Mullett Arena Getting Mixed Reviews Amongst NHL Players

Mullett Arena, the current home of the Coyotes, continues to get a wide range of criticism and compliments from NHL players.

Since the Arizona Coyotes moved to Mullett Arena last season, it’s gotten a lot of mixed reviews from people associated with the NHL.

It’s a unique arena as it only holds a capacity of about 5,000 people which is way lower than the usual NHL standard.

Is it right for the best hockey players in the world to be playing at a college arena on a regular basis?

Some players from opposing teams seem to have a strong opinion on the matter.

“It's fine to play once or twice, but to play a 41-game season here, it's not ideal,” Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman said via Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star. “LeBron James doesn't play in front of 5,000 people. So why should Connor McDavid, you know? It's kind of crazy, right? We want to be in the same realm as the NFL or NBA or MLB. Come on.”

Most teams are accustomed to playing in front of 15,000 plus fans a night, so their experience at Mullett Arena must feel a bit strange.

The Coyotes organization has been clear their current Tempe home is a temporary solution with their search for a permanent arena in the Valley still continuing. However, temporary or not, one specific player strongly believes that immediate action should be taken regarding this situation.

“It's disappointing that we allow something like that to happen,” Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves said. “You know, 5,000 fans is not what the NHL is about. We're trying to grow the game, and being an arena like that, that only allows for that many fans, is a little disappointing.

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“Something needs to be done about that, whether they move within Arizona or get out of there. To me, it's not the greatest look,”

There is always another side to every story though and some players have actually chosen to embrace the out of the ordinary yet fun atmosphere.

“It’s very unique,” Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews said. “It’s always fun for it being a college hockey rink, not the same as an NHL rink. I mean it’s a great atmosphere and makes for a fun game.”

Coyotes' players who play at Mullett Arena all year round, have really only had good things to say about their current home.

It’s called ‘Mullet Magic’ for a reason which is a slogan that has become the Coyotes’ rallying cry through the past two seasons.

“It's not a 20,000 seat arena, but that doesn't mean that it can't have a good atmosphere, and it can't be a fun place to play, and it can't be a hard place for a visiting team to come in and play. Everybody on the team enjoys playing there,” Coyotes forward Travis Boyd said last season via Coyotes senior writer Patrick Brown. "When we're at Mullett and we're going, we're buzzin, we get the crowd into it, and you feel that home-ice advantage…”

The ice is also an aspect of Mullett Arena that has been talked about in a positive light. It’s highly regarded as one of the best sheets of ice amongst all NHL arenas.

“The ice is fantastic,” Sabres captain Kyle Okposo said last season via The Buffalo News' Mike Harrington. "It's some of the best ice I've ever been on. The puck slides really well, it's fast. So that aspect of it is great for sure.”

For better or for worse, the Coyotes have been identified with Mullett Arena and they can either let the outside noise tear them down or continue to embrace this unique situation.