Connect with us

Utah

Gordon Monson: Blow the roof off the Delta Center? I could almost imagine it happening.

Published

on

Gordon Monson: Blow the roof off the Delta Center? I could almost imagine it happening.


I did something last week that I haven’t done in a long, long time. I connected with you, the fan, by going to a game that I wasn’t — technically, at least — covering. I just went — with no notebook, no pen, no computer, no column in mind, no deadline to meet, no nothing.

Just an idea to do what most normal people do — enjoy a sport for that sport’s sake, and for my own. My wife, Lisa, and grandson, Brody, went along. It was, in part, a celebration of Brody’s 13th birthday. We’re big on attempting to give our grandkids gifts that center on experiences rather than material goods. Brody said he liked the notion of going to a game.

A hockey game.

So we went to the Utah Hockey Club’s face-off with the L.A. Kings at the Delta Center.

Advertisement

And it rocked. Until it didn’t.

The building was full, the atmosphere was what I’d seen at not just other UHC games as a part of my job, but other NHL games I’d attended as a young fan — some 50 years ago. That second part transported me way, way, way back to the 1970s when, on more than a few occasions, I went with friends to Philadelphia Flyers games at the old Spectrum. That was when the Flyers first were emerging as an expansion club, one of the newcomers outside the NHL’s “original six,” then turning into a decent team and then a great one, becoming NHL champions. The Broad Street Bullies.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club celebrates their victory over the Calgary Flames during the game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.

I remember so vividly watching those Flyers teams play — and grow. They slowly formed an outfit that was big, tough, fast and skilled. As they got more talented and tough, Flyers fans got rowdy and raucous, too. At one game, I recall seeing a fan — through the thick din of cigarette smoke in the building — hitting an opposing player in the penalty box over the head with a rubber chicken. No lie. Those fans were beyond passionate. Some of them leaned toward insanity. I also recall a guy sitting next to us who chucked a hot dog onto the ice straight in the middle of the action. I remember that he also had a padlock in his other hand.

That was at a game, if memory serves, against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Advertisement

Yeah, I thought about those teams and those rough-but-appreciative fans on Thursday night, observing Utah fans. Back then, at the earliest stages, the city of Philadelphia was hungry for a winning pro team to get behind. The Phillies had struggled for years, before coming on. The Eagles were less-than-good, before coming on. Same thing with the 76ers. That’s just one of the reasons Philly fans embraced the Flyers.

Well. With the way the Jazz are tanking and losing and not even competing, or trying to compete, that, too, reminded me of Philly back in the day. Hockey brought relief.

Maybe NHL hockey in Utah will bring relief, too. The Hockey Club — c’mon, give these guys a proper name already — does not have a Bobby Clarke or a Bernie Parent on it. It is not as good at Wayne Gretzky’s game as the Kings are. That became evident in this 4-2 loss, a game that was close and/or tied for much of the night, when the Club scrapped and fought, holding its own, until a couple of goals blew the thing open in the latter parts.

The fans were into it, though. One thing sports fans in Utah have always shown is respect for effort — on the court, on the field, on the diamond, on the pitch, and on the ice. UHC certainly gave them that — at least for a while — despite the fact that it has only a long shot at making the playoffs. Still, the ice was level, the skating was quick, the puck was passed, the action was fierce, the game was on.

And people, in one of the last home games of the team’s first season here, really seemed to love it. They cheered loud, their voices ricocheting off the arena’s cinder-block walls, reverberating off the ceiling, off the playing surface, swirling all around.

Advertisement

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) A fan watches as Utah Hockey Club takes on the Calgary Flames during the game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.

Nobody hit anybody over the head with a rubber chicken. I saw no hot dogs thrown, no padlocks in hand. But the passion was plain to hear and feel.

I still couldn’t get myself to yell or cheer — the way my wife and grandson and everyone else on hand did — because, after so many years of following proper journalistic press-row protocol, I simply couldn’t go that far.

But I could enjoy and laugh at what was going on around me. And I could have fun. UHC fans did themselves proud. They gave the home team the best they had, given the outcome.

Some critics ridicule fans for the way they get into their teams, the way they throw so much money and time and energy and emotion into their rooting interests. And they do all of that. But the payoff — to a lot of folks, anyway — is worth the investment. Not just from a personal and familial and friendship standpoint, but from a communal one. Having a venue and an event where a community that may agree on some things, but disagree on a whole lot of others — from the political to religious to social to college patronage and more — can come together and spill their guts in unison for the home team — sure, there also were some Kings fans there — is not just entertaining, it’s healthy, it’s encouraging, it’s worthwhile.

