Phoenix looks to hire California firm to help study new downtown arena (Glendale: new home, landlord)

[cjseliga]

Article from the Phoenix Business Journal

Phoenix looks to hire California firm to help study new downtown arena

[Valley Native]

Sounds good if a new arena downtown could be the new home for the Suns AND the Coyotes. Talking Stick Arena is one of the older sports venues in the nation, and is showing its age. Most of all, that name (Talking Stick) is awful. I liked it when it was America West Arena, and even U.S. Airways Center wasn't bad. I say build the arena for the Suns and move the Coyotes there ... but the big downside: taxpayer money will likely be used, and I am very much against that. There's no reason why the NBA & the NHL can't contribute a fraction of their mega billions to build something like this.

[Potential_Landlord]

What will happen to West Gate if the Coyotes move out?

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by Potential_Landlord

What will happen to West Gate if the Coyotes move out?

Probably struggle (more) in the areas by the Stadium but survive where Dave and Busters and the Outlet Mall are.

[TempeAZnative]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

Sounds good if a new arena downtown could be the new home for the Suns AND the Coyotes. Talking Stick Arena is one of the older sports venues in the nation, and is showing its age. Most of all, that name (Talking Stick) is awful. I liked it when it was America West Arena, and even U.S. Airways Center wasn't bad. I say build the arena for the Suns and move the Coyotes there ... but the big downside: taxpayer money will likely be used, and I am very much against that. There's no reason why the NBA & the NHL can't contribute a fraction of their mega billions to build something like this.

At this point it doesn't look like the Coyotes will be downtown. Instead they more then likely will be in a joint venture with asu will a multi use arena at Rural and Rio Salado. Looks like Phoenix took too long to get things going and lost the yotes.

[Java Jolt]

NHL has a low fanbase here and moving the Coyotes to a new arena in a different part of the valley won't make any difference in their attendance figures.

I vote to keep the Westgate location if the team must stay.

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by Java Jolt

NHL has a low fanbase here and moving the Coyotes to a new arena in a different part of the valley won't make any difference in their attendance figures.

I vote to keep the Westgate location if the team must stay.

Topic gets debated a lot but I'll join the opposite chorus.

I've been to 4 NHL games in the last two years. Twice from Tempe, once from Phoenix, once from Chandler. I also went to the MNF game against the Ravens. Each and every time it took over an hour, I was almost late and it made me forever swear off weekday Cards games and NHL games. Almost 3/4 of this city lives East of I17 even more work west of I17. It's a nightmare for all of us. I'm from Glendale and I hate the place because of it. Now with that huge empty space where Margaritaville once was, and all of empty never used space already filling the district Westgate blows.

Put that stadium in Tempe? I'll go for sure. I can hop on the rail, bar hop Mill, get trashed and still have public transportation back home. From Glendale? It's soda for me bleh.

Even better I can make it a client outing, the Suns suck, the DBacks are mediocre and boring, and I'm a wildcat so ASU sports sparingly do it for me.

[Java Jolt]

Originally Posted by JGMotorsport64

Topic gets debated a lot but I'll join the opposite chorus.

I've been to 4 NHL games in the last two years. Twice from Tempe, once from Phoenix, once from Chandler. I also went to the MNF game against the Ravens. Each and every time it took over an hour, I was almost late and it made me forever swear off weekday Cards games and NHL games. Almost 3/4 of this city lives East of I17 even more work west of I17. It's a nightmare for all of us. I'm from Glendale and I hate the place because of it. Now with that huge empty space where Margaritaville once was, and all of empty never used space already filling the district Westgate blows.

Put that stadium in Tempe? I'll go for sure. I can hop on the rail, bar hop Mill, get trashed and still have public transportation back home. From Glendale? It's soda for me bleh.

I can't argue with your logic about the Westgate location but moving the team to a new arena elsewhere won't make any difference in attendance.

Hockey has a low fanbase here, even when the Coyotes were playing downtown there were rows upon rows of empty seats many times.

In the long run the best deal for the team would be to move it to a city with a higher fanbase, and that likely would be someplace in Canada or the northern tier of states.

[goolsbyjazz]

I still believe the Coyotes will eventually move to another city/state. Just don't see the fervent support for them in the valley. By the way, I grew up a Bruins fan.

[DetroitN8V]

I'd love to go to a few hockey games a year but I refuse to go all the way to Westgate. It's out of the way and basically a giant Sysco Food Services concession stand. Tempe would be great.