Las Vegas Hockey: Open House Reactions
T-Mobile Arena welcomed fans to their open house to Las Vegas hockey, and it still has that new
car
arena smell. Yeah, hockey really is coming big time to the desert. I felt it as soon as the icy chill in the air brushed my cheek going past the security checkpoint at the entrance.
Here are my takeaways from the Open House that Las Vegas Hockey and T-Mobile Arena put on.
T-Mobile arena is going to be a rocking place. The 17,500 seats for Las Vegas Hockey all have comfortable seats, drink holders, blah, blah. More than that every single seat has a great view of the ice. This is no Barclay’s Center were thousands of New York Islander fans have better views of the scoreboard than the action on the ice.
The T-Mobile just doesn’t feel that big in hockey rink mode. Nothing is that far away. The word that wants to hit the page is intimate – as intimate of a setting you can get in a 17,500 seat hockey venue. In reality it doesn’t feel like it has 17,500 seats, more like 12,000 or 13,000. I felt like asking where the other people are sitting, in a Las Vegas sports book somewhere? Hey! New York New York, anyone hiding there?
Las Vegas Buds? Great way to expand the sponsorships, and we can have the Budweiser Clydesdales bring out the first puck.
Bill Foley and George McPhee have to get a team name and logo. Not next month, now. For the open house center ice showed the generic National Hockey League logo with Las Vegas edged over the top. No. Just no. Get a name, get a logo, I don’t care if its the Las Vegas Turkey Vultures playing at T-Mobile Arena. Just get it done so we all can get on with our hockey lives. Please?
There were lots of places for beer (thank God!) and food, but none were open. Sad. Couldn’t really get a feel for what was going to be offered food or beverage-wise, except Budweiser is an obvious and over-the-top sponsor. Hopefully beer prices won’t be $20 for a cold one and a dog will come in less than $10. We can hope. Now here’s a thought – the Las Vegas Buds? Great way to expand the sponsorships, and we can have the Budweiser Clydesdales bring out the first puck. Just saying.
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Parking will be an issue, but doable. The new arena has co-opted the 4th-7th floors of the New York New York parking garage, with more parking available at the Monte Carlo and City Center. Not enough and some of those parking options are going to involve some walking. But then, I’ve had to walk a ways to see Boxing matches at Staples Center, and that was worse.
And finally, I forgot how chilly it is in a hockey rink. I know we are in a desert and we forget, but bring a jacket guys. They got to keep that ice cold now.