Glendale Arena - Phoenix Coyotes

Trip Notes: Phoenix turned out to be another super quick trip. I had originally planned to spend 4 days in Phoenix with my mom so we could visit the grandparents. They usually spend their winters a couple hours from Phoenix. Unfortunately my grandpa had gotten sick almost a couple months earlier and hadn’t got better. He has spent the previous 6 wks in a Salt Lake City hospital. Since my grandparents weren’t going to be there, my mom decided to cancel her ticket. Since my parent’s friend Rich had already hooked us up with free tickets, I kept my ticket and shortened my trip to be there one day. After arriving early Thursday afternoon, I headed strait to the nearest In n’ Out burger. I can’t go to Phoenix without eating there. ;) Checked into my cheap hotel, the Days Inn near the airport, then headed to the game. Left town at 6 the next morning. I wasn’t even there 24 hours.

Arena Notes: Left my hotel an hour and a 1/2 before the game started and got stuck in rush hour traffic. It took me a ½ hour to get there from the airport area. Normally it’s maybe a 15 min drive. It was easy to find…located right off the highway. The best part….the parking was FREE! When I first parked I thought somehow they had missed me or I parked in the wrong lot. Turns out they don’t charge for parking. How awesome is that? If only all the other arenas would follow suit! Glendale arena isn’t near much other than the new Cardinals stadium from what I noticed. They have temporary lights in place and fences blocking off areas that are still under construction. None of it causing any inconveniences. After picking up my ticket at the VIP will call, I headed inside. Rich not only hooked me up with a ticket, he hooked me up with a great ticket! My seat was on the lower level near the blue line. Excellent seat! It also gave me access to the club levels Lexus club. That was a very nice room. The rest of the arena was also very nice. Glendale arena opened in 2003 and holds 17,653 hockey fans. I don’t believe they have a mascot. Before becoming the Coyotes, they were the Winnipeg Jets. The two retired jerseys are from the Jets days, 9 – Bobby Hull and 25 – Thomas Steen. Gretzky’s #99 is also retired.

Game Notes: Sean Burke took advantage of familiar surroundings and made the most of a rare starting opportunity.
Burke made 26 saves in his eighth start, and Vincent Lecavalier netted a short-handed goal to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning past the Phoenix Coyotes 3-1 Thursday night.
Burke started for the first time since allowing six goals on 17 shots against New Jersey on Nov. 25. And he was doing it against the Coyotes, for whom he was 97-78-29 in 211 games between the 1999-2000 and 2003-04 seasons.
"I kept a house here and I plan to retire here," Burke said. "It was a big game for me."
Burke admitted to being a little rust early, but he recovered and carried a shutout into the third period.
"Burkey's a pro," Tampa Bay coach John Tortorella said. "He's not happy with the amount of time he's getting. But he's going to do his best in the situation."
Fredrik Modin and Ruslan Fedotenko also scored for the Lightning, who rebounded from a 4-2 loss Wednesday at Anaheim to win for the 11th time in 14 games.
"It was a good response," Tortorella said. "That's what we were looking for. Losing games is one thing. We just didn't like the way we lost."
Geoff Sanderson scored and Curtis Joseph made 25 saves for the Coyotes, who have lost two straight after a season-best, three-game winning streak.
"I thought we had a pretty good first period," Phoenix captain Shane Doan said. "It wasn't great but it wasn't bad. They played a solid game. When they got the opportunities they buried it and we didn't." Modin gave Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead 6:03 into the first period when he took a pass from Brad Richards to the left of the crease and flipped a wrist shot past Joseph.
The Lightning made it 2-0 at 8:46 of the second as Cory Sarich cleared the puck from behind the Tampa Bay net and Lecavalier gained control at the red line. Skating down the left side with Rob DiMaio on the right on a 2-on-1 rush, Lecavalier looked across the ice for the pass before firing from the left circle for his 14th goal.
"There was no defenseman so I cheated a little bit and got the puck," Lecavalier said. "The defense chose DiMaio so I decided to shoot."
Fedotenko extended the lead to 3-0 with a power-play goal 17 seconds into the third period.
"The third goal was a senseless goal against for us," Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky said. "We shouldn't have given up that goal. That was the backbreaker for us."
Sanderson's goal off a long rebound pulled the Coyotes within 3-1 with 16:16 to go.
More Game notes: Coyotes C Dave Scatchard was hit along the boards by Evgeny Artyukhin with 4:19 remaining and left the game with an apparent knee injury. Scatchard will be re-evaluated Friday and is day-to-day. ... Coyotes G Brian Boucher, out with a pulled groin since Phoenix's first preseason game, was recalled from San Antonio of the AHL after a two-week conditioning stint. Boucher, who set an NHL record with five consecutive shutouts in 2003-04, was 2-2 with a 1.18 goals-against average for the Rampage. David LeNeveu, 2-5-2 with a 3.20 GAA in nine games, was sent to San Antonio to make room for Boucher. ... LW Steve Gainey also was recalled by the Coyotes. ... Lightning RW Martin St. Louis recorded an assist on Fedotenko's goal and has seven goals and 13 assists in his last 12 games.
(*Game notes taken from espn.com*)

