“When I was growing up in Arizona, I would ask my friends to try hockey, and they would just laugh at me and say, ‘It is the wildest and weirdest sport in the world,’” said Justin Rogers, director of hockey operations with the VOSHA Titans. “So now to see this growth is unbelievable.”
The Roadrunners attracted an average of 5,794 fans per game during the 1990-91 season. That number jumped to 7,454 fans during the team’s 1995-96 campaign. Then, after 79 years of the NHL’s existence, Arizona landed a team after the Winnipeg Jets relocated to Phoenix on July 1, 1996.“It didn’t cross my mind in a million years that I would end up in Phoenix,” former Coyotes captain Shane Doan said. “It was so unique. When we got down here I was blown away by the city.
The Coyotes’ involvement in the community led Arizona to be ranked second among NHL markets in total growth percentage over a five-year span and first in total percentage growth for female hockey players. Over the 26 years, Coyotes players have been influential to the community – and no one has been more important to this growth than Doan.
After Doan’s illustrious career with the Coyotes, instead of returning to his hometown of Halkirk, Canada, he stayed in Arizona and imparted his wisdom at the junior level. The rise of youth programs has also led to an increase in talented players from Arizona. The most prominent player to come out of Arizona is current Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews.
“The sport of hockey really spiked again in Arizona when Auston Matthews was drafted first overall,” Rogers said. “It definitely gave every player a mindset of, it doesn’t matter if I’m from Arizona, I could still go to the NHL as well.” In the early 1980s, ASU’s ice hockey club began, and it didn’t take long to become official. ASU joined the Division II American Collegiate Hockey League and by 1996 qualified to play in the ACHA Division I tournament.“I just don’t think a lot of students at ASU knew there was a club hockey program,” DeAngeles said. “There were a lot of kids from back east and stuff, you know, who were going to ASU but didn’t really know about it or weren’t interested in it.
Led by Powers, the ASU hockey program is starting to gain recognition nationally. On this year’s Sun Devils roster, there are 26 out-of-state players. The Sun Devils have sent off an astonishing 23 players to play professional hockey, including the NHL’s Joey Daccord and Brinson Pasichnuk. Six ASU graduates from the 2021-22 team currently play professionally.
During the 2021-22 season at Oceanside, the Sun Devils averaged 721 fans per game due to limited seats in the arena. At Mullett Arena this season, the Sun Devils have averaged roughly 4,300 fans per game, a huge increase from previous years.Fans can not only watch the Sun Devils play at Mullett Arena, but the Coyotes signed a contract to play at the unofficial mecca of hockey for the next three seasons with an optional fourth year if both parties agree.
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