The Utah Hockey Club has gone fishing on the free agency market and landed its own tuna.
Liam O’Brien, the man who emphatically introduced himself to fans as “Spicy Tuna” in April, signs a three-year contract to play in Salt Lake City.
The forward played the last few seasons in Arizona with the Coyotes, but now Utah has its first big personality for its fan base. O’Brien can switch from his love of hitting to caring for his newborn baby in a matter of minutes.
And he is not averse to making bold predictions along the way.
“I see us in the playoff picture soon,” O’Brien said of Utah’s early hockey prospects.
O’Brien had no doubts he would end up in Utah. Many of his teammates in Arizona had already begun preparing to move to Salt Lake, he said.
But now O’Brien can officially endear himself to the fans. Salt Lake already got a taste of his personality when he stood up outside the Delta Center and told fans they could call him “Spicy Tuna.” Soon after, a chant broke out, reciting the Canadian’s nickname.
On social media, O’Brien is simply called the “Official Big Tuna.”
He was more than happy to explain the backstory of the nickname. It started when he was a freshman playing in Hershey, Pennsylvania. A defenseman, Nate Schmidt, came in one day and started saying it.
“They came into the room and started calling me tuna,” he said. “And everyone loved it. The coaches started calling me that.”
The name evolved to Spicy Tuna and then just Spicy. Ironically, in Arizona, O’Brien admitted that he was allergic to tuna and was trying to avoid eating it.
Now some people in the locker room call him Obi.
O’Brien’s nicknames match his physicality on the ice. Last year he had more than 200 hits, which was enough to rank in the top 15 in the NHL.
“Hitting someone is the best feeling in the world,” he said, smiling. “And the second best feeling in the world is getting hit and waking up from it. And you think, ‘OK, now I have to overtake someone.'”
O’Brien still lives in Arizona, but plans to move to Salt Lake. His family just had their first child, a daughter named Leilani Eva. Before the season begins, he plans to bring her to Canada to join his family.
He will then begin building up ice hockey in Utah.
“It’s still fresh. As far as ownership goes, it’s been really top-notch. It’s really refreshing for us as players,” he said. “…I’m really excited to bring my family to Utah. A really great place to be and raise a family.”
He will be present at schools and other youth events to promote the game in the state.
Meanwhile, the man with the nickname is waiting to hear the name of the team.
“Be patient, it will come,” he said.
But now he’s settling into his new home. Utah is where he wants to be. It’s only a matter of time, he thinks, before the state embraces “Spicy Tuna.”
“I knew I wanted to stay,” he said. “We’re a group, we’re really close. We’ve been through a lot together. There was no doubt. I knew I wanted to be in Utah.”
“I look forward to bringing hockey to Utah and establishing a strong hockey culture here.”
