maybe just as important was the fans’ ability to see the new changes to the Delta Center, as the first phase of the renovations wrapped up just in time for the game. The Delta Center still feels largely familiar to those who have been there before, but there are some big changes to a few areas and small changes to others.
Here’s what to watch for:
Sightlines and end lines
The most notable change to the arena by far comes behind the goals on the end lines in the lower bowl. The walls behind the goal have been pushed back by about 12 feet on either side, which has allowed seats to be placed on a steep angle behind the goals from concourse to ice.
It’s visually quite the sharp angle in person, but fans should know that the angle is about the same as those in the upper bowl. A couple of fans seemed to struggle with the new steeper steps, but most I talked to were very supportive of the new seats because they give a terrific viewpoint on the action up and down the ice. The players also enjoyed having a steep section of fans there to cheer them on.
The final test of these seats will be how they work for basketball games, whether or not they retain good sightlines for that sport. With a moved back wall and higher floor, math would dictate that the angle of those seats had to be shallowed. But we’ll soon see how the arena’s new riser system, which has 29 rows of retractable seats, looks when the Utah Jazz play at the arena.
The majority of seats on the end lines in the upper bowl are still single-goal view only for hockey. The changes improving those views are slated for future offseasons.
The seats along the sidelines are entirely unchanged. But all seats in the arena have a slightly better view because the entire rink floor has been lifted 2 feet. This is especially noticeable when action is stuck in the corners — last year, that was hard to see from some sideline seats, and it’s much less of a problem this season.
Read more at sltrib.com.
This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.