Does Mullett Arena Deserve all of the Negative Publicity?

The Arizona Coyotes have now played their first 4 home games at the new Mullett Arena. The Mullett seats approximately 4,600 fans for hockey games. That number is by far the lowest in terms of seating capacity and something we have not seen in the NHL since the Ottawa Senators were playing games at the 10,000 seat Ottawa Civic Centre in the 1990s.

Coyotes fans routinely complained about the location of the Coyotes previous home in Glendale, Arizona. The Coyotes finished their stay in Glendale last season by averaging a mere 11,600 fans per game at the 17,000 seat Gila River Arena.

In fact, Arizona Coyotes CEO Xavier Gutierrez has already stated publicly that the Coyotes have produced 50% more revenue from ticket sales than they ever did while playing in Glendale.

Is the seating capacity really a problem though? Many would argue that it actually has created a unique and intimate hockey atmosphere with fans closer to the action than nearly any other pro hockey arena in North America. The Coyotes handing out mullets prior to the home opener against the Winnipeg Jets only added to the atmosphere by giving the fans a hint of ‘80s hockey nostalgia. The arena also has a college/student section that allows the Coyotes to bring the energy from Arizona State University students to the NHL.

Coyotes forward Christian Fischer called Mullett Arena a “fun place to play” when interviewed after the Coyotes home opener.

The temporary visitor’s locker room leaves a lot to be desired but it is exactly that – temporary. When the Coyotes finish up their current 14 game road trip the visitor’s locker room will be completed and ready for use. This situation was not ideal but it was also only for 4 home games and the Coyotes had the approval of both the NHL & NHLPA beforehand.

Canadian fans wishing for the Coyotes to move north of the border to Quebec City or Hamilton are being unrealistic because the Phoenix metropolitan area is one of the largest television markets in North America and is the 5th largest city (1. 6 million) & 11th largest metropolitan area (4.8 million) in the United States.

Quebec City by comparison for example only has 549,000 people living in their city and is a paltry television market compared to a major market like Phoenix. If the Coyotes get their Tempe arena deal approved then talks of relocation need to be laid to rest for good.

For now, “The Mullett” is the NHL’s newest arena and will be the talk of the league for quite awhile.