By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
Vegas Golden Knights fans will be watching the NHL team in person tonight and Sunday afternoon — but in a different city and state, Glendale, Arizona.
LVSportsBiz.com is aware of a number of VGK fans making the trip to Arizona to watch the Golden Knights play the Arizona Coyotes this evening and Sunday at 1 p.m. during these pandemic times when more than 400,000 Americans have succumbed to the novel coronavirus over the last 10 months.
In previous seasons, many VGK fans have also been known to travel to Gila River Arena for Knights-Coyotes games. The Knights have won their first four games of the season, including the last two games against Arizona at T-Mobile Arena.
While Clark County restrictions and health protocols do not allow fans in T-Mobile Arena to watch the Knights in action in Las Vegas, the city of Glendale approved 25 percent seating capacity for the Arizona Coyotes home games where capacity at the Coyotes’ home venue is 17,125.
That would give the Coyotes the chance to sell 4,281 tickets, but the NHL franchise is “only allowing 2,600 for increased safety and social distancing,” Arizona Coyotes spokesman Greg Dillard told LVSportsBiz.com this morning.
The city of Glendale and the Coyotes worked with federal, state and health officials to determine the capacity, Dillard said.
He noted arena concession stands are open, “but fans must use our app and all transactions are cashless,” Dillard said.
Two to four fans can sit together in the arena, he said.
Golden Knights coach Pete DeBoer said during a Zoom session, “It’s not going to be a typical road trip. It’s going to be a moving version of the bubble we had in Edmonton. Our group is going to be diligent and we hope we can avoid the virus.”
Here’s another fan already at the arena in Arizona:
Here are the secondary market ticket costs at Gila River Arena for tonight and Sunday, according to SeatGeek, Vivid Seats and StubHub. Tickets start at $111 each as of 12 noon today.
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Another VGK fan in Arizona today.
I spoke with Frank Harnish Thursday about the Knights this season. Check our podcast: