SALT LAKE CITY – As part of his new podcast segment “Sin Bin Chat” on the Utah Hockey Podcast, Utah Mammoth forward Liam O’Brien joined the crew on the most recent episode to discuss his summer activities, family life and a new detail from the first team event at the Delta Center last spring.
It’s time to turn up the heat this summer with Spicy Tuna as he’ll be joining the @utahhockeypod crew to host his own segment “Sin Bin Chat”
Tune in as the crew thinks outside the box and talks all things Utah Mammoth!
Catch the first episode this week 🎣🔥👀#TusksUp pic.twitter.com/4ZtQu2h9EE
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) June 12, 2025
April 24, 2024, is a date that will forever be remembered by hockey fans throughout the state of Utah.
After Ryan and Ashley Smith had officially purchased the team from Arizona, the entire roster made their way to Salt Lake City and were instantly greeted by large numbers of fans at the airport, and by the thousands inside Delta Center.
@kslsportscom They’re here 🤩🤩 #nhl #nhltoutah #hockey ♬ Enough (Miami) [Instrumental] – Cardi B
Following a rollercoaster of emotions and being relocated from their homes in Arizona, Utah’s newest NHL team was dropped into a completely unfamiliar environment.
“That day for us as players was really special because we had been through a lot,” O’Brien told KSL Sports. “It was an emotional time because we knew we were moving, most of us hadn’t been there before, very foreign and we weren’t sure what this was going to be like.”
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Once inside the Delta Center and in front of roughly 10,000 plus fans, each player took a moment to introduce themselves to the crowd.
“I remember, we walked out, and it looks in the video like we were upset but we were all just in shock. We were just like, holy crap these people are crazy about hockey!” O’Brien recalled.
According to O’Brien, individual player introductions also came as a bit of a surprise as the team was notified only moments before that they’d be handed a microphone once on stage.
“We were not told we we’re going to be put on the mic at all. We had no idea until it was like five minutes before, we walked out…to announce ourselves in front of the crowd.”
However, in true Spicy Tuna fashion, O’Brien brought the energy, hyped the crowd and established himself as a fan favorite.
“It was incredible, it was very emotional, and I had goosebumps the whole walk to my seat before we got on the stage,” O’Brien said.
“I could just tell as the mic was working to me, I could tell there was a little bit of pressure coming from the guys, like hey we’ve kind of got to get these people going!”
As promised, O’Brien delivered throughout the season as Delta Center was absolutely buzzing following several of his electric fights.
Spicy Tuna 👊 pic.twitter.com/LHaI8wECjj
— Utah Hockey Guy (@UtahHockeyGuy) March 2, 2025
Related: Liam O’Brien Drops Glove To Delight Of Delta Center Crowd
Following the conclusion of the Utah Mammoth’s inaugural season, the next notable event will be the NHL Draft on June 27 and 28.
After recently drawing the fourth overall draft pick in the 2025 NHL draft, each of Utah’s upcoming draft selections will be dressed in the new Utah Mammoth home sweater.
Full story: Utah Hockey Club Draws No. 4 Overall Pick In 2025 NHL Draft Lottery
