Whiteout in Cowtown?

Is it just me or are there a lot of people in Calgary cheering for the Phoenix Coyotes?

Case in point, I was out on Friday night at a bar on 17th avenue grabbing a couple of beverages after the Hitmen game, while catching glimpses of the Yotes Wings game on the screen behind me. And to my amazement, and less than the time it took for me to order a beer an enormous cheer was let out in the bar as if the Flames had just been allowed back into the playoffs on account of good behaviour.

Unfortunately this pipe dream was not the case, but instead it was a goal by Coyote Captain Shane Doan that set the place a blaze. Ok, so maybe I over exaggerated the level of cheer, but it was a definitely loud enough to cause a stir in the bar. A courtesy check to see what was going on in Phoenix was made by numerous beer-filled customers.

There was no ‘Whiteout’ in the bar, but something tells me if the Desert Dogs manage to get by the Wings, this cactus fuelled bandwagon will have a lot more patrons aboard come the second round.

The connection between Calgary and Phoenix has its obvious similarities.

First off, many Calgary citizens jet off down to the desert to escape the sub-zero temperatures of the winter months. Much like easterners flock to places like Florida, westerners often travel into Arizona or Southern California to rid themselves of touching that fluffy white stuff. While down there, many people I know have enjoyed a rousing Coyote hockey game given the ease it takes to acquire tickets along with the Canadian ‘hockey fix’ that is needed bi-weekly.

Secondly, the Flames and the Coyotes have been involved in numerous trades over the last number of years. Not only trades, but Flames players that have become UFA’s and have chosen Phoenix as there docking point; case in point Adrian Aucoin, better known as the ‘Eliminator.’

Phoenix is also the home for Jim Vandemeer, traded for Brandon Prust last summer, and Matthew Lombardi, traded with Brandon Prust at last years trade deadline for Olli Jokinen. Ironically enough Brandon Prust resides in New York now after being traded with the aforementioned Jokinen at this year’s trade deadline.

In 2006, the Flames dealt Steven Reinprecht and disgruntled goaltender Phillip Sauve to Phoenix for Brian Boucher and Mike Leclerc. Boucher is currently backstopping the Flyers while Leclerc is waiting tables at your local Swiss Chalet.

The FAN960, Calgary’s all sports radio network, even gave a trip away to Phoenix including tickets to Games 1 and 2, hotel room, a round of golf and $500 spending cash to one lucky listener. They also broadcast the Coyotes games on air if there is not a Hitmen game going on.

My point is that Flames fans need someone to cheer for in this first hockeyless spring in seven years and Phoenix is simply the feel good story of the year. Coupled with the connection to the city Calgarians feel, it is the perfect match for a ‘sudo home team’ while our own home team figures out what went wrong over the coming months.

I, personally, must admit that I have a small place in my heart for the Yotes and will be cheering them on as they make their improbable run towards Lord Stanley.

Anything is better than having to cheer for the Canucks.

And as for the guy that will respond to this saying that Vancouver is Canadian and we should support the ‘Canadian’ teams, give your head a shake.

A Yankee fan wouldn’t be caught dead cheering for the Sox, nor would a Cowboy fan be caught wearing a Giants or Eagles jersey, so a true Flames fan should definitely not be caught yelling ‘Luuuuuuuu’ when Roberto touches the puck, unless of course it was a situation like tonight where he traded in his mask for a ball cap midway through the game.

Then, and only then, may you scream ‘Luuuuuu’ at the top of your lungs.

This has been,

Newman on the Coyotes/Flames

Flames improve chances

The Flames won 2-1.

The Avs lost 5-2.

“So you’re telling me there’s a chance!”

With the events of tonight, the Flames now sit only two points behind Colorado with a colossal, gigantic, enormous match-up against those same Avs on Friday night in the Mile High City.

Miikka Kiprusoff single-handedly won yet another game for the Flames, who have leaned on their goaltender far too often this season. He robbed numerous Coyotes on multiple opportunities throughout the game. That included a flurry of about two minutes in the first when the line of Stempniak-Lombardi-Wolski did everything but score. There was also about a five minute surge by the visitors in the final frame where Miikka was on his head making acrobatic saves at every turn.

The power play did score a goal; a laser beam off of Bourque’s skate. For the most part though, and especially in the first period, the power play hindered the Flames more than helped them.

On a side note, does anyone else think it is utterly hilarious and ironic that the Flames former back-up goaltender just gave the current Flames a much needed boost? Curtis McElhinney —Kipper’s former stick boy — was the winning goaltender for the Ducks tonight over the Avalanche. This was Mac’s 4th straight win as well. A guy who was shunned out of this city for not being a reliable back-up to call upon has now given the Flames more help than he ever provided wearing the flaming C. Irony at its finest.

Ales Kotalik: Scoring Machine?

A new nickname perhaps? Most likely not, but the fact that Kotalik is finally finding the net has been an added boost for the desperate Flames. That, along with line-mate Mikael Backlund’s performance tonight gave Flames fans something extra to cheer about.

Backlund is starting to show signs of the potential the Darryl saw in him when he drafted him 24th overall in 2007. Backlund has now picked up three points in his past two games and showed some grit tonight diving in front of pucks and battling down in the corners. He has the potential to be the number one centre that Iginla has always wanted, but is that asking too much from a rookie with only 19 games of professional hockey experience under his belt?

Speaking of the Flames number one centre, did you see Matt Stajan skate over the blue line and then drop the puck back over the blue line putting himself offside?

That guy’s got Skills, with a capital S! I’m sure glad the Flames didn’t sign him long term…

And one final plug, for all those people who did not catch my radio debut today on the CBC, click here to listen to the clip!

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Source of Photo: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2010/03/31/nhl-coyotes-flames-west.html

Newman on the Flames on CBC

Newman was on CBC Radio One this afternoon talking about the Flames's last gasp effort to make the playoffs. You can listen to the clip right here:

Newman on CBC


-TheRev

Vive Le Quebec Libre...of NHL Hockey.

Jean Charest, Premier of Quebec, said this week that after talking with Gary Bettman, he is confident NHL hockey will return to Quebec City. “It is going to happen,” said the Premier, citing plans to build a new arena to lure the NHL back to Quebec’s capital city.

Cela est une grande idée Jean. But here’s why it ain’t gonna happen.

1. Population of Quebec City. It has historic battlefields, a beautiful riverside setting, and the largest winter festival in the world. What it doesn’t have is people. According to the 2006 census, there are only 715, 515 people in the metropolitan area of Quebec City, which would make it by far the smallest market in the NHL. (Edmonton is currently the smallest, with 1,034,945, but is still 44% larger than Quebec City.) There simply aren’t enough people in Quebec City to sustain an NHL team. A major arena needs to be filled more than just the 41 times per year that an NHL team would be playing. There also needs to be concerts, trade shows, conventions, etc. I don’t think that Quebec City’s small population would be able to make an arena of this size feasible.

A small population also means the media numbers would be low. With just over 700,000 people, there wouldn't be a significant TV or radio audience. Add to this that any boradcast would most likely be in French only, it would further limit the team from picking up any viewers in the Northeastern US or the Maritimes. While the Flames and Oilers, which don’t have very large population bases either, can draw TV audiences from other parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and eastern British Columbia, a Quebec City team would be forced to compete with the Canadiens for any viewers out side of the city itself; a battle I don't see them winning anytime soon.

2. Corporate Money. There isn’t any. Or at least there isn’t enough. Quebec City is a government town, not a center of business and commerce. The majority of people work for the government in one capacity or another. While government jobs offer above average pay scales, government departments or agencies are unable to buy luxury boxes, club seating or even season tickets. Nobody working for the Federal Government ever says, “I have my company’s tickets tonight, wanna go?” And if that did happen, I’m sure most Canadians would be outraged that their tax dollars were going toward hockey tickets. Ottawa has a similar problem being primarily a government town. There aren't nearly as many large corporations as Toronto, Vancouver or Calgary, which means fewers corporate sales, which bring in millions of dollars each year from club seating and luxury suites. There simply are not enough companies in Quebec City that could afford to purchase a luxury suite for $200,000, or buy season tickets in a club section, and the average Joe cannot afford to pay even close to what most companies can pay for these seats.

3. The Arena. Mr Charest says that they will build an NHL calibre arena, capable of hosting not only a hockey team, but also the Winter Olympics. First off, that would be at least seven or eight years away before an arena could be built, and that’s if they started tomorrow. While he may say that his government is willing to pay 200 or 300 million dollars toward an arena, we’ll have to wait and see what the people have to say about it. The people in Quebec might not be too happy seeing so much of their money going toward another arena or stadium. They need only look at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, which ended up costing $1.6 billion, took 30 years to pay off, and is perhaps the biggest white elephant in Canada, no longer being used for anything except one or two Alouette games each year. A new arena in Quebec City would sit empty a lot of the year as well, as their small population wouldn’t be able to fill it.

4. The NHL. Gary Bettman and the National Hockey League, despite what Jean Charest feels, have no interest in moving to Quebec City. For starters, it is far too small a market, lacking both people and corporate money. Secondly, the people in Quebec City are already hockey fans and already follow the NHL. If the Lightning moved from Tampa to Quebec, what few people followed the Lightning would probably stop watching hockey all together, causing the NHL to lose fans. Meanwhile there isn’t any increase by moving to a team to Quebec, as those fans are simply changing their allegiance. On the off, off chance that Quebec ever did receive a team, I would think it would be an expansion team, not through a relocation, which leads to the final reason. After fighting so hard to keep the NHL in Phoenix, why would they suddenly let another franchise pick up stakes and move to Quebec City? The answer is they wouldn’t and they won’t.



