The Log Dog Blog: NHL Arena #39

The title of this post should really be "NHL Arena" #39 because while we did indeed see an actual NHL game, the arena was the collegiate rink at Arizona State University. Does that seem odd? It is! Although the Coyotes played in Glendale, AZ for 20 years, the city decided not to renew the team's lease, so their games are now housed at Mullett Arena for at least three years (2022-2025). The whole situation is a mess. Nonetheless, it was a new arena for us, so off we went!

We flew to Phoenix very late this past Friday night and returned home very late on Sunday night, in and out of BWI. On our way there, the plane wasn't even half full, which was fantastic and something we rarely experience - apparently late Friday night flights to Phoenix aren't particularly popular? The flight home was a different story as it was completely full, but we had a very nice person sit between so no complaints on that front!

We stayed in Tempe so we'd be a short walk from the arena and wouldn't need to rent a car. The hotel was dog-friendly and had a biscuit bar behind the front desk and a sandwich board in the lobby with the names of the dogs currently staying in hotel. So cute! From our window, we also spotted a dog play area on the roof of the hotel's parking garage and the shades were shaped like bones. 5 stars!

The hockey game was at 1:00 pm on Saturday, so we slept in, went to brunch, and then walked over to the arena. Let me say this: I did not have high hopes for this event and I couldn't even imagine how a small college facility would be able to provide a professional hockey experience. Well, it didn't. Not even close. The tickets are difficult to get and super overpriced because of how many fewer seats are available (17,000+ seats at the arena in Glendale and only 5,000 seats at Mullett Arena). The layout of the arena is very strange and our seats weren't chairs - they were benches. Overall, a very poor fan experience. However, all of that pales in comparison to the security nonsense.

I'm well aware of bag restrictions at sporting events and often just carry my wallet/keys/phone in my pockets. However, I purposely chose the smallest purse I have for this trip (the pic below shows how small it is compared to my sunglasses). Well the only bags that can be brought in must measure 4" x 6". Absolutely absurd. That wasn't really my issue, though. I have no problem with rules/restrictions if they are being enforced equitably, but that was not the case. People were being allowed into the game carrying hoodies and jackets and large blankets, bunched up, with no one checking if anything was inside. I could have easily hidden my purse inside the hoodie I was carrying and no one would have cared. However, I did the right thing and got in line for the bag check. The person in front of me had a baby with them, so they had a very large diaper bag that was allowed in (totally understandable), but they also had a very large crossbody bag that wasn't checked (and they were not asked to take it off) and they were allowed to take it into the arena. I didn't think much of it until it was my turn and the "security personnel" held a 4" x 6" index card up to my bag and said my bag was too big and I couldn't take it in. Honestly, I was beyond dumbfounded given what I'd been witnessing while waiting in line. I was furious because I had no interest in walking back to the hotel to drop it off because it would mean missing the warmup and potentially the beginning of the game. What we ended up doing was emptying the purse, hiding it in the parking garage across the street, and carrying in all of its contents. Such utter stupidity. Again, my issue was not with the supposed "rule," but rather with how it was not being enforced for all guests and how the entire security screening was a joke. Why have a rule if it's not going to be applied across the board?!? You're not actually keeping anyone safe if some people can bring in whatever they want without it being checked! Thankfully my purse was exactly where we left it when we went to pick it up after the game. While I acknowledge that I should have just left my purse at the hotel in the first place, the way "security" was being handled was ridiculous.

The game itself was not bad. We were in row E, so pretty close to the glass behind one of the nets, which is far from our preferred seats at a hockey game, but it was cool to see the action happening relatively close to us. There was a shocking number of Winnipeg Jets fans, so there was a lot of chanting and cheering for both teams, and overall, I'm glad we went even though I'd describe the experience as extremely bush league!

Howler is one of my favorite
NHL mascots

On Sunday, we went to the Desert Botanical Garden and it was beautiful. So many cool plants and cacti! They have a butterfly garden and live music and it made for a great afternoon!