SALT LAKE CITY — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman appeared on stage with Utah Hockey Club owners Ryan and Ashley Smith outside Delta Center on Tuesday, less than six months after the league established a new franchise here.

At a press conference before Utah’s first game against the Chicago Blackhawks (10 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ESPN, SN, TVAS), Bettman said Smith Entertainment Group exceeded the NHL’s extremely high expectations in an unprecedented time frame.

“We are grateful to be here in Salt Lake City, and we are grateful to have the Smiths as owners of an NHL franchise,” said Commissioner Bettman. “So thank you for all you’ve done, and we know it’s going to be a great run.”

Since the NHL created the franchise on April 18, Utah has acquired the hockey assets of the inactive Arizona Coyotes franchise and moved executives, coaches, players and staff to Salt Lake City.

SEG, which includes the NBA’s Utah Jazz, has completed initial renovations to Delta Center and plans for more in the future, building a temporary practice facility while taking the first step toward a permanent, inaugural uniforms design while working on a permanent brand identity worked, and much more.

“Basically you’ve all given up your summers,” the commissioner said. “You didn’t have the Jazz offseason and everything else that was going on. Once again, what you have accomplished is both unprecedented and remarkable.”

Ryan Smith called SEG employees “real heroes.”

“You take off your SEG badge and you put on the Utah badge all the time, and I hope you take a moment to appreciate all you’ve accomplished,” he said.