At the beginning of this year, the Arizona Coyotes were one of the prime candidates in the Connor Bedard sweepstakes. Even if they don’t land Bedard, they can look at other options like Adam Fantilli and Matvei Michkov. Now that we are under 20 games until the end of the regular season, this appears to be a fantasy as the Coyotes are tearing things up. A big factor is due to the success of playing at home, Mullett Arena. Going into the season in a 4,600-capacity rink, there were many doubts; the Coyotes have blocked out the outside noise and excelled at Mullett Arena. What is contributing to this success, and will it carry on to next season?
‘Mullett Magic’ is the Real Deal
Mullett Arena Leading to Wins
The Coyotes have been one of the hottest teams lately, and much of that is because of the success at Mullett Arena. The Arizona Coyotes are tied for seventh for the most home-ice wins this year. As previously stated, Mullett Arena only houses around 4,600 people, so to fill up the whole rink each night is huge for the players.
At the end of the day, all thanks to the fanbase for coming out each night to support the Coyotes. As well as the stellar play from forward Clayton Keller, who recently won first star of the week. When the team is playing together with passion, they’ve shown nobody can stop them. They’ve won games against Toronto, Boston, and the defending champs on home ice.
What the Players Are Saying
Many players have come out saying how well the conditions are at Mullett Arena. This is what Commissioner Gary Bettman said “The reaction has been phenomenal,” Bettman said of the temporary rink. “People are saying – players are saying – it’s fun to play there, the ice is great. But everybody should understand this is temporary. There was no other place for the Coyotes to play. The plan is to have a new arena in Tempe which is the right place in that market.” As relocation rumours have circled the Coyotes forever, this is great to hear from the commissioner.
As for what the players are saying, Lawson Crouse and others showed excitement about the temporary home as well and the recent success they’ve been having. “We’re playing well here. The atmosphere out there is fun to play in. Our fans give us a lot of energy, so we just have to keep the wins coming here.” The praise doesn’t stop there as Winnipeg Jets center Pierre-Luc Dubois told ESPN’s Leah Hextall earlier this season that the ice just might be the best in the NHL, and his teammate Cole Perfetti agreed saying, “the ice is great, it was unbelievable” when the Jets came to town for Arizona’s inaugural game at Tempe.
Looking at the Next Three Years
The Coyotes are currently slated to continue playing at Mullett Arena for the next three seasons. This is due to the highly anticipated vote on the Coyotes’ new arena on May 16th. While they await word on their future, the Coyotes will undoubtedly relish the exposure over the next three seasons at their temporary home.
The move to Arizona State University showed the commitment to the valley the organization has. After what seemed like a forever-broken relationship with the City of Glendale for the past couple of seasons, the Coyotes finally have a strong and committed ownership group. As the Coyotes are in the midst of another rebuild, the success at Mullett Arena will go a long way for the team and the organization.
Main Photo: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