Mellon Arena - Pittsburgh Penguins

Trip Notes: Got into Pittsburgh Friday afternoon. Stayed at the Westin Convention Center. Had an incredible view from my room. Could see both PNC Park and Heinz Field. Went to the Sports Rock for dinner and to watch the Avs play NJ. Walked down to the Strip District and to Market Square. Had to eat at Primanti Brothers Bar & Grill once again. The food is definitely an artery clogger, but very good! Everyone needs to try the fries and coleslaw on a sandwich. Went to the Pens game Saturday night. Saw the Steelers play the Bears on Sunday. What an incredible game. That was the most fun I've had watching a football game in a long time. The Steelers won of course. Sat next to two nice women who gave up their ticket stub since the guy at the gate ripped mine in half. I couldn't believe he did that....it made me sick. It snowed pretty hard off and on throughout the game. I sat on the 2nd level just under the over hang in the endzone so I stayed dry and warm. Great seats! Left Monday morning. Love the downtown Pittsburgh area!

Arena Notes: A short walk from the hotel. Located in downtown Pitt so close to lots of bars, restaurants, etc. It was old (probably even the oldest) and very round. Didn't see many Avs jersey's. I was one of the very few. Felt a bit out of place since I was the only person in my section wearing one. No one would talk to me. Ha. Sat behind the net on the top level. Pretty high up, but a great view. The rows were pretty steep so I had no problems seeing over the person in front of me. It was a nice change. A good fan base showed up. Was impressed with how many seats were full. Had a good time cheering for both teams. The Pens came out on top which I didn't mind since they are in need of some wins. Melon Arena (Formerly Civic Arena) opened its doors in 1961 and seats 17,537 hockey fans. Their mascot is Iceburgh the Penguin. Current retired numbers are 21 - Michel Briere, 66 - Mario Lemieux, and 99 - Wayne Gretzky.

Game Notes: Mark Recchi had a goal and an assist to help lead the Pittsburgh Penguins past the Colorado Avalanche, 4-3, at Mellon Arena.
Dick Tarnstrom, Erik Christensen and Maxime Talbot all scored for the Penguins, who snapped a six-game losing streak. Lasse Pirjeta added two assists and Marc-Andre Fleury made 23 saves in the win.
"I think there isn't any doubt that the guys came out with a lot of energy and excitement and determination," said Penguins coach Eddie Olczyk. "They weren't going to be denied and they deserve all the credit."
Milan Hejduk, Dan Hinote and Marek Svatos Joe Sakic and Alex Tanguay each had an assist and Vitaly Kolesnik allowed four goals on 35 shots faced in the loss.
"It was a very competitive game and we definitely played a desperate team tonight," said Colorado coach Joel Quenneville. "It was a battle out there. We competed, we battled, but you can really tell it was a meaningful game on their end of it."
The Penguins took a 1-0 lead at the 10:35 mark of the first after Recchi's eighth goal of the season. The tally came after Matt Murley took a shot that was initially stopped by Kolesnik. However, the rebound came out to the slot and Recchi flipped a shot over the netminder for the score.
Colorado connected on a 4-on-3 power play with 3:56 left in the first to tie the contest. Sakic controlled the puck and skated towards the net before sending a pass to Tanguay at the right side of the net. Tanguay then attempted a return feed to Sakic, but the pass hit off Fleury and right to the stick of Hejduk, who shot the puck into the net
Pittsburgh would regain the lead 2:24 later on the power play. Recchi took a pass from Sidney Crosby behind the net and then found Tarnstrom cutting in from the point at the right circle. Tarnstrom's ensuing shot was stopped, but Kolesnik couldn't cover the rebound with his glove and Tarnstrom popped the puck over the goaltender and into the back of the net for a 2-1 edge.
Christensen's goal 1:22 into the second put the Penguins up 3-1. The goal was the result of a redirection as Christensen got his stick on Sergei Gonchar's one-time blast from the right point.
Colorado cut the deficit to 3-2 after a goal from Hinote. Rob Blake took a shot from the right point that was stopped by Fleury, but Hinote was there in the slot to pound home the rebound with 5:20 remaining in the second stanza.
Talbot made it a two-goal advantage with 7:36 left in the third after his rebound shot from between the circles after a Pirjeta shot found the back of the net.
Svatos would make it a 4-3 game just 1:03 later, but the Avalanche would fail to net the equalizer.
Game Notes
Hinote netted just his second goal of the season..Sakic stretched his point streak to nine games..The Penguins last win was on November 22, a 5-4 win against the Washington Capitals..Tanguay now has 23 assists..Crosby picked up his 17th assist..Colorado finished 1-for-8 on the power play, while Pittsburgh was 1-for-7.
(*Game notes taken from espn.com*)