Advertisement

For me, 2025 Salt Lake City became early ‘70s Philly on Thursday night. A beautiful transport/transplant in time it was.

Now, we’ll see if the Utah Hockey Club can pull off what the old Flyers did. That’s a lofty expectation, a lofty aspiration, maybe an impossible one. If Utah fans had a good time — despite the loss — at this Kings game, wait until their team successfully makes and moves through the postseason. Stanley Cup-contending Utah teams would blow the roof off the Delta Center. If they ever get to that stage, I swear, the fans here will remember it with fondness a half-century later.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Fans celebrate a goal as Utah Hockey Club hosts the Anaheim Ducks, NHL hockey in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.



Source link

Advertisement

Utah

White scores 25 to help Utah women hand No. 8 TCU its 1st loss, 87-77 in overtime

Published

on

White scores 25 to help Utah women hand No. 8 TCU its 1st loss, 87-77 in overtime


SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Lani White scored 25 points to lead Utah past No. 8 TCU 87-77 in overtime Saturday night.

Reese Ross added 15 points and Maty Wilke had 12 for the Utes. Evelina Otto finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. Utah (11-4, 2-1 Big 12) made 13 3-pointers and shot 56.5% from long distance.

Olivia Miles had 31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to pace the Horned Frogs (14-1, 2-1). Marta Suarez added 23 points and 11 rebounds. TCU shot just 37% from the field, including 9 of 39 from 3-point range.

Advertisement

White forced overtime by making a 3-pointer that tied it 67-all with 12 seconds left in regulation. Utah never trailed in OT and went up 76-69 with 2:47 left after White capped a 9-2 run with her fourth outside basket.

TCU used a 7-0 spurt to erase a four-point deficit in the final minute of the fourth quarter. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Suarez and Donovyn Hunter put TCU up 66-64 with 49 seconds remaining.

Ross had a chance to tie it on two free throws with 33.3 seconds left, but missed both. Miles made one of two foul shots with 22 seconds to go before White tied it.

Utah took advantage of cold shooting by the Horned Frogs to pull ahead in the third quarter. Back-to-back baskets from Suarez were TCU’s only field goals over an eight-minute stretch. The Utes scored on three straight possessions, culminating in a layup from Wilke, to take a 52-48 lead.

Miles made back-to-back baskets to put the Horned Frogs back up 58-56. Utah used a 7-0 run, punctuated by a 3-pointer from Ross, to go ahead 63-58 with 4:32 left in regulation.

Advertisement

Up next

TCU hosts Oklahoma State on Wednesday.

Utah plays at Kansas on Wednesday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Utah

Judge files ruling allowing for appeal to Utah Supreme Court in redistricting case

Published

on

Judge files ruling allowing for appeal to Utah Supreme Court in redistricting case


The judge in Utah’s redistricting case filed a ruling making it possible for the Legislature to appeal to the Utah Supreme Court, but not without a strong rebuke of their process.

On Friday, Judge Dianna Gibson ruled partially in favor of the Legislature’s most recent request in the redistricting case, certifying its August 25th ruling as final in order to allow them to appeal to the Utah Supreme Court.

However, she strongly denied their request to enter a final judgment and end the case, saying, “This case is far from over.”

MORE | Utah Redistricting:

File – Utah Congressional Redistricting Maps (Image: KUTV)

Advertisement

“Quite literally – this Court is between the proverbial rock and a hard spot. This entire case is not ‘final,’” Gibson wrote in the ruling. “But the Court agrees that the important legal issues decided by this Court and reflected in each of its rulings … should be reviewed by the Utah Supreme Court as quickly as possible.”

Gibson said it was the legislative defendant’s “duty to seek appellate review” regarding any of her interlocutory, or non-final orders, within 21 days of the rulings. She said they repeatedly claimed they would but never did.

Now, they are requesting she finalize the case, or at the very least one of her orders, to allow them to file an appeal.

Because Gibson does not want to delay appellate review, she agreed to certify the August 25, 2025 Ruling and Order as final.

“Every Utah voter, every Utah congressional candidate and arguably every Utah citizen is impacted by this case. Issuing a final ruling – on even a portion of this case – ultimately serves the public’s interest and will lead to a faster resolution of the entire case,” she wrote.

Advertisement

The redistricting case dates back to 2018, when voters passed a ballot initiative to create a commission to redraw the congressional district boundaries.

State legislators repealed the ballot initiative in 2020, and attempted to draw their own congressional map the following year.

This prompted a lawsuit, which has led to several rulings, including the one on August 25th, which declared that the Utah Legislature violated voters’ rights by approving congressional boundaries that split Salt Lake County.

