Watch: Exclusive tour of the Coyotes' temporary locker room situation
The locker room situation at Mullett Arena, the temporary home of the NHL's Arizona Coyotes, is almost certainly unlike anything you have seen in recent professional sports.
The Coyotes are using the 5,000-seat arena (which primarily houses Arizona State University hockey) as a temporary home until a new permanent NHL building is built in the coming seasons. Much of the focus has been on the small capacity and intimate feel for NHL games, but the player facilities are going to be, let's say, unique as well.
For the first home games, the arena will be using a temporary locker room situation that will see the Coyotes get dressed in the visiting college locker rooms, while their opponents will take up a makeshift locker room that is built on top of a community ice rink and surrounded by curtains.
Here is what all of that looks like.
The Coyotes played their first six games on the road and will be opening up a four-game home stand on Friday night against the Winnipeg Jets. After that, they go back on the road for a massive 14-game road trip.
When they return from that in mid-December an annex to the arena with more permanent locker rooms will be complete. The in-game atmosphere for these games is going to be very unique because playing in front of a completely full 5,000 building is going to provide a much better atmosphere than playing in front of a half-empty 20,000-seat arena.
So for as much mockery as the Coyotes are getting for playing there temporarily, it should still be fun.
But NHL players, like all professional athletes, are creatures of habit and used to certain amenities. Those locker rooms, temporary as they might be, are going to be quite an adjustment.
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