A REVIEW OF THE NOW-DEFUNCT GILA RIVER ARENA
ARENA INFORMATION
- Location: Glendale, Arizona
- Opened: 2003
- Capacity 17,125
- Games attended: 3
- Last visited: 2022
ARENA REVIEW
I’ve never been much of a fan of suburban rinks with an attendance problem. Arena builders should put the rink in the city.
Phoenix is among the most non-traditional of the non-traditional hockey markets. In the absence of a fantastic on-ice product, teams in these markets need to put on a show. And when people go to the show, they also like to go for dinner and perhaps a few drinks before calling it a night. That’s harder to do if you know you have a half-hour drive ahead of you.
The Gila River Arena itself (now called the Desert Diamond Arena) was really very nice, just in the wrong place, which hurt attendance and therefore dulled the vibe. The sound system and scoreboards were top notch. The seats were comfy. Prices were reasonable vis a vis the rest of the league. And the fans’ Coyote howl was pretty cool; unfortunately, it echoed off thousands of empty seats on most nights.
The Westgate Entertainment Complex that surrounds the arena and football stadium has a few good (mainly chain) restaurants and bars where you can whet your whistle. On my second-last visit, I stayed at a nearby hotel to take full advantage of the area and had a blast; but it’s not as fun if you’re part of the 90% who’ll have a longish drive home and therefore have to maintain some modicum of sobriety.
Ever since coming from Winnipeg, this team seems to be the one rumored to be going somewhere else, be it Kansas City, Houston or Quebec City. Maybe they should. But given how many stayed away from this nice place, I’m not sure a move 30 miles east will be the answer.
