Could you imagine if an NHL team played in Tri-Cities? That's essentially what's happening in Tempe, Arizona.

The Toyota Center in Kennewick is the Tri-City Americans' home and can seat around 5,000 to 6,000 fans for hockey games. When a game is sold out, the energy permeating the bowl is hard to ignore. It's a party.

Tri-City Americans v Vancouver Giants
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The Arizona Coyotes are playing at Mullett Arena for the next few years as they await a new stadium deal. This NHL team played their home games at Desert Diamond Arena, which seats 17,000 people for hockey games. Mullett Arena, where they started playing this year, seats 5,000. All of a sudden, 5,000 doesn't seem like a lot anymore. For a WHL team, that's pretty good. In the NHL, that's just sad.

Florida Panthers v Arizona Coyotes
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Toyota Center did seemingly have a chance of hosting an NHL team during the 2021-2022 pre-season when the Seattle Kraken played games in WHL arenas across Washington as Climate Pledge Arena needed some finishing touches. These games were played in Spokane, Kent (Seattle), and Everett - but not in Tri-Cities.

Vancouver Canucks v Seattle Kraken
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Mullett Arena is part of Arizona State University's campus and was officially opened on October 12, 2022. The Arizona Coyotes are in contract to play there for the foreseeable future as their new home is built. The L.A. Chargers famously played in an MLS stadium that was laughably smaller than an NFL stadium as they waited for SoFi Stadium, which they share with the Rams, to be ready.

Tri-City Americans Who Played in the NHL

Hockey is one of the hardest sports to play. Most hockey players will play the sport their entire lives, starting to skate as soon as they can walk. Even with all that dedication, the likelihood a player cracks an NHL roster is astronomically low. The WHL is a high-tier developmental league that sees many of its players make it to the show. But for a player who makes it to the WHL or any other junior league, the chances of them reaching the NHL is still only 5%. These former Tri-City Americans are those elite few who have made the jump.

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