Frozen Fury

Frozen Fury was an annual pre-season ice hockey game hosted by the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL), held in Salt Lake City since 2021. A previous incarnation of the series was held between the Kings and the Colorado Avalanche in Las Vegas from 1997 to 2016. On four occasions, the Kings faced different teams instead of the Avalanche; once each against the Arizona Coyotes, the San Jose Sharks, New York Rangers, and the Dallas Stars.[1][2][3] The 15th Frozen Fury was originally supposed to take place on September 29, 2012, but was cancelled due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout.[4] It resumed September 27–28, 2013, with the New York Rangers making their debut in the series.

The first game to be played in Las Vegas was also the first outdoor game in the league's history: 14,000 fans came to a rink set up outside Caesars Palace to see the Kings defeat the New York Rangers 5–2 on September 28, 1991. The air temperature was 85 °F (29 °C) during the game. The game served as a predecessor to both the Frozen Fury series (which was played indoors) and the NHL Winter Classic, the annual regular season game held on New Year's Day that began in 2008.

From 1997 to 2015, these games were played at MGM Grand Garden Arena; in 2016, they were played at T-Mobile Arena.[5] The 2016 games were the end of the original tradition, due to the launch of the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017–18 season.[6]

In 2021, a new Frozen Fury series was launched at the then-Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City between the Kings and the Vegas Golden Knights;[7] the Sharks then rejoined the series in 2023.[8] This series was concluded following the 2023–24 season, with Salt Lake City receiving the expansion Utah Hockey Club.[9]

  1. ^ "Kings History in Las Vegas".
  2. ^ "Los Angeles reclaims Frozen Fury crown at MGM Grand - Las Vegas Sun Newspaper". 26 September 2009.
  3. ^ http://www.thedenverdailynews.com/article.php?aID=4954
  4. ^ "2012 Preseason Schedule Unveiled".
  5. ^ Carp, Steve (April 3, 2016). "T-Mobile Arena is built for hockey". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  6. ^ Carp, Steve (October 8, 2016). "Avalanche edge Kings in overtime in Frozen Fury finale". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  7. ^ "LA Kings to Play Frozen Fury Preseason Game in Salt Lake City". NHL.com. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  8. ^ Larsen, Andy (October 6, 2023). "The NHL's only Utahn thinks the state is ready for hockey's best. Is a major league team ready for Salt Lake?". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference UHC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).