“Until there is a final decision on these legal issues from our Supreme Court, there will be a cloud on Utah’s congressional elections and an open question regarding the power of the Legislature and the power of the people,” Gibson wrote in her most recent ruling.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Advertisement

___



Source link

Continue Reading

Utah

Utah man missing for 3 years presumed dead. What happened? – East Idaho News

Published

on

Utah man missing for 3 years presumed dead. What happened? – East Idaho News


SOUTH SALT LAKE (KSL) — Investigators believe a South Salt Lake man who disappeared in 2022 is likely dead, but they’re still trying to figure out what happened to him more than three years later.

“To my knowledge we don’t have one working theory as to whether it’s a homicide or a suicide or if he just completely went off the grid, essentially,” officer Shaun Ward said Monday.

But according to a recent search warrant affidavit filed in 3rd District Court, “There has been no financial or digital footprint indicating that (Cornelis ‘Casey’ Frederik Bokslag) is still alive. It is presumed he is deceased.”

Ward says the search warrant, filed in late November, is to look at Bokslag’s Google accounts, such as his email history, internet search history and location data. Investigators are hoping those records “might provide additional information about where Bokslag had been in the days and hours leading up to his disappearance as well as any correspondence, contacts, locations and a slew of other sources of information that could lead Investigators to the location of Bokslag’s body, which will allow us to determine if his disappearance was a result of suicide or foul play,” the warrant states.

Advertisement

As of Monday, the request for that information from Google was still pending.

Ward, 30, was last seen on June 6, 2022. Police have recovered surveillance video of Bokslag leaving his apartment complex that day in his car by himself. He then went to an ATM in South Salt Lake and withdrew $100. Bokslag, a four-year Marine veteran who had worked for a watershed company since 2016, did not go to work that day, which family members, his employer and police said was highly unusual.

“Investigators eventually learned that Bokslag had taken the day off work and told friends and family that he was traveling to Evanston, Wyoming, to participate in the gay pride parade festivities,” according to the recently unsealed search warrant.

Hours after Bokslag was reported missing on June 8, 2022, his 2012 Suzuki SX4 was found by a passerby in Summit County, near the Castle Rock exit off I-80, about 18 miles west of the Wyoming border.

“It was discovered that the vehicle’s license plates were removed from the car. Meticulously, the screws were put back into the license plate frame, and the vehicle was essentially clean in nature,” police said at the time.

Advertisement

The warrant further states that “there was a noticeable absence of fingerprints inside the vehicle. This was determined to be consistent with the interior having been wiped clean.

“Later, DNA swabs were taken and submitted for testing. They revealed two genetic profiles. One was matched to Bokslag by exemplar samples provided by the family. A second profile was identified. The profile was checked through the Combined DNA Index System, and no positive identification was made,” the warrant states.

Ward said Monday that investigators have done extensive searches around where Bokslag’s car was found in 2022, both on the ground and by drone. His residence was also searched, and a few items of potential evidence, such as Bokslag’s laptop, were seized.

A co-worker called Bokslag several times one night before he disappeared, according to cellphone records collected by investigators. Several witnesses told police that the co-worker and Bokslag “were up for the same promotion, but Bokslag was eventually selected for it, causing resentment. Those cellphone records also showed Bokslag’s phone being turned off at some point on June 6,” according to the warrant.

“A records check revealed that shortly after receiving numerous calls in one night from the hostile co-worker, and prior to being reported missing, Bokslag purchased a handgun in Salt Lake County along with two boxes of ammunition,” the warrant says.

Advertisement

Ward did not have any additional information Monday about the co-worker, including whether police had questioned him or if he had been ruled out as a possible suspect.

A $50,000 reward is still being offered for information that leads to Bokslag being found. According to a web page set up by his family, Bokslag is 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighs about 140 pounds, has blond hair and gray eyes. He also had a goatee at the time of his disappearance. A missing persons poster is hanging in the lobby of the South Salt Lake Police Department with Bokslag’s information.

Anyone who has information on what may have happened to Bokslag or anyone who may have seen him is asked to call police at 801-840-4000. Ward says all tips will be investigated.

“Really, anything at this point. If they think that they saw him or have seen him recently, or if they have any information into his personal life that our investigators may not know … any information is welcome,” he said. “We want to bring closure to the family. The family still wants answers.”

=htmlentities(get_the_title())?>%0D%0A%0D%0A=get_permalink()?>%0D%0A%0D%0A=htmlentities(‘For more stories like this one, be sure to visit https://www.eastidahonews.com/ for all of the latest news, community events and more.’)?>&subject=Check%20out%20this%20story%20from%20EastIdahoNews” class=”fa-stack jDialog”>

Advertisement





Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending