Call it a six-hour party or a typical NHL Opening Day broadcast.

Whatever you call it, ESPN brought it to Salt Lake City on Tuesday to celebrate the Utah Hockey Club’s first regular season game as a franchise.

NHL experts Steve Levy, Mark Messier and PK Subban spent their afternoon and early evening talking hockey at a temporary desk in front of the Delta Center as Utah hockey fans cheered behind them.

Before during and after the two games leading up to the Utah Hockey Club’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks, the trio discussed the unfolding NHL action and chatted with some high-profile guests.

Here are highlights from ESPN’s broadcast from outside the Delta Center.

The NHL commissioner loves Utah

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman praised Utah as a state and Utah as an NHL team during his time on Tuesday’s ESPN broadcast.

He described the state as a “winter sports market” with passionate fans, noting that Utah will host the Winter Olympics in 2034.

“The Utah Hockey Club is going to be part of the vitalization and revitalization of this downtown area, and I think the competition is stronger by having a club in Utah,” Bettman said.

NHL expansion isn’t happening yet

Bettman also praised Ryan and Ashley Smith and the Smith Entertainment Group, noting that he was impressed with how they handled the transition from the Arizona Coyotes to the Utah Hockey Club.

“We had high expectations and they were even exceeded,” said the commissioner.

But despite the league’s positive experiences in Utah so far, Bettman said the NHL won’t rush into expansion.

“We are not entering into a formal expansion process yet,” he said. “And there is no need for us to expand.”

Players are excited about the fans’ response

Bettman and the ESPN team had many kind words for Utah hockey fans.

That includes defenseman Sean Durzi of the Utah Hockey Club, who was interviewed by Subban on the blue carpet. (He and other players walked the blue carpet to enter the Delta Center and prepare for the game.)

“You just look around and this is quite special. I’m just happy to be a part of it,” Durzi said.

PK Subban was supposed to play in Utah

Ryan Smith, co-owner of the Utah Hockey Club, joined ESPN’s broadcast about 45 minutes before the start of the Utah Hockey Club’s first-ever regular season game.

He discussed, among other things, what makes Utah a great place to live, arguing that players – and fans – enjoy hiking in the state’s beautiful mountains.

Subban jumped in during Smith’s comment, noting that he made time for a walk Tuesday morning before the ESPN broadcast.

“I walked 14,000 steps in these mountains today. Incredible. I love it here. I would play here,” Subban said.

Ryan Smith says hockey can bring people together

During his segment, Smith spoke about the power of hockey to unite people while thanking Utahns for embracing the opportunity to have an NHL team.

“In a world where people don’t seem to get together that often, you have a state, a city, Republicans, Democrats — everyone is together about one thing right now and that’s the Utah Hockey Club,” he said.