Spot on with the analysis, and as a Tucsonan it's especially important to find a way to get permanent ice with the Roadrunners being the only pro sports in town. I'm certain USA Hockey membership in the Tucson area will sky-rocket if anybody puts down some ice as there's not a whole lot of incentive to be a member or play hockey if there's no ice to play it on. With the number of transplants due to the weather and the Air Force base there's a huge population of people who would be happy to play hockey if they didn't have to drive to Chandler to do it. The city plopped down a tiny outdoor ice rink last December and the lines were hours long every single day just to get out on a sheet of ice a quarter of the size of a full size rink. I know for sure that the second a permanent sheet of ice goes down that my kids and I will be playing in hockey some measure.
Those member numbers really emphasize how terribly Gila River Arena is located in relation to most presumed Coyotes fans, let alone the general population.
You hit the nail on the head. . . . we need more ice! I quit playing beer league hockey due to 11pm start times on weeknights and now as a high school coach, the high school association has a hard time finding ice time for games. There are 36 high school teams this season in four divisions!!!
Craig, I love the article but I can personally vouch that those numbers are terrible low for Tucson area (which services all southern Arizona). Tucson has a closer had 250 kids.
The 88 may come from travel teams. However, there are about to 80-100 kids in the 8u program alone.
Sadly, the Tucson program is not even running during the COVID-19 pandemic because there is no ice since the Tucson Convention Center didn’t put up ice.
Tucson is definitely the forgotten stepchild. We have a youth league, men's league, and figure skating and no year round ice. We have to drive to Phoenix for practice and games. Local Tucson politics needs to realize how beneficial a rink would be here. Don't get me started on the convention center either! They don't care about the volunteer based youth league.
Really interesting article. I found the comments on repurposing facilities interesting, as this is exactly what was done with an old lumber warehouse facility in Haymarket, Virginia, allowing an association that had lost a rink due to severe weather to continue operating. It was envisioned as a temporary stopgap but has led to the creation of a new association.
Great Article! As a hockey dad that lives in Mesa I can say that each season we have to talk about which of the Chandler or Scottsdale Dens or Glibert Ice makes the most sense for our player and his development and weigh that against the drive time and schedules. Not the easiest set of choices to make.
So grateful to have Jay Lively rink here in Flagstaff! It was a real tragedy when the roof collapsed, but was able to be rebuilt, better than ever! Many a hockey player has enjoyed this rink!
Wow - those numbers blow my mind! Here's some perspective, if anyone's interested: Thunder Bay, Ontario (population ~100,000) has 9 indoor rinks in city and area, or more than half that of the whole state of Arizona. If you count outdoor rinks, that number rises to about 46 in winter.
Of course, I would imagine outdoor rinks would be harder to maintain in Arizona, even in the northern part of the state...
Was the new Mesa rink built in a repurposed building? The building is there on Google maps from a few years ago, but I can't tell what was in that space before the rink opened earlier this year.
Spot on with the analysis, and as a Tucsonan it's especially important to find a way to get permanent ice with the Roadrunners being the only pro sports in town. I'm certain USA Hockey membership in the Tucson area will sky-rocket if anybody puts down some ice as there's not a whole lot of incentive to be a member or play hockey if there's no ice to play it on. With the number of transplants due to the weather and the Air Force base there's a huge population of people who would be happy to play hockey if they didn't have to drive to Chandler to do it. The city plopped down a tiny outdoor ice rink last December and the lines were hours long every single day just to get out on a sheet of ice a quarter of the size of a full size rink. I know for sure that the second a permanent sheet of ice goes down that my kids and I will be playing in hockey some measure.
Those member numbers really emphasize how terribly Gila River Arena is located in relation to most presumed Coyotes fans, let alone the general population.
I'd really love to see the yotes take some more interest in roller hockey as part of their plan as well.
You hit the nail on the head. . . . we need more ice! I quit playing beer league hockey due to 11pm start times on weeknights and now as a high school coach, the high school association has a hard time finding ice time for games. There are 36 high school teams this season in four divisions!!!
Craig, I love the article but I can personally vouch that those numbers are terrible low for Tucson area (which services all southern Arizona). Tucson has a closer had 250 kids.
The 88 may come from travel teams. However, there are about to 80-100 kids in the 8u program alone.
Sadly, the Tucson program is not even running during the COVID-19 pandemic because there is no ice since the Tucson Convention Center didn’t put up ice.
Tucson is definitely the forgotten stepchild. We have a youth league, men's league, and figure skating and no year round ice. We have to drive to Phoenix for practice and games. Local Tucson politics needs to realize how beneficial a rink would be here. Don't get me started on the convention center either! They don't care about the volunteer based youth league.
Really interesting article. I found the comments on repurposing facilities interesting, as this is exactly what was done with an old lumber warehouse facility in Haymarket, Virginia, allowing an association that had lost a rink due to severe weather to continue operating. It was envisioned as a temporary stopgap but has led to the creation of a new association.
Great Article! As a hockey dad that lives in Mesa I can say that each season we have to talk about which of the Chandler or Scottsdale Dens or Glibert Ice makes the most sense for our player and his development and weigh that against the drive time and schedules. Not the easiest set of choices to make.
So grateful to have Jay Lively rink here in Flagstaff! It was a real tragedy when the roof collapsed, but was able to be rebuilt, better than ever! Many a hockey player has enjoyed this rink!
Wow - those numbers blow my mind! Here's some perspective, if anyone's interested: Thunder Bay, Ontario (population ~100,000) has 9 indoor rinks in city and area, or more than half that of the whole state of Arizona. If you count outdoor rinks, that number rises to about 46 in winter.
Of course, I would imagine outdoor rinks would be harder to maintain in Arizona, even in the northern part of the state...
~Graham
Was the new Mesa rink built in a repurposed building? The building is there on Google maps from a few years ago, but I can't tell what was in that space before the rink opened earlier this year.