Tour 2023: Mullett Arena

All photos of Mullett Arena available on Flickr.

On Saturday, Erik and I attended our first NHL game together in almost 15 years, which was Game 1 of our first ever two-sport doubleheader.  Not wanting to exercise for a 2nd day in a row, we needed something to fill our morning before the 1:00pm puck drop.  A quick Google search of "Phoenix bars open early morning" landed us at the Yucca Tap Room for some 9:00 AM college football watching.  If you close your eyes and imagine what a sketchy dive bar looks like, this had many of the characteristic traits - very worn down and in need of repair, a host of regular patrons, no drink list, one old grumpy bartender, and the only natural light was from the intermittent opening and closing of the front door made of plywood.  As opposed to all of the establishments we had been visiting in Tempe the previous two days, we felt right at home here.  We stopped for another drink at Fate Brewing down the street and then we were off to the arena, which was literally across the street from our hotel.

From what I knew of the tumultuous history of the Arizona Coyotes franchise, I went into this experience with very low expectations.  They originated after the original Winnipeg Jets moved to Phoenix in 1996, and after a brief period with Wayne Gretzky at the helm, declared bankruptcy in 2009.  Pretty much ever since then, there has been a looming threat of the team moving, with constant ownership changes and aborted sales, many years of low revenue and general futility, and many failed attempts at securing a new arena.  They were even evicted from their last arena in Glendale, which is why they currently play in a 5,000-seat arena that was built for the Arizona State Sun Devils.  So it was a pleasant surprise to walk into a sellout crowd for which we could only manage to procure standing room seats.  There was an electric energy the entire game and the building was loud from puck drop to final horn.  We'll never know if the Coyotes fanbase would have filled a normal sized NHL arena that day, but from what I saw at the game and around town in our 4 days in Phoenix, there is definitely an appetite for hockey in the desert that I was not anticipating.  If an NHL franchise can thrive and succeed like the one in Vegas, I have no doubt that with the right ownership and arena that the Coyotes can too.

The smaller size of Mullett Arena as opposed to a standard NHL arena of 3x that size made this a very unique environment.  I've been to a handful of NHL games, but the bulk of my hockey experience comes from the UW Badgers and Milwaukee Admirals, and even those teams play in considerably larger arenas, so this Coyotes game was like nothing I've ever experienced hockey-wise.  It truly felt like a raucous college crowd and it was cool to be a part of.  The exterior is non-descript, as there are very few windows and it consists of primarily one deck of seats so it is quite short.  The interior is ringed by a concourse on 3 sides that has a 100% open view to the ice.  Concessions are positioned in the 4 corners of the arena only, which really keeps the concourse open for circulation, or in our case, standing at a drink rail to watch the game.  The 4th side of the arena has a large private club area that interrupts the concourse.  The 2nd level features a row of small, intimate suites lining the long ends of the arena, and on one of the short sides is another private party deck.  I always clamor at ballparks about the large amount of private club/suite space versus areas accessible to all, but for them to build that much private space in an arena this small, it must be booked up with sponsors and wealthy benefactors and put to good use for the university.  We wedged into an area behind the goal that the 'Yotes shot at twice, sandwiched between two groups of people that understood absolutely nothing about hockey - some drunk guys from Ireland and some cheerleaders.  I love standing room areas and Erik and I had a blast being a part of the lively crowd.  Outside of eating the sorriest excuse for nachos I've ever seen, I thoroughly enjoyed Mullett Arena, and it was one of the most fun games of the trip.

The Coyotes lost to the new version of the Winnipeg Jets by a score of 5-3.  Arizona jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 1st period on a goal by J.J. Moser, assisted by Lawson Crouse on a nice little 2-on-1 breakaway.  Winnipeg woke up in the 2nd and there were a total of 5 goals scored in that period, and the score was tied 3-3 at the second intermission.  The Jets took the lead for good at 3:23 into the 3rd period on a slap shot by defenseman Brenden Dillon, who was for some reason left all alone on the weak side of the play.  The Coyotes went on the power play with about 5 minutes left in the game and Erik and I were obnoxiously screaming for them to pull the goalie for the 2-man advantage, but it was all for naught and a wasted opportunity.  Erik was excited to see Logan Cooley play for the 'Yotes, who was the #3 overall pick in the 2022 draft out of the University of Minnesota.  He was a relative non-factor in the game with a (-2) and only one shot on goal.

Following the game, we finally hit up the famous Micky's Hot Dogs and downed a couple of much-anticipated Sonoran Hot Dogs, which is an Arizona delicacy typically wrapped in bacon and covered with chilis and mayo, served on a doughy and flaky style of bun.  We paid the price for those the following day, but for now, we proceeded to Mesa with full bellies for game #2 of the day and the final game of our trip.

arena rankings and statistics:
aesthetics - 7 (low marks for exterior but high marks for interior)
view to ice - 9
surrounding area - 7 (ASU campus)
food variety - 3
nachos - 1 (bag of chips and cup o' cheese)
beer - 4
vendor price - 9
ticket price - 3 ($75 for SRO)
atmosphere - 8
walk to arena - 7
parking proximity - n/a
concourses - 4 (not active but points for view to ice)
team shop - 2 (one small team stand)

best food - the pizza looked good
most unique arena feature - being a one-deck college arena
best jumbotron feature - player/game intro
best intermission feature - Howler regales the crowd

starting goalies - Connor Hellebuyck (WPG) v. Karel Vejmelka (ARI)
Three Stars of the game - (1) Nino Niederreiter - WPG, (2) Brenden Dillon - WPG, (3) Lawson Crouse - ARI
opponent - Winnipeg Jets
attendance - 4600
score - 5-3 L
Admirals score that day - 2-1 L

Tour 2009: Air Canada Centre

All photos of the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Air Canada Centre available on Flickr.

How can you go to Canada in March and do nothing hockey-related? We just had to see a Maple Leafs game and the Hockey Hall of Fame on our last full day in Toronto. The Hall of Fame was only a few minutes' walk from our hostel and we got there just before 2. This gave us about 3 hours to view over a century of hockey history. The Hall of Fame building was really cool, it is housed in an old bank - most of the displays are below grade, but the main bank building houses the Stanley Cup, the members of the Hall of Fame, and all of the other player trophies. The original Stanley Cup is even inside what used to be the bank's vault. The Hall of Fame's special display this year was a tribute to the Montreal Canadiens' centennial season, and had player equipment and jerseys of great Canadiens, and there was a video playing about some of the great Montreal teams. There was an area dedicated to international play, an area dedicated to hockey legends including Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky, the Hall of Records, and a special display dedicated to every team past and present. It was not as extensive as the Baseball Hall of Fame, but still very cool and worth seeing. One of the coolest things for me was seeing all of the equipment players used back in the day. Goalie masks didn't even exist until the invention of the slapshot, and looked very crude and uncomfortable up until about 20 years ago. Seeing some of the protection (or lack thereof) and sticks that the players used gave me a new appreciation for the skill and toughness that hockey requires.

After the Hall of Fame, we of course hit the store, and then we grabbed a bite at a place called St. Louis Wings & Ribs. A general rule of thumb - any place with a city in its title other than the city it's in is probably not going to have very good food. I really wanted to believe that Toronto could make good St. Louis style ribs, but they fell short. At least we got to relax for awhile, and it was the cheapest meal of the trip, so no complaints. We then headed to the arena a little after 6 for the puck drop of 7:30.

The outside of the Air Canada Centre left a little to be desired, and entering the building felt a little like going into a hotel lobby, at least where we went in...there could have been some grand entrance we missed. But the arena itself was pretty decent - nice and chilly like a hockey game should be. We were starting to feel the effects of our week of heavy drinking, even though Canadian beer does not seem to give you a hangover, so we stuck with souvenir sodas (with free refills!). A little side note: in Toronto, beer served in plastic cups comes with a lid, kind of like a sippy-cup. I thought that this was just a Rogers Centre querk, but The Hangar also served beer this way. You feel really stupid drinking beer with a lid, but is actually a good idea if you think about it. And if you're going to pay $9 for a beer, it may as well come with some anti-spill protection.

