With all of this talk of the Arizona Coyotes needing a new place to play, doing a Gila River Arena review is extremely interesting. The primary complaint is that its location prevents fans from attending. It is an extremely flawed argument for two main reasons.
Firstly, the Arizona Cardinals play at the same freaking site, and no one complains about the location of State Farm Stadium. Secondly, Chase Field is smack dab in the heart of downtown Phoenix and people still don’t go to Arizona Diamondbacks games. The main issue is the Coyotes represent a state full of transplants and bandwagon fans. That won’t change no matter where the arena is located.
But back to our Gila River Arena review. It is a surprisingly solid facility. With all the talk of Arizona moving, it is easy to lose track of the fact the venue opened in 2003 and is younger than the Staples Center, Bridgestone Arena and several other highly regarded NHL stadiums.
There aren’t a ton of bells and whistles, but it has everything you could want. The sight lines are good. There are seemingly plenty of luxury boxes and premium seating areas. Nothing looks woefully out of date. It’s no T-Mobile Arena, but it is also not some derelict hunk of junk either.
There are several hockey teams that have a more pressing need for a new home than the Arizona Coyotes.
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The team shop at Gila River Arena has a pretty good selection of stuff. The concession options on the other hand weren’t particularly impressive. There are local food and drink brands available. However, none of the offerings were compelling.
Parking here is interesting. The stadium is connected to the Westgate Entertainment District with several lots shared between the rink and shops. On gamedays, parking is free until three hours before puck drop at which point they start coning things off and charging people.
However, if your car is in the lot before then, they don’t charge you because there is no system to determine if you are seeing the game or simply watching a movie. Speaking of the theatre, the fastest way to get out is parking around it.
Gila River Arena review: 6
Gila River Arena is a solid place to watch hockey. It’s not the best venue in the NHL. Not by a long shot. There is nothing that stands out about the stadium. And yet, it is worth checking out if you happen to be in the greater Phoenix area. When you consider just how awful their potential options for next season are, it’s difficult to comprehend why the team doesn’t want to play here.
