New Hockey Arena Will be Ready for 2003-04 Season
Glendale Officials Step Up to Keep NHL Coytoes in the Valley of the Sun
City of Glendale officials have paved the way to keep the National Hockey League Coyotes in the Valley by agreeing to build the team a brand new, state-of-the-art arena at the Loop 101 Freeway and Glendale Avenue.
Glendale’s Mayor and City Council and Coyote officials made the announcement today at a 10 a.m. press conference at City Hall. Earlier in the day, the City Council approved a memo of understanding with the Ellman Companies, owner of the team, that will keep the team in Glendale for 30 years.
“This is a huge victory for the city of Glendale, Glendale residents and for hockey fans throughout Arizona,” said Glendale Mayor Elaine M. Scruggs. “The arena and surrounding development will positively impact Glendale and will eventually become the heart of the West Valley.
“This project came down to a business decision that
represented an incredible economic development engine for the western area of our city. What especially makes this a win-win situation for us is that Ellman will also redevelop the site currently occupied by the Manistee Town Center shopping mall at 59th and Northern avenues into a mixed-use commercial center.”
As part of the agreement, Ellman Companies will develop a mixed-use project of approximately 200 acres near the Loop 101 over a 10-year period consisting of three million square feet of entertainment,
retail, office, residential and other commercial uses.
The focal point of the project will be the multi-purpose arena that will serve as home to the Coyotes hockey team. Ellman will acquire the land, design and construct the arena and necessary infrastructure, including parking facilities.
Upon completion of the arena in 2003, the city will reimburse Ellman for all associated construction costs up to $180 million and will become the owner of the arena. Both the Coyotes and Glendale will use the arena for other public uses throughout the year.
The arena will be funded from taxes generated from the site, from General Obligation bonds earmarked for related projects, parking revenues and other dedicated revenue streams. Funding for this project will not affect current city services or delay any planned projects.
THE ULTIMATE SPORTS ROAD TRIP
By: Andrew Kulyk & Peter Farrell
| Jobing.com Arena Ranking by USRT |
| Architecture |  | 4 |
| Concessions | | 7.5 |
| Scoreboard | | 8 |
| Ushers | | 1.5 |
| Fan Support | | 4.5 |
| Location | | 4 |
| Banners/History | | 6 |
| Entertainment | | 7 |
| Concourses/Fan Comfort | | 7 |
| Bonus: USRT Red Carpet Treatment | | 4 |
| Bonus: Free Parking | | 3 |
| Bonus: Doug Moss is the Prez | | 1 |
| Bonus: No Obstructive Seats | | 1 |
| Total Score |  | 58.5 |
March 10, 2004 - In 1996 the Winnipeg Jets relocated to the Valley of the Sun and were reborn as the Phoenix Coyotes. America West Arena in downtown Phoenix became their new home, but it was plainly evident that this could only be a temporary arrangement. America West was built for basketball - the home of the NBA Phoenix Suns, and its intimate seating configuration was well suited for hoops action but horrendous for hockey. The result - thousands upon thousands of obstructed view seats. Plans were launched again and again for different arena plans - the "Los Arcos" project in suburban Scottsdale was the most ambitious, combining a hockey arena with a shopping mall, but that plan unraveled. Time passed, and eventually a huge tract of land was acquired in Glendale, a suburb northwest of Phoenix. Construction for the Coyotes new home began in 2001, and on December 27, 2003, the puck was dropped at the new Glendale Arena for the very first time, ushering a new era for NHL hockey, here, in the deserts of Arizona.
Getting to the Venue
Finding Glendale Arena is a snap, as the venue is located directly off Loop 101, an arterial expressway which winds its away around Phoenix's northern suburbs. Wide boulevards and ramps provide access to an elaborate road system which takes you into the arena property itself. There is nothing surrounding the venue except for wide open spaces and plenty of onsite parking. Parking for Coyotes games is free. Let's repeat that... parking for Coyotes games is FREE, the only franchise in the four major sports to offer complimentary parking for fans attending the event. Public transportation to the games is non existent... Phoenix and its suburbs is a huge sprawling metropolis, with subdivisions, stores, schools and expressways going up so fast they can barely keep up. Car transportation around these parts is an absolute must.
Outside the Venue
For now Glendale Arena rises out of the horizon in the middle of a huge vacant tract of land. But that is about to change, and in a very huge way. Right next door is the Arizona Cardinals new stadium, the framework going up and should be open in time for the 2006 NFL season. And Glendale Arena is the centerpiece of a massive project called "Westgate". This 6.5 million square foot development will consist of shopping centers, malls, entertainment venues, lofts, apartments, public park spaces, all with the arena serving as a focal point of an exciting synergy of (sub)urban planning. Shovels are ready to go into the ground soon, and when this project is done, will transform the arena project and this area into a vibrant and dynamic cityscape, unprecedented in sports venue construction.
Patrons going to Glendale Arena today will enter, for the most part, through gate 4, the main entrance to the arena, and a nicely landscaped public plaza awaits, with floodlit palm trees, benches, a large video board overlooking the main gate, and temporary stages with entertainment, as well as booths selling souvenirs and local radio stations promoting their wares. All makes for a nice gathering place. And chances are good that you will be enjoying the warm and balmy winter weather that only Arizona can offer during hockey season.
Architecture and Seating Bowl
The designers of this arena took elements of other NHL venues which have opened in recent years and incorporated them here. The main entrance plaza looks strikingly similar to the pavilion at the Office Depot Center in Sunrise, Florida. In the seating bowl there are stacked party suites in each corner, reminiscent of the configuration at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. The upper deck concourse is at the top of the seating bowl, same as at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, and an outdoor Party Deck is similar to those in Dallas and Tampa Bay, where visitors can enjoy refreshments in the sultry Arizona air.
The outside of the building is brown and cooper colored granite with plenty of glass accents, and at night vertical neon strips shine brightly as a beacon, along with plenty of floodlit landscaping the venue looks as nice at night as it does during the day.
The seating bowl is configured in two decks, and in between those decks are two levels of luxury suites. Seats are all colored wine red, and interestingly, the upper deck seating balcony has a very steep vertical pitch, putting those fans right on top of the action. A great way to enjoy the game! As is the case with the new venues, Glendale Arena has all the 21st century technological enhancements - 360 degree surround LED boards along the balcony with companion ribbon boards scrolling underneath the scoreboard. And speaking of scoreboard, this one is a wide screen four sided affair, with dot matrix boards stacked above. All very nicely presented. Out of town scores for the NHL and NBA are continually scrolled on a panel on the surround board.
Concourses
Nice, clean and brightly lit concourses throughout the arena, with soft recessed lighting and sparkiing terrazzo tile floors, but the color scheme does seem to lend itself to being a bit sterile looking. However on the positive side, most spots in the upper and lower levels offer views of the seating bowl and the action on the ice.
Escalators are located on the north end of the building and take fans to all levels. The building is very easy to navigate, with plenty of wide public spaces.
Concessions
Food selection offers quite a variety of delicacies, and not just one that are near and dear to the local culture. Sausage Haus' offering brats, Delis with your favorite cold sandwiches, New York style pizza, even a Japanese cuisine stand all to be found at Glendale. And of course the aptly named Tortilla Flats with its selection of nachos, burritos, churros and other local fare. The team store is named "Coyotes Den", with a nice selection of merchandise and can be found near the main entrance.
Premium Seating
In addition to two levels of luxury suites, the Coyotes offer the Lexus Club, a second level seating perch in one end zone, with private entrance, nicely appointed bar area and premium food selections including a buffet. Patrons sitting along the glass have access to a separate club lounge at ice level, where fans can watch the players up close as they make their way onto the ice. An outdoor party terrace is also available to premium ticket holders.
Banners/Retired Numbers
There is but one banner hanging high in the rafters at Glendale Arena, and that is for #99, Wayne Gretzky, now part of the Coyotes ownership group. The banner is done in Coyotes team colors. Thankfully, the Coyotes haven't raised some silly and ridiculous banner like "Most Wins In A Season When The Outside Temperature Is 80 Degrees Or Above", and for that, we are profoundly grateful.
Hat Tricks, Assists, Penalties...
Hat Trick - to Phoenix Coyotes President and CEO Doug Moss, and also to Coyotes VP/Communications Rich Nairn, who went the extra mile to make our visit to Glendale Arena truly special. Doug is former Buffalo Sabres Prez, so when we emailed him and told him two roadtrippers would be coming from his old home town to pay a visit to his arena, he fixed us up with terrific club seats. Doug and Rich met up with us during the game, gave us their valuable time for an interview, and treated us with concession vouchers. Our humble thanks to these two guys and we are proud to induct Doug and Rich into the Ultimate Sports Road Trip Hall of Fame.
Assist - speaking of former Buffalo people (and we run into Buffalo transplants EVERYWHERE, how come nobody ever moves TO Buffalo?), former Buffalo radio personality Barry Buetel now works for the Coyotes as game host for the Coyotesvision telecast in the arena. We stopped by the in-arena studio and got a chance to chat with Barry for a few minutes before the game.
Penalty - Yes, again, we tangle with game day staff who are proud graduates of the Sphincter Police Academy. An octagenarian who we'll call "Gramps" was the usher at the top of our section, C-7. Every time we left our seats, for whatever reason, he would come down to our row once we returned and demand to see our tickets. Andrew finally blew up at Gramps and he then backed down. Keep in mind, this was the Lexus Club, one has to go through two ticket checkpoints just to get IN to this area of the building. But read on...
Penalty, and Game Misconduct - To "Carlos", the usher in sec 111/112, which is lower level center ice. We meandered down there with about four minutes left in the game, figuring to grab some photos and then set up for our official "in the building" shot. Keep in mind, the home team was down 3-1, and the fan exodus was well underway. Well, surprise, surprise, Carlos would not let us pass, even though we held a more expensive seat then the ones he was so zealously guarding. When the game concluded, we blew by him, to snag our photo before the lights dimmed. Well Carlos comes down and starts chirping at us how "we're in the way" and to hurry and finish up. Or else WHAT, Carlos? The game is over! Everyone has left! "I'm just doing my job", he mutters. No Carlos, you're not doing your job. Your job is to make your paying guests feel welcome, not intimidated. Your job is to exercise a little discretion in application of the rules. A nice gesture would have been to hold the camera and take the picture, but your arrogant and disgusting behavior was an embarassment to your team and for us, a blight on what was otherwise a perfect evening.
Assist - Don't let the above stories reflect on everyone we encountered in the building. We were warmly greeted when we entered, game day staff were more than happy to direct us around, and courtesy was the norm. Just a shame how a few Napoleonic bad apples could ruin it for all.
Penalty - once again, our karma wilts in the intense heat of the Arizona desert as the Coyotes are dominated by Kings team in the hunt to make the post season. The final tally is 3-1 and the game was really not all that competitive.
Hat Trick - To the Coyotes "HOWL". The howl is the signature chant when the home team scores, when the music is jacking up the fans, and is unique to this team. All very cool!
Assist - An elaborate display of the Westgate project is near the main lobby, and murals along with a scale model of the setup are all nicely presented.
Summary
Our assessment of these new venues always focuses on what is new and unique, a "signature element", so to speak, and it is in this department that Glendale Arena falls short. This building is nice, very nice, but what is here to set it apart from the rest? Not only are there no unique designs, but attractive features of other arenas were integrated into this venue, and what you have here is a mish-mosh that one could call "best of NHL arenas".
What would we suggest? First of all, give the lobbies and concourses a proprietary decor. How about southwest design - Native American and southwest art, accents and patterns that are unique to this region (go see San Antonio's SBC Center). For now this building could be replicated in any city in America and one wouldn't miss a beat. Second, do something to celebrate the team's history. Backlit photo panels of Coyotes great moments, players etc., adorning the corridors would do much to personalize the place. And yes, do something to showcase the franchise's move from Winnipeg. The story is a compelling one, and the franchise has a great history that include the buzzwords Avco Cup, portrait of the Queen hanging in the rafters, and the "whiteouts", where fans dress in white for the playoff games, a tradition which made its way south. This story deserves a place here. Third. Will the arena be truly integrated into Westgate, or will it be just a building in the neighborhood? We like sports venues in active and vibrant urban settings, and how this evolves and comes together will be something to watch. Lastly, with people pouring into this region in droves to live here, there should be enough of a market to fill this place. For now, scoring a Coyotes ticket is no challenge here.
For architecture, design, event presentation and future plans for Westgate, we still give Glendale Arena high marks. And the frosting on the cake has to be that FREE PARKING. Still shakin' our heads over that one!
Can't wait for a return visit in Fall 2006 to see what it all looks like then!