Our seats were high up and provided a great view of game action, but not so much of the rest of the arena, so I had to take pictures of the arena and all the banners from a lower vantage point. The Maple Leafs have 17 retired player numbers and 13 Stanley cups in their 90-year history, both feats I can barely fathom. Going to watch a hockey game in Toronto is kind of like watching a baseball game in New York, or a football game in Green Bay. No matter how the team is doing, people are very passionate about the team, the games are always a sellout, and all people talk about in the offseason is the team's chances for next year. I always overheard people at the Rogers Centre talking about the Leafs or checking their Blackberries for the Leafs score. It's a little bit harder to cheer for the Leafs these days, as they are pretty horrible, but it was a great experience to be a part of the national sport of Canada.

The Maple Leafs fell again on this night, 4-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. I don't remember the last time I've seen a home hockey team play that bad. They were horrible on defense and on the power play, and they have absolutely no players that shoot the puck decently. I've kind of adopted the Maple Leafs as my favorite NHL team since Milwaukee doesn't have a pro team, so it was hard to watch. I'm sure if they still had Mats Sundin, they might have at least lost 4-3. Lee Stempniak got the Leafs out to an early lead with his 13th goal of the season, but the 'Ning scored 4 unanswered in the final two periods. A lot of the crowd left after Ryan Malone put home his 24th of the year on a centering pass from Cory Murphy.

After the game, we stopped off for one final drink in Toronto, this time at a place near our hostel called Flatiron & Firkin. I think this might be the first time I ever fly home to Milwaukee, and it will be warmer there than the city I was in! Our flights leave 4 hours apart, so Erik will have a significant amount of time to kill at the airport bar. Another great Pete & Erik trip! Our next scheduled Tour 2009 trip is to see a game in the final season of the Metrodome, so stay tuned. 25 days 'til Opening Day!

arena stats and rankings:

aesthetics - 2 (stuffed between expressway and Union Station)
view to ice - 7 (good view to ice from up high, but not of rest of arena)
surrounding area - 7 (downtown, Union Station)
food variety - 6
nachos - 5 (standard corn chips & cheese)
beer - 7 (bonus points for lids, variety of Canadian beer, and different sizes; points subtracted for price)
vendor price - 5 (comparitively to rest of Toronto, not too bad)
ticket price - 1 ($100 for seats 10 rows from the top)
atmosphere - 7 (not as rowdy as I expected, but they were playing the Lightning)
walk to arena - 7 (downtown is nice, but you have to walk through a shady tunnel)
parking proximity - n/a
concourses - 5
team shop - 7

best food - Tim Horton's
most unique arena feature - the suites, entry sequence
best jumbotron feature - expose on youth hockey players
best intermission feature - Maple Leafs Elvis & Superman toss t-shirts into crowd

starting goalies - Karri Ramo (TB) v. Martin Gerber (TOR)
Three Stars of the game - (1) Martin St. Louis - TB, (2) Steven Stamkos - TB, (3) Lee Stempniak - TOR
opponent - Tampa Bay Lightning
attendance - 19209
score - 4-1 L
Admirals score - 3-2 W (3/11)

Tour 2009: Winter Classic

All photos of Chicago and NHL Winter Classic available on Flickr.

Once when asked what he did in the offseason, Hall-of-Famer Rogers Hornsby famously responded "I sit by the window and wait for spring." If asked that same question, Erik and I would reply "We go to hockey games." Although we are certainly not as passionate and knowledgable about hockey as we are with baseball, it's a nice way to pass the winter months since we both hate the NFL and basketball, and we have a few hockey events on our large "Tour Plus" list. With this year's 2nd annual Winter Classic being played at the incomparable Wrigley Field, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to watch the first professional hockey game ever played at a baseball stadium, just 90 minutes away.

Our original plans called for a New Year's Eve celebration in the Windy City, and to stumble to the ballpark shortly before gametime, but as it turned out, none of my friends that I know that live there were able to put us up for the night. So, we rang in 2009 in Milwaukee, and left at 8 AM for Chicago. I know what you might be thinking; but after the big tour a couple summers ago, waking up early to drive to the ballpark after a long night of drinking does not really phase us anymore.

We arrived in our many layers of clothing downtown at around 9:30 and took the train to the stadium. The scene on Addison Street was amazing. Stores and bars were open, there was a pre-game block party with live music that started early in the morning, and it seemed even more crowded than any Cubs game I've ever been to. Erik and I bought our souvenirs (we each got a puck and a program, Erik a hoodie and I a scarf) and walked around the park and listened to the band for awhile and took some pictures. It wasn't until we entered the stadium at about 11 and I first saw the rink that it sunk in - we were about to see a HOCKEY game at Wrigley Field! We took more photos, received giveaway rally towels, binoculars, and beads, and headed to our seats in the left-centerfield bleachers.

The seats started to fill in quickly as the pregame festivities rolled on. There were interviews being shown on the two jumbotrons brought in at each pole, and Blackhawks greats Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, and Dennis Savard, and Cubs legends Billy Williams, Ryne Sandberg, and Fergie Jenkins were introduced. The rink was set up between first and third base, facing the infield, with the back of the benches just beyond the pitchers mound. There was also an auxiliary rink in the outfield where contests and youth hockey was played before the game and between periods. There was an entire row of fence covered in banners to resemeble the brick and ivy of Wrigley Field, and between this fence and the wall was an interstitial space for the crew to walk and speakers to be set up. Lastly, there were two "huts" in the gaps where play-by-play and interviews were being conducted for various networks (Don Cherry was in the hut directly below us). Leading up to the game, the renditions of O Canada and the Star-Spangled Banner were probably the best I've ever experienced - the crowd was roaring the whole time, great singers, and a flyover! The last thing that happened right before the live NBC national feed, was that everyone seated in the infield held up cards for two "card stunts." With everyone working in unison, the cards spelled out "Happy New Year" for the first stunt, and then the cards were flipped over to spell "Winter Classic - Red Wings v. Blackhawks" on the other side (see photos). Finally, shortly after 12:30, 41000 cheering fans were totally oblivious to the 32-degree temp as the puck was dropped.

The game started out promising for the Blackhawks. Kris Versteeg, Martin Havlat, and Ben Eager all scored in the first period to take the 3-1 lead at the first intermission. Detroit started out the game with a lot of penalties, and early on Chicago was the aggressor and had a lot of nice hits, but soon Detroit's experience and dominance over the young Chicago team showed, as they scored 5 unanswered goals and went on to win the game 6-4. Four players had 3 points for the Red Wings, including Marian Hossa and Hank Zetteberg. The free-agent signing Cristobal Huet started in goal for the Blackhawks and faired pretty poorly, giving up 6 goals on 30 shots; he was pulled for Nikolai Khabibulin in the 3rd.

After the game, we took the train back to our car, which we purposely parked across the street from Lou Malnati's Pizzeria, which is generally regarded as the best deep dish pie in Chicago. We saw this place on Throwdown with Bobby Flay last week and knew we had to stop there before we went home. The pizza was amazing, and it was so thick and cheesy that it was the first time I've ever taken leftovers home from a 12" pie. Overall it was a great way to spend New Year's Day, and even though it was cold, there were lots of Red Wings fans, and we couldn't see all that well, it was totally worth it and a hell of a way to kick off Tour 2009! Next stop - World Baseball Classic in two months!

park stats and rankings (re-ranked as hockey venue):

aesthetics - 7 (WC banners and infrastructure all put togther very nice)

views from park - 3 (we could just see the Hancock Building from our seats)

view to field - 2 (could barely follow the game action, but had nicer view than most of the stuff going on behind the rink)

surrounding area - 8 (Wrigleyville)

food variety - 3 (too cold to get up, we had dogs)

nachos - n/a

beer - 3 (points deducted for Old Style taps not on due to cold)

vendor price - 3 (regular hot dogs should not be more than $3.50)

ticket price - 1 (ours were over $200 on StubHub)

atmosphere - 10 (loud the whole game despite the cold, and the bitter rivalry helped)

walk to park - 8 (a tight crunch coming off the subway, surrounding festivities great)

parking proximity - 2 (parked 15 min. away downtown for $10, took the L)

concourses - 2

team shop - 9 (team stores on Addison and Clark had lots of Winter Classic gear)

best food - post-game pie at Malnati's (there is also one near Wrigley)

most unique stadium feature - the rink set-up in general

best jumbotron feature - fan contest to win set of tires

best intermission feature - card stunts, NIU marching band

starting goalies - Ty Conklin (DET) v. Cristobal Huet (CHI)

Three Stars of the game - none selected

opponent - Detroit Red Wings

time of game - 2:30

attendance - 40418

score - 6-4 L

Admirals score - 3-1 W (12/31)