Hockey fans in Australia who had the opportunity to attend the 2023 NHL Global Series in Melbourne were treated to a spectacular game between the Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings at Rod Laver Arena.
The sell-out crowd of 13,097 screaming fans saw everything the NHL has to offer – big hits, a fight, huge saves, and highlight reel goals.
The NHL must have let out a sigh of relief after Friday’s open practice was cut short due to ice issues.
“I tip my hat to the people that worked on it yesterday,” Kings Head Coach Todd McLellan said at the postgame press conference.
“They did a real good job of reviving it and getting it back. And in these situations, there’s a lot of variables that they’re fighting – room temperature, humidity, and all these things – and they do the best they can.”
Earlier in the week, the NHL commented that they wanted to send teams to Australia that played fast, entertaining hockey. Both the Kings and Coyotes fulfilled the brief, and the first NHL game ever played in the Southern Hemisphere must be seen, at least early on, as a roaring success.
Even the weather was perfect for pre-game festivities and the NHL Global Fan Zone outside the arena. Observing the conditions, Keeper of the Stanley Cup, Philip Pritchard, told Hockey Hype Australia that even “Mother Nature is a hockey fan”.
Inside Rod Laver Arena, fans were met with a panoply of jerseys covering all levels of the sport in Australia from AWIHL, AIHL, local leagues, and of course, NHL jerseys. NHL reporter Nick Cotsonika kept a checklist and confirmed all 32 teams were represented.
Kings Head Coach Todd McLellan made the same observation after yesterday’s open practice. “You could probably see every one of the thirty-two [NHL] jerseys. I thought that was really good. I thought the fans were outstanding; those were really good experiences,” McLellan enthused.
Arizona Coyotes Head Coach André Tourigny had a similar reaction. “It’s unbelievable the number of NHL jerseys everywhere in the street and the crowd everywhere. I will be honest, I was not expecting that. It’s amazing to see how many fans the NHL has [in Australia].”
Representatives from the NHL, LA Kings, and Arizona Coyotes all commented to Hockey Hype Australia about how knowledgeable the fans seemed to be. To them, it didn’t feel like the first NHL game ever played in this country.
The crowd, of course, roared in appreciation during the first period when Josh Brown of the Coyotes and Jacob Doty of the Kings squared off in a prolonged, and likely scripted, tilt at centre-ice.
After a scoreless first period, the floodgates opened in the second. Clayton Keller became the answer to a trivia question with the first NHL goal ever scored below the equator. Fittingly, it was a shot from below the goal line, Keller’s shot banking off Pheonix Copley’s body and into the net.
However, it was Logan Cooley’s goal that will live in the memory long after the NHL returns to North America. Cooley gained the zone, executed a spin-a-rama, and deked the last defender before beating the Kings netminder.
The score ended 5-3 in favour of the Coyotes, both teams participated in the shootout with Logan Cooley scoring the lone goal in three rounds. In fairness, the score and result were overshadowed by the spectacle and success of the event.
Stay tuned to our socials, @hockeyhypeaus, for all the latest NHL Global Series news.
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