Arizona Coyotes Expecting Sellouts... In Arizona State's 5,000-Seat Arena

The NHL's Arizona Coyotes have always had their fair share of attendance issues since the old Winnipeg Jets relocated to the desert.

But now, the team expects sellouts at every home game.

"We know this is going to be sold out for every single game and we never had any doubt that was going to be the case," team president and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez told ESPN earlier this week. 

The fact that the team plays in the smallest arena in the league isn't important.

This season, the 'Yotes will play their home games at Arizona State University's Mullett Arena. The move comes after years of arena drama, that will see them play at ASU for at least the next three seasons while they try to cut a deal for a new arena in Tempe.

The Arizona Coyotes and Arizona State Sun Devils will be arena mates this season, with both playing their home games in the university's new 5,000-seat Mullett Arena. (Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The 'Yotes Are Still Raking In Season Ticket Revenue

Mullett Arena — which is a great name for a hockey team's home barn — seats just 5,000 people. That's smaller than a lot of minor league arenas and is easily the smallest in the NHL. The next smallest is Winnipegs Canada Life Centre which holds 15,000 people.

Hey, sell-outs are sell-outs.

Gutierrez also mentioned that the team has seen a 50% increase in season ticket revenue compared to the last season when the team played in Glendale, Arizona.

"We're not gouging people here," Gutierrez said. "You're slightly above an NHL average now while you were well below an NHL average before. And we're in a much more centrally located area."

The Sun Devils' first game this season is on October 14, the first of two games against Colgate University. The Coyotes play their first game at Mullett Arena two weeks later, on October 28, and fittingly enough they'll host the Winnipeg Jets.

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