Utah HC makes revolutionary arena design change to ban annoying fans!

The NHL’s newest franchise, Utah HC, is ready to take on the NHL by storm. Even if it means alienating some fans of the game Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns.

In a recent post from team owner Ryan Smith, who is co-founder and chairman of Smith Entertainment Group, we can see a photo of the new arena with a very special detail around the rink.

As many fans on Reddit notices and applauded, the arena has been renovated in a way to keep glass bangers at bay, a common issue in many hockey venues.The state-of-the-art facility features an innovative glass design that effectively prevents fans from banging on the glass during games.

Amen.

Too often, enthusiastic fans often engage in banging the glass to cheer on their team, which can disrupt gameplay and pose a safety concern. To tackle the issue, Utah HC’s arena made sure to have space between the first rows and the actual glass, meaning fans would have to get out of their seats to make their way to the boards to cause a disruption, which I can only assume would be stopped by security before they can make it there, providing a better view of the action on the ice while reducing distractions for players and referees.

The new arena not only prioritizes the comfort and enjoyment of fans but also reflects Utah HC’s commitment to creating a top-notch game-day experience. There is some glass close the seats at one end where one of the nets will be that still could be victim to the bangers, but it’s quite limited and would more than likely be easier to restrained.

In this year’s postseason, one glass-banging fan caught the attention in Dallas when he was showing up at the Stars’ games and would stand up and pound the glass, with his legendary #BANG sign. When the series got underway, the fan named Nick Moroch, posted on social media that he was threatened to be banned from the games and had his sign confiscated.

The hosts of the Spittin Chiclets podcast, former NHLers Paul Bissonnette and Ryan Whitney, both tweeted out their disdain for Nick’s glass pounding and bang sign and they know what they’re talking about.

It’s not a zoo!

By addressing the issue of glass banging, the team hopes to set a new standard for fan interaction in hockey arenas across the league.

Utah will kick off its inaugural campaign on October 8 at home against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks.
Let’s see if the design of the newest NHL arena leads to more precautions done to stop the disruptive glass bangers out there!