Game #10: Arizona Coyotes (March 22, 2015)
March 22, 2015
Important Preamble:
As you can probably tell, I’m having the trip of a lifetime, but there’s one thing I need to ramp up a bit more! (Actually a lot more!)
This trip is my “wish list” trip, a trip which I was prepared to take for the sheer thrill and enjoyment one gets out of taking a a dream trip. But its more important purpose is to raise money for Make-A-Wish, so children with life threatening medical conditions can be granted a wish that would not otherwise be possible without your support!
My website has received over 10,000 hits this past week, and our donations are up to around the same dollar amount. For those who have made a donation so far, thank you very much!
I would like to put out a challenge to those who have not donated (yet), with hopes to significantly raise the donation level! It only takes a few minutes to make a donation on-line (at the secure Make-A-Wish site), and any amount donated makes a difference!! So if you haven’t donated to this point, now is the time to do so!! And for Edmonton fans, let’s pump up the donation thermometer for the game on March 23rd! It’s my 11th game of my 30-day trip, so I will be there to see your support!!
And now on to the hockey game tonight:
The Arizona Coyotes play out of Glendale (in the Gila River Arena), and their arena is surrounded by restaurants, bars, and shops, providing a reason to go to the game early, and a reason to hang out afterwards. (And by the way, look how close you can park near the arena, without having a special pass or season ticket holder status.)
For this game, I was joined by a very good friend (Darren) and his awesome son (Benny), who is the coolest and most mature 10-year-old I’ve ever met. It was great to have company for this game, so thanks Darren for joining me for the tenth game of my 30-game trip!
It’s a relaxed casual atmosphere before game time, with fans milling about, grabbing a bite or a drink before the game.
This is the tenth game of my trip, and one interesting thing I’ve noticed is the large number of visiting fans who come to see hockey games in another team’s arena. Tonight’s game was another example, with Canucks jerseys outnumbering Coyotes jerseys. A lot of Canadians make Arizona their second home (winter months), so it was neat to hear the number of Canadians who sang along to “O Canada” before the game started. And it was neat to see a few fans with Gretzky jerseys, recognizing the time the Great One spent with the Coyotes.
The Gila River Arena is another of the fine new arenas which allows elbow room in the corridors where people mingle, eat, drink, etc. in the intermissions. 
I was selected for a second intermission interview, and beforehand, I had the opportunity to meet up with a man who was the former GM of the team for which Oliver Ekman-Larsson, one of the NHL’s best defensemen, played in Sweden. (Ekman-Larsson scored the lone Coyotes goal, a beauty of a goal, for which the Swedish fans, amongst Coyotes fans, stood up to cheer.)
Unfortunately for the home team, the Canucks scored late in the third period (power play goal), and added an empty net goal, with Vancouver beating the Coyotes by a score or 3-1. For the number of Canadian fans (or Canucks fans) at the game, it was a great win!
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