View from hotel room - Can see both Stadiums

Gaylord Entertainment Center - Nashville Predators

Trip Notes: T and I headed down to Nashville for the weekend. After our shuttle dropped us off at the luxurious Best Western hotel on Music Row we headed downtown to find a place to eat dinner. After about a 20 minute walk we made it to the happenin’ area. We walked by many bars that had live bands. As we walked by one of them we noticed a band sitting in the window. The guitarist waved us down and tried to get us to come in. Though he was an attractive guy in a band, we chose food over his offer. We were starving. ;) We came across a brewery that looked like it could be a good place to eat dinner...the Big River Brewery. They had great food. As it turned out, our waiter graduated from Green Mtn High. Small world. After stuffing our faces, we went back to the hotel for a quick cat nap before we headed out for the night life. We ended up at a cozy little pub a bit later...Dan McGuiness’ Irish Pub up near music row. Great Guinness. CU FB played the next afternoon so we headed over to a sports bar close to the hotel where we ate at watched the game. Headed to the Predators game that night. Before it started, we decided to check out the night life and enjoy a beer beforehand. Came across an Irish/Sports bar. A strange combo, but it turned out to be a pretty cool place. It was packed with people going to the game. After the game we headed down to 1st street to check it out. Our first stop was Coyote Ugly. I think we lasted about 2 minutes. Once we saw there was no beer on tap, we were out of there. Upstairs there was another bar, Buffalo Bills Bar or something along that line. They had beer on tap and lots of big screens so we stayed. Met a couple Philly fans. After a few beers and the rain stop we headed back to the room. Headed out of town the next afternoon.

Arena Notes: Gaylord Entertainment Center is located in the heart of the city. Easy to get to by foot, not sure how easy it is to by car. The night life around it is one of the best of the nhl cities. During the day, it looks like a big satellite dish is sitting on top of the arena. At night it looks really cool all lit up. Our seats were on the 3rd level in the corner. Good seats overall. The fans were pretty loud. I was impressed with the turnout. The arena was close to full. They were all into the game and even had lots of cheers to keep the fans in the game. A Tim McGraw clip is played after every Predators goal. The Gaylord Entertainment center opened its doors in 1996 and holds 17,500 hockey fans. Their mascot is Gnash. The only retired number is league wide, Wayne Gretzky #99.

Game Notes: The Nashville Predators' vast experience this season with close games and shootouts paid dividends again, this time against the novice Philadelphia Flyers.
Paul Kariya had a goal and an assist in regulation and then teamed with Steve Sullivan for a pair of shootout goals to give the Predators a 4-3 win over the Flyers.
It was the first time the Predators had beaten the Flyers in Nashville and marked the 200th victory in the history of the franchise. Nashville improved to 4-1 in shootouts while the Flyers lost their first.
"We were a little rusty not having been in a shootout," Philadelphia goalie Antero Niittymaki said. "I was just late on Kariya's goal. He always does the same thing. He cuts across a bit, then you just have to hope you're quick enough to save it."
Sullivan beat Niittymaki with a shot between his pads. Kariya decided to go high for his winner.
"Sullivan and Kariya are very dynamic players," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "He is a cerebral type of player. Kariya really studies the goaltenders. He has such a smooth, quick release. When you watch him and he lets the puck go you don't even know he is shooting it. He's an artist."
Tomas Vokoun turned aside Philadelphia shooters Mike Knuble and Simon Gagne in the tiebreaker to give the Predators the milestone victory in their seventh NHL season. Vokoun stopped 30 real shots as the Predators won for the eighth time in nine home games.
"We are very fortunate that we are finding ways to win," Trotz said. "We aren't winning by big margins. That is a sign of maturity."
The Flyers took a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at 9:24 of the first period. With a crowd of players battling for the puck in the right circle, Michal Handzus found Knuble alone in the left circle. Knuble fired a wrist shot that beat Vokoun, who was watching the other side of the ice.
Just 20 seconds later, the Predators tied it when Kariya scored from the middle of the slot on a wrist shot that beat Niittymaki to his glove side.
The Flyers regained the lead at 8:04 of the second period. Philadelphia defenseman Derian Hatcher took a shot from a few feet inside the blue line that was deflected in by Mike Richards at the front of the crease.
Martin Erat tied it 2-2 at 13:30. Kariya passed the puck to Erat, who moved it from his skate to his stick and skated down the slot to beat Niittymaki.
Yanic Perreault gave Nashville its first lead with a power-play goal later in the period. Ryan Suter took control of the puck at the top of the slot and passed it to Perreault, who put a wrist shot over Niittymaki's left shoulder at 17:39.
The Flyers tied it 3-3 with a little over two minutes left in regulation. Hatcher blasted a slap shot from high in the slot that beat Vokoun.
"I didn't even notice their team," Philadelphia coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We played great. I was really impressed with our effort. I think we played a heck of a hockey game."
More Game notes: It was the first interconference game for both teams. ... Nashville has scored at least one power-play goal in 10 straight games. Nashville's Kimmo Timonen missed the game with the flu. Kevin Klein was recalled from AHL Milwaukee and made his NHL debut. Ben Eager was in the Flyers lineup after being recalled earlier in the day from the AHL's Philadelphia Phantoms.
(*Game notes taken from espn.com*)