In the final installment of our look at attending a Phoenix Coyotes game (at the Westgate City Center and the Jobing.com Arena), we look at the goings on inside of the Jobing.com arena in advance of a Coyotes game.
Jobing.com Arena
The Jobing.com Arena is located at the 223 acre Westgate City Center in Glendale, Arizona. Quickly approaching its 5th anniversary, Jobing.com Arena is a state of the art multi-use arena that is one of the premier multipurpose arenas in the nation.
Once inside the Jobing.com arena, one of the coolest features of the arena is that in the middle of the main concourse of the arena fans have the ability to view the action of a given game from the concourse on the main level. Not many other arenas in the United States offer this kind of up close look at the game experience.
View inside the main concourse of the Jobing.com Arena before a Coyotes game
The best way to equate this is to imagine what watching a game from the lower level concourses of Chase Field is like. Just like watching an Arizona Diamondbacks game action up close and personal from the concourses, the builders of the Jobing.com arena incorporated the ability to have fans get unique perspective of the game experience so all fans can get a taste of what the up-close action like is at an NHL game. The views from this vantage point, make the Jobing.com arena unique from all of the other NHL arenas around North America. On top of that, the sight lines from every seat in the arena give fans excellent views of all of the game action.
View of the pre-game warm ups at Jobing.com Arena from the upper concourse a the south end of the arena
I personally have sat in or have seen games from numerous vantage points throughout the Jobing.com arena (including the Press Box) and there isn’t a bad seat in the house. All seats in the arena were designed to give fans the best views of the game action.
View of the pre-game warm ups at Jobing.com Arena from the upper concourse a center ice
Coyotes Pre-Game – Inside
The doors to the Jobing.com arena open up approximate one hour before game time. Once the doors open, one of the best things that fans can do is watch the Coyotes and their opponents warm up before the game. It’s a great time for fans of all ages to go down to ice level and watch their favorite Coyotes players getting ready for the game.
Fans watching the pre-game warm ups from ice level at Jobing.com Arena
One of the best things first time visitors can to do before the game is wander around the concourses of the Jobing.com arena to not only explore the arena but to take in some of the fun.
Food
One of the best things about eating at the Jobing.com arena is that there is LOTS of variety for food choices. From Pizza to wings to hot dogs, fans have a wide array of choices to satisfy any hungry appetite.
50/50 Raffles are a tradition in all levels of hockey from the Minor Leagues to the National Hockey League. The Coyotes give charities or other organizations that need to raise funds (a good example would be youth Hockey teams) the opportunity to raise funds via the 50/50 raffle. How the 50/50 Raffles work is that fans pay $2 per raffle ticket. The money is then all collected and a raffle ticket is drawn. The winning raffle ticket is drawn and the winner gets 50% of the total amount collected from the game. The other 50% is split in half. One half goes to Coyotes Charities and the other half go to the organization that is trying to raise funds
Two of the many 50/50 raffle vendors wandering the arena
Mystery Pucks/Charity Table
The Mystery Puck sales are put on by Coyotes charities throughout the season. The Mystery Puck table is normally right inside the main entrance to Jobing.com arena and can be identified by the table full of pucks wrapped like Christmas presents.
For $20 (all money goes to Coyotes Charities) you can select any puck from the table. Every puck is autographed by a Coyotes player. However, there are Coyote player autographed pucks signed in gold pen. This means that in addition to the signed puck, they win an additional prize.
When I first got into the arena, there was a table setup with representatives from the Salvation Army looking for Volunteers to help them on Christmas morning feeding the needy. (Editor’s note: By the time I called to offer assistance all their volunteer slots were full). To the left of the Salvation Army table was the Mystery Puck table (see photo below).
The Mystery Puck Table (Left, Back) along with the Salvation Army Table
Silent Auction
At every home game, again right by the main entrance of the Jobing.com arena, there is a table full of sports memorabilia from across all sports that are available for bidding through the third period.
Other offerings
During the first intermission, before the Zamboni’s came out and laid a fresh sheet of ice, two teams of Pee-wee hockey teams played a quick scrimmage on the entire ice surface.
The Mystery Puck Table (Left, Back) along with the Salvation Army Table
Fan Experiences – During one of the breaks in the action, members of ‘The Pack Entertainment Squad’ were launching T-shirts and other prizes to fans around the arena.
Fan Experiences – Wii shootout battles – This was a really cool addition to the game experience (as I’ve never seen this before the last game I went to) as there were two kids just off the concourse doing a NHL game shootout on a Nintendo Wii that was broadcast on the center ice video screen. The winner of the shootout got a prize from the Coyotes.
The Nintendo Wii Shootout battle in progress
Contests in between periods – In the second intermission there was a contest to see who could eat the most pizza amongst 4 contestants. It was pretty funny watching four high school to college aged guys stuff their faces in front of the Jobing.com crowd. The winner of this contest got a signed hockey stick
The Pizza eating contest, in progress
Closing
I could go on and on about how fun it is to go to a game but you have to experience a Coyotes game for yourself. Only when you attend a Coyotes game can you fully experience the fun, the action, the excitement of the fast pace of the game, of the hits, and when the Coyotes score a goal and win the game. Furthermore, the Westgate City Center, the City of Glendale and the Phoenix Coyotes have really done a world class job in giving fans the best experience possible when attending a Coyotes game.
This is the perfect time to become not only an NHL fan but a Coyotes fan as they have finally turned the corner in their franchise and are beginning to display all the characteristics of a winning franchise. Furthermore, this is also the perfect time to become familiar with all the new faces on their roster as they are many of them are going to be with the team for a long time.
So get your family or friends together and plan an evening to the Jobing.com Arena and the Westgate City Center. Tickets to Coyotes games (see below) are extremely reasonable and they always have some sort of special or sale going on. If you have a large group, contact the Coyotes (Link below) and I’m sure they can set you up with a great package for you and your group.
Coyotes Tickets
Starting at $15, tickets for Coyotes games are very reasonable and are amongst the most affordable in the National Hockey League. According to the Coyotes, they have the following ticket packages available to fans:
All You Can Eat Pack
The All-You-Can-Eat Pack is available at all Saturday Coyotes home games. All-You-Can-Eat Packs include an upper-level game ticket and unlimited hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, peanuts and fountain sodas for only $25.
Family Pack
The Family Pack is available for all Friday, Saturday and Sunday Coyotes home games. Family Packs include four game tickets, four hot dogs and four sodas starting at only $79.
XTRA Value Thursday Pack
The XTRA Value Thursday Pack is available at all Thursday Coyotes home games. XTRA Value Thursday Packs include a game ticket, hamburger and bottled beer or soda starting at just $30.
Student, Teacher and Military Rush
The Student, Teacher and Military Rush discount offer is available for all Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Coyotes home games. Specially-priced lower-level tickets in select areas will cost just $20 and upper-level tickets will be available for $10. Tickets must be purchased at the Jobing.com Arena Box Office beginning at 6 p.m. the day of the game and each must be accompanied by a valid school or military ID at the time of purchase.
For more information about the Phoenix Coyotes or to purchase tickets, please refer to their website:
For more information about the Westgate City Center please refer to their website:
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