There is a reason that the Nordiques moved in the first place. They weren’t viable 15 years ago, and there’s no reason to think they would be viable in 2010. The list of cities that will be home to an NHL franchise before Quebec City is long; Hamilton, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Houston, Seattle, Portland, Hartford and Milwaukee. All have larger populations, better arenas and more money, and if by chance a team relocated, it would be to one of these cities before Quebec City.


photo from http://www.toptenz.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/nordiques-uniform.jpg

Streaks Snapped

Unfortunately, the amazing run away from home ice had to end sometime. With tonight’s 2-1 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes, the Flames failed to pick up a point on the road for the first time since October 13th, when they fell 2-1 to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Another streak ended tonight as Miikka Kiprusoff allowed a goal for the first time in 159 minutes and 10 seconds after coming off personal back-to-back shutouts of Detroit and Nashville. Kipper was spectacular in the first half of tonight’s affair stopping all 15 shots fired on him in the first period, including a stunning two pad stack on Daniel Winnik to keep the game scoreless.

The Coyotes finally get to #34. After an extended 5 on 3 powerplay that the Flames managed to kill off, the Flames could not clear the zone and a shot by Petr Prucha slipped between Kipper and the post for the Coyotes first goal. A weak goal to end Kipper’s run of shutout hockey, but much like the Flames unbelievable road point streak, this streak had to end sometime.

The Coyotes, for their part, are not the most offensively talented team and play a very defensive style of play in order to win a majority of their games. For years, under the tutelage of ‘The Great One’, they struggled to find an identity and never really had any breath of success. Now, under the watchful eye of Dave Tippett (Not sure what Dallas was thinking in getting rid of him), they have developed a style of play that enables them to have more success. Nothing too fancy, but strong defensive efforts and they give Ilya Bryzgalov a chance to make saves. This worked for years in places like Minnesota and New Jersey and now it is apparent that Tippett and Assistant Coach Dave King have inserted a ‘trap’ style of hockey in the Desert. A concept that will not attract fans to the stadium, but a style of play that might help a dilapidated franchise reach the playoffs for the first time in eight years. For information sake, there was an announced attendance of 9,868 people tonight. In the words of Dan O’Toole of TSN, “Apparently people came dressed as seats.”(The comment was regarding the Thrasher game, but I thought it fit here as well)

Iginla and Jokinen both had 3 game point streaks snapped, while David Moss extended his point streak to 5 games when he opened the scoring with 1 second left in the 1st period. Rene Bourque returned from missing six games with an injury played 20:53 and registering 4 shots on net. Bourque is one guy you rarely have to worry about when it comes to work ethic, as he always puts forth a strong effort night in and night out.

Taylor Pyatt winning goal should never have happened. He should have been contained as he out muscled two Flames and slid it through Kiprusoff’s pads. Giordano can not allow him to get the shot off and Kiprusoff should make that save. The Coyotes limited the Flames chances and Bryzgalov stopped the Flames when he needed to.

The Flames are still 3-1 on their current 6 game stretch. Next is a clash with the lead leaguing Sharks on Saturday night. Just like when the Flames play the Blackhawks, game against San Jose should give a good indication of how good these Flames actually are. Let’s hope it goes better than that last ‘test’ game the Flames played…7-1 anyone…

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Source of Photo: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=301019

A Tale of Two Goalies

The Flames needed a win at home, and they did exactly that; gaining a decisive 2-1 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes. Not the prettiest game in the world to watch but a win is a win anyway you slice it.

With two of the better goaltenders going head to head, one could have guessed that this would have been a low scoring affair. Let’s compare their stats after tonight’s contest:

Ilya Bryzgalov: 12 Wins, 2.13 GAA, .918 Save %
Miikka Kiprusoff: 13 Wins, 2.49 GAA, .917 Save %

Both goalies played well enough to win the game tonight but only Kipper came out with the W. Phoenix does not exactly possess the highest scoring offence; they average the 3rd least goals in the league while Calgary ranks 6th best. The Coyotes did not create many actual scoring chances throughout the game and the Flames were able to keep the chances they did get mainly to the perimeter. The one goal Phoenix did score was a point shot on the backend of the powerplay, which found its way through a maze and into the back of the net. Calgary managed to play one of its stronger defensive games this season.

As for the Flames offence, they were propelled forward by their second line and some great fore-checking. The first goal was produced by some great work down low by Eric Nystrom, coupled with a timely broken stick from Conroy, which enabled Langkow to slip onto the ice and into the slot unabated ripping it through Bryzgalov’s five hole. Calgary’s second goal was created also by some diligent fore-checking and a dandy no-look pass from David Moss, which Nigel Dawes through into the net for his first goal in 13 games.

A strong game from the secondary scoring of the Flames which is much needed as Jarome Iginla, unfortunately, can not score every game.

Anyone watching the game would have noticed Sutter shuffling the deck with the top line Left Wing spot all night. Lundmark, Dawes and Boyd all sifted by Iggy and Jokinen’s left side and no one seems to be able to cement their spot on the top unit. Who else is there? Do we bring up Backlund and give him a shot? Is it too soon for him? I think Boyd is the best fit for that line and presents the most upside at this point, but only time will tell. As for Lundmark, he is too much of a defensive liability at this point to be a permanent fixture on the top line or in the NHL. He does possess some offensive flare but his inconsistencies on the defensive side of the puck have plagued him for years and are a main reason he has never stuck it out in the big leagues. His ice time has severely decreased in the three games he has played, dropping to 11:06 in tonight’s affair.

Going back to the goalies, both have the opportunity to represent their countries at the upcoming Olympic Winter games. While the Breeze will battle Nabokov for the starting job for Russia, Kipper has stated that he will only play for Finland if he is named the starter. The decision by Kipper is controversial in some respects, but the right choice. He is deserving of the starters role at this point, by simply being the most experienced Finnish goalie and arguably playing the best right now. Pekka Rinne and Antero Nittymaki will both challenge Kipper for the job, but Rinne is very inexperienced and Nittymaki has been quite inconsistent over the years; albeit both goalies are playing well at the moment. In the end, it is Kiprusoff’s job to lose, and Jari Kurri’s decision to make.

As for the Flames, they head out on a six game road trip that takes them through Detroit, Columbus, Nashville, Phoenix, San Jose and Los Angeles. A very critical road trip as the Flames are looking to uproot Colorado from their perch atop the Northwest division. We should expect to see McElhinney at least once along the long trip as Kipper can not be expected to rival the Energizer bunny for endurance, like he has in years past. The Flames will look to improve on their spectacular road record of 7-1-3, and put some separation between them and the rest of the western conference.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Source of Photo: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/dawes-propels-flames-past-coyotes/article1377911/

Blue Jacket Blues

I received an interesting email today from the Columbus Blue Jackets. I’ve been on their mailing list for a couple of years after buying tickets from their website, but haven’t unsubscribed as I enjoy getting some of their offers. For example, last month, I received an offer of a lower bowl ticket, a pre-game buffet in the club section and a beer in their in-arena pub after the game. All of this could be had for the low price of $50. I don’t think you could have the buffet for $50 in Calgary.

Today, however, I received a different type of email from the Blue Jackets, and one I’m glad we won’t be receiving in Calgary anytime soon. The email, with a subject line of “Important Question,” talked about how the Blue Jackets and Nationwide are working with local officials for a solution to their economic problems. It then asks you to complete a survey, which is being conducted on their behalf by Business First of Columbus. The survey consists of a single question: “How Important Is It That Columbus Retains the Blue Jackets Hockey Franchise?” I can’t imagine what it would be like to get an email from the Flames asking how important it was to me that they stay in town.

The email speaks volumes about what is happening in the NHL right now. Most of the talk recently has been around the Phoenix Coyotes and their financial troubles and the discussion of the viability of hockey franchises is usually confined to the Sunbelt locations. It is usually assumed that the teams in the North are safe and can survive without any problems. When one of these so-called “northern” teams is sending their fans an email asking if the franchise is important, you know something is rotten in the City of Columbus.

I attended a Blue Jackets game in 2008 against the Flames. The game was fairly late in the season, and the Blue Jackets were already effectively eliminated from the playoffs, but the arena was about three-quarters full. The problem for the Blue Jackets isn’t getting fans into the building; it’s getting them to pay more to do so. We sat in the lower bowl, three rows behind the Flames bench with tickets that cost less than $50. The same tickets in the Saddledome would cost at least three times that much.

Here in lies what I believe to be the problem with many of the teams in the NHL. The attendance problems in Phoenix are well documented, but people often point to some successful franchises were attendance is ‘good,’ like Carolina or Tampa. Yes, there may be a lot of fans in the building, but their ticket prices are so low, they are at a serious disadvantage economically compared to teams in Vancouver, Philadelphia or New York, and this doesn’t take into account the fact that their TV audiences are almost non-existent. While the Phoenix situation seems to have been resolved temporarily with a sale to the NHL, it hasn’t. Attendance in Phoenix has plummeted to even lower levels, and those fans in attendance are hardly paying anything to be there. Their problems will come to the surface again, and the next time the Coyotes are the top story, I would expect a few other franchises to be right there with them.


-TheRev

Arena #4.2 - Jobing.com Arena

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

Arena #4 - Jobing.Com Arena

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