Arizona Coyotes: Playing at a college rink might actually be fun
The Arizona Coyotes are expected to be one of the worst teams in the NHL. So far, they haven’t really disappointed that expectation as they are 2-4-0 to kick off the season. The thing is that all six of those games have taken place on the road.
Due to building problems, the Coyotes are playing their home games at the Arizona State University rink known as Mullett Arena. It is a building that holds 5000 people, so it is certainly going to be a big change for an NHL team in this day and age.
Some people are going to find it looking like a bad look for the NHL, and they may be right. The best hockey league in the world has one of its 32 teams playing in a small college rink. However, there is something cool about it in a lot of ways.
It should be fun seeing the Arizona Coyotes play their games at a college rink.
ESPN’s John Buccigross posted a video on Twitter where he interviewed a few NHL players and asked them about it. Guys like Clayton Keller, Jack Eichel, and Sidney Crosby, amongst others, had some interesting takes on it, but they all seemed to think it was going to be a cool experience.
Seeing someone like Sidney Crosby, one of the best players ever, comment on it was especially cool. Seeing him play there will be even more interesting when it happens.
From “The Point” (6-7pm ESPN2 every Tuesday)…I asked NHL players about playing NHL games at the @ArizonaCoyotes @SunDevilHockey #cawlidgehawkey rink…. pic.twitter.com/ksIQSjeit6
— BucciOT.Com (@Buccigross) October 27, 2022
Again, the Coyotes aren’t very good, but they are trying to get themselves a building while rebuilding their team at the same time. That can’t be easy, and the hockey people involved should be excited about how fun this could be.
The college kids that attend Arizona State have to be thrilled about this. With 5000 people in a smaller rink for an NHL game, that should make for an intimate experience for them and the players playing on the ice.
The first one is going to be an ESPN Plus exclusive on Friday night when the Coyotes host the Winnipeg Jets. Hopefully, their crowd is able to help them along this season and makes it as exciting as it sounds.
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Everyone knows about student sections and how they can impact college games, so we will see if they are able to have a similar vibe in this rink at ASU. It should be a lot of fun to watch all season long. As hockey fans, it would be cool to see the Coyotes pull off a big win in this arena’s debut.