History was made in Salt Lake City on Tuesday night, as the Utah Hockey Club, formerly the Arizona Coyotes, played their first-ever regular season game in Delta Center since their relocation following years of bankruptcy and ownership issues. Their first opponent on their new home ice is the Chicago Blackhawks, led by 2023 first overall Draft pick Connor Bedard.

The crowd erupted when forward Dylan Guenther netted the team's inaugural goal at 4:56 of the opening period, marking a significant moment for Utah's newest sports franchise. He one-timed a pass from teammate Michael Kesserling past Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrazek for the historic tally:

Guenther's name will forever be the answer to a trivia question, having gone down as the first goal scorer in Utah Hockey Club history. Later in the first period, the club's newly minted-captain Clayton Keller scored his first goal of the season, adding to the jubilant mood of the sold-out crowd.

The Utah Hockey Club is the NHL's newest franchise

A general view of Delta Center before the game between the Utah Hockey Club and the Chicago Blackhawks
Rob Gray-Imagn Images
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The decision to relocate the Arizona Coyotes to Salt Lake City was indeed a difficult one for the NHL, as the league had fought for years to keep the franchise in the desert. Despite multiple ownership changes, financial struggles, and attempts to secure a stable arena solution, the Coyotes' situation became untenable.

A native of Edmonton, Alberta, Guenther was the ninth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft by the Coyotes, and he would go on to showcase his goal-scoring prowess later that season by scoring 45 goals as a member of the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL.

Last season, he split time between the Coyotes and their American Hockey League affiliate Tuscon Roadrunners; he appeared in 45 games with Arizona, scoring 18 goals with 17 assists. He also tallied 10 goals with 18 assists in 29 games with the Roadrunners.

The relocation of the team during the offseason has brought a fresh start, and Guenther's goal will go down as a memorable milestone in the club's early history.