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…
December 16, 2006 – Jobing.com Arena – Glendale, AZ
A trip to Phoenix just before Christmas marked the fourth NHL arena we’ve visited, as we took in a Flames – Coyotes tilt at the Jobing.com arena. One of the more unusual names for an arena, Jobing.com is an employment website and has naming rights for the Glendale Arena until 2016. The arena is located in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, on the Western edge of the city, bordering the desert, and opened in 2003. It is situated across the street from the University of Phoenix Stadium, which is home to the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals.
Much like in Anaheim, this arena is really only accessible by car, as transit links are minimal and it is too far from the rest of the city. When we arrived at the arena, we were confronted with something so bizarre; I didn’t believe it at first. Parking at the arena is free! I didn’t think this was something I’d ever see. We parked our rental car, (a red Mustang), and headed toward the arena. The area around Jobing.com was still being developed, and as a result there weren’t any services nearby. There are plans for an entertainment district called the Westgate City Center, which will feature restaurants, bars, theatres and shops, but for this game there were only construction sites and cacti.
We didn’t have tickets purchased beforehand, knowing that they wouldn’t be hard to come by. We decided to purchase tickets from a scalper outside the arena, who was offering 1st row tickets on the 2nd balcony for $30. The tickets had a face value of $28, but I figured the same tickets at the box-office would cost more after adding in Ticketmaster’s wonderful ‘convenience charge.’ After getting our tickets, we entered this oasis in the desert, where the first 10,000 fans received a ball cap celebrating a “Decade in the Desert.” In Phoenix, ‘the first 10,000 fans’ means everybody gets something, as there is never that many fans in attendance.
The concourses of the Jobing.com arena are similar to those of most modern arenas; wide and well lit. At each corner of the concourse, there was a mini-Hooters outlet, with décor like their restaurants, and abbreviated menus. The staff however, were not wearing the typical Hooters’ uniform. Much like the arenas in California, many of the concessions featured Mexican dishes, including burritos, tacos and quesadillas. The seating bowl in Jobing.com features ‘coyote red’ seats, over 3 levels of seating. Unlike most arenas I’ve been to, the lower bowl is the largest, with 25 rows of seats. The 2nd level features two levels of luxury suites, most of which were empty for this game, and then the upper level, where we were sitting.
Unlike the Arrowhead Pond, the Jobing.com arena does have escalators and elevators, making for an easy ascent to our seats. We were sitting in section 229, (which is in the upper level), even with the blue line in the Flames’ attack end. Our seats happened to be next to four retired teachers and their wives, from Calgary. In fact, one of them taught Social Studies at my high school, but had retired the year before I went there. They told us that they wintered in Phoenix and went to every Flames game, plus a couple of other “interesting games.” I’m assuming they weren’t talking about a Coyotes-Panthers match-up.
The game was a dominating performance by the Flames, and in particular, Jarome Iginla who had two goals and two assists on the night and a 1st Star selection. The Coyotes were unable to mount much of defence and allowed four other goals by Tanguay, Ritchie, Amonte and Langkow. After Iggy scored his 2nd goal of the night at the 7:12 mark of the 3rd period, I was really keen to see him get the hat trick. Thanks to the Coyotes’ generosity, I’d be able to throw my new Coyotes hat onto the ice! Alas, it was Amonte scoring an empty netter to put the game away.
The arena itself is nice, but it just isn’t very exciting for watching a hockey game. First off, it lacks a hockey game atmosphere, which is probably because there isn’t anybody there. Midway through the 3rd period, attendance was announced at 15,551. Judging by the number of empty seats, I’d be shocked if there were much more than 5,000 people in attendance.. They must have been referring to seats sold, as that building was over half empty. Secondly, the location is terrible, being on the outskirts of town. Perhaps when the development around the arena opens up, things will be a little more exciting, but for now it is a very dull location.
Four arenas down, twenty-six to go…..
-TheRev
Jobing.Com Arena Fast Facts
Seats: Section 229; $30.00USD ($28 face value); Scalper outside the Arena
Score: Flames 6, Coyotes 3
Arena Rating: 5.8/10
Unique Concession: Hooters
Souvenir Stick: Yellow Coyotes, plastic
Public Transit: None
Unique Arena Trait: Free parking
Swag: ‘Decade in the Desert’ ballcaps
Photos
No comments:
Post a Comment