Artist rendering of the upcoming Coachella Valley Arena.
Hockey is coming back to the desert.
Late next year, the Coachella Valley will have a world-class arena that will be home to the American Hockey League-affilated National Hockey League expansion team, the Seattle Kraken, the arena's developers told Desert Magazine.
"As we discussed where the Seattle Kraken American Hockey (League) team was going to play, it just made complete sense," Nick Forro, AHL Palm Springs president and Seattle Kraken senior vice president, said. "We're going to have this beautiful facility in the Coachella Valley - right in the heart of the entire valley - and our American Hockey League team will be there."
Oakview Group is partnering with Live Nation and the NHL Seattle Kraken to build "a championship organization" that serves fans, the community and businesses through sports and entertainment, John Bolton, the arena's senior vice president of entertainment and facilities and general manager, said.
"We believe that winning matters, our fans come first, with risk comes reward, great teams can achieve unimaginable results, and honoring the culture and diversity of the cities that make up the Coachella Valley in Southern California," Bolton said.
Hockey is not new to the Coachella Valley, but the area has been without a rink since May when Desert Ice Castle closed.
Bringing the Seattle Kraken to the desert was a key component that fell naturally into place for the Coachella Valley Arena, Oak View Group Business Development President Francesca Leiweke-Bodie said.
"There is no doubt that Coachella Valley has been a place of refuge for artists for many decades, and a point of destination for some of the best music, but we realized that what was missing was a world-class arena where artists can not only come and enjoy all of the incredible amenities of the valley but also rehearse and prepare for world tours," Leiweke-Bodie said. "Once we understood the music portion, the professional hockey piece followed shortly after we understood the amount of winter 'snow-birds' that enjoy the winter weather. Providing content that solidifies the valley as a music and entertainment point of destination that rivals Las Vegas while also being a home-ice advantage for the AHL team, creates the perfect storm for a new state-of-the-art arena that will be best in class for those living and visiting Coachella Valley."
The $250 million Coachella Valley Arena will sit on about 43 acres at I-10 and Cook Street, near the Classic Club golf course. It is expected to become a sports and entertainment hub with clubs and lounge areas, bars and concessions, all in one desert-themed facility. Huge exterior windows will offer views of the San Jacinto Mountains and other Coachella Valley scenery. The more-than-300,000-square-foot arena will offer 11,000-plus seats, modern suites and premium hospitality clubs adjacent to a year-round community gathering space and a hockey training center.
The Coachella Valley Arena also is being built to accommodate conventions, large meetings, international events, award shows and exhibitions.
Groundbreaking for the arena, privately funded and creating hundreds of permanent and temporary jobs, is planned for May, with a projected opening in the last quarter of 2022.
Oak View Group will operate the arena.
The Arena's Berger Foundation site will be "an incredible location" accessible to local Coachella Valley residents, the greater Palm Desert areas and visitors who will come from well beyond, Leiweke-Bodie said.
"It will be fan-focused with all the modern amenities fans should expect, as well as safe, sanitized, with great food, ambiance, and of course, great content," Leiweke-Bodie said. "Perhaps people underestimate our ability to drive the best in live entertainment and content, as we see our competition to not be Ontario, but rather Las Vegas. We want visitors and patrons to be able to see performances from family shows with Disney on Ice, to comedy shows, A-list music artists such as Harry Styles, Elton John, and so forth. The arena’s future will be defined by iconic events and a victorious team."
The Coachella Valley