What you need to know ahead of Utah Hockey Club's official NHL home debut

SALT LAKE CITY – Preparations are underway for the Utah Hockey Club's first game on Tuesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks. But before the game starts, there is something special for the community.

The streets are closed, the stage is almost finished and the giant puck has dropped in front of the Delta Center.

Fans are ready to welcome the Utah Hockey Club before its first official NHL game of the season.

“It should be a great time to hang out and see what’s going on,” said Travis Hodson, who enjoys watching hockey and is looking forward to taking his family to the games.

The festivities begin at 4 p.m. with a free outdoor event featuring a concert featuring a performance by country star Shaboozey, games, food trucks, DJs and an interactive fan experience.

READ: No tickets, no problem! Here's how to celebrate for free at the Utah Hockey Club's opening game

“This is a historic day for Utah and Salt Lake City, and we are excited to welcome hockey. We just want people to be able to enjoy the festivities safely and if you see something, say something,” said Brent Weisberg of the Salt Lake City Police Department.

Salt Lake City Police officers will direct traffic, patrol the area and ensure people are safe.

“One of the things we encourage people to do is to remember that if you're involved in an argument or an argument, or if you see something that doesn't feel right, try to safely separate yourself “Weisberg added.

Fences are in place and there are also some road closures – South Temple and 100 South between 400 West and 300 West will be partially closed, and 300 West between South Temple and 100 South will be fully closed.

“It doesn't always make sense to close the road, but in this case, when we have lots of great alternative routes, people can still get around that closure fairly easily, and it makes a lot of sense for that very reason.” That's a “great night in Utah sports history,” said John Gleason of the Utah Department of Transportation.

After the fan experience outside, the area around the Delta Center will be transformed into a watch party so that even people without a ticket can watch the game on the big screen.

“It's important to me. Sometimes I don't always have the money to go to games and stuff, so it's just fun to party with people who have a good environment, cheer loudly and just smile and dance the whole nine yards. Hodson added.

Since parking can be difficult with many people downtown and street closures, UTA wants to encourage people to use public transportation.

They shared a statement with FOX 13 News:

“Our standard level of service has always worked well for Jazz fans and we are confident that the combination of FrontRunner, Bus and TRAX will bring everyone to the game to see the first puck drop.” We encourage fans to plan ahead and to take an earlier bus or train just in case. And if necessary, we are equipped with additional vehicles. Leave the car at home, avoid the parking hassles and take the UTA to Utah HC!”

It's so much fun to bring hockey to Utah.

“Oh, we’ve been waiting – finally! “Now we don’t have to go to Nevada or anywhere else, we can just stay in the home state of Utah,” Hodson added.

Catch almost every Utah Hockey Club game this fall on Utah 16!