My mission is to see the Flames play in all 30 NHL arenas, a mission that began in October of 2005 while at a local pub watching the Flames take on the Oilers. With the previous season’s work stoppage, and the season before’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals, Flames tickets had become a very hard item to come by. I was then struck with the idea of combining two of my favourite activities; watching hockey and travelling. You can follow my quest to visit all 30 arenas right here…
March 1, 2008 – Glendale, AZ
The second leg of this Southern trip took the gang to Phoenix, Arizona. After watching the Flames lose 3-1 to the Ducks the night before, we were keen to hit the highway and head into the desert. Getting to Phoenix from LA is fairly straight forward. Interstate-10 takes you from one to the other, without stopping, and the entire journey takes about six hours. We hit the road a little late; perhaps we were still recovering from all the light beer the night before.
We arrived at our hotel in Glendale a couple of hours before the game. The last time we had been to the Jobing.com arena, there weren’t any businesses within two miles of the facility; it was stranded in the desert. This time around, the arena was surrounded by a development called the Westgate City Center, featuring bars, restaurants, shops and a couple of hotels. As a result, we were able to stay at a newly opened hotel, only a few blocks from the game. The addition of the Westgate City Center completely changed this arena in my eyes. The first time we visited here, the stadium was out in the dark of the desert, like a place where the mob would bury bodies. There was nowhere to go before or after the game except to and from your car before a lengthy drive to pretty much anywhere. The Westgate center provides the arena with a little community full of places to socialize, and actually makes it feels like a part of the community.
We arrived at the arena wearing standard Canadian hockey attire; flip flops, shorts and jerseys. As we entered the building we were given Coyotes gym bags, really nice gym bags in fact; tokens of the Coyotes’ appreciation for us showing up. As we entered the arena, the woman scanning our tickets commented that we were going to be chilly in our shorts and flip flops. “It gets down to 50F in there with the ice,” she said, not realizing we’ve worn shorts in “colder” temperatures.
We did a lap of the concourse, re-familiarizing ourselves with the local concessions. Basically they include a collection of Mexican outlets, standard hot dog outlets and a couple of mini-Hooters. I still find it funny that there are Hooters in the arena. I don’t know why, but it’s funny. We grabbed a couple of beers, and made our way to the seats in section 113 of the lower bowl. Our seats were located just inside the blue line, in the 12th row of the lower bowl, all for a mere $50.
Like our last game here, the Flames put on a dominating performance, beating the Coyotes 3-1. Jarome Iginla was named the game’s first star, recording two goals and an assist. After scoring his 2nd goal 11 minutes into the third, the large contingent of Flames fans in attendance were keen to see him get the hat trick, but it was not to be. We left the arena full of life and full of beer, joining other Flames fans in chants of “Go Flames Go.” To celebrate the victory, we headed to the Westgate City Center, moving from patio to patio and enjoying the warm desert night.
-TheRev
Jobing.com Arena Fast Facts
Seats: Section 113; $50; Ticketmaster
Score: Flames 3, Coyotes 1
Unique Concession: Hooters
Souvenir Stick: previously acquired
Public Transit: none
Unique Arena Trait: Free parking
Swag: Coyotes Gym Bag
Photos
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