SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The second phase of renovations at the Delta Center is officially complete, bringing new seating, food options and improved sightlines for both hockey and basketball fans.
“You won’t find anything like this anywhere else,” said Jim Olson, SEG president of real estate.
The Phase 2 transformation took 143 consecutive days to complete, with construction crews working double and triple shifts, including overnight work, to finish the project.
“It’s been a lot of work, but it’s really setting the standard that you can have an arena with great sightlines for both NBA basketball and NHL hockey,” Olson said.
More than 1,500 seats in the upper bowl now offer full views for Utah Mammoth games. Every seat throughout the arena has also received a refresh as part of the renovations.
WATCH | Phase 2 Delta Center renovations complete
1:33The changes have already caught the attention of Mammoth players and coaches.
“I’m happy that the fans will get to see what Ryan’s done to the building, and his wife. You know, this is exciting times for Utah,” Utah Mammoth defenseman MacKenzie Weegar said.
Olson said creating a strong home-ice advantage for the Mammoth was a major goal of the renovation.
“We always have known that we have a great home-court advantage for basketball. We want the same thing for hockey,” Olson said. “When the team first came here, we knew we had some shortcomings with the venue. To know that the hockey team, and the players, coaches, all of them are excited about this, they feel the crowd right on top of them, they feel the energy, makes us feel really good, and we’re really excited about it.”
From the ice, Mammoth head coach André Tourigny said the changes are immediately noticeable.
“The building is great. We look from the ice, it looks fantastic. It’s really steep, it’s massive, so that’s pretty cool,” Tourigny said. “It just makes us want to play even quicker. I think we have to wait until tomorrow. We’re like kids at Christmas; we’re waiting for our gifts. Looking forward to 3 p.m. tomorrow.”
Phase 3 of the Delta Center renovations is scheduled to continue next summer.
For now, the first event in the newly renovated arena this season will be the Mammoth’s final preseason game, when Utah hosts the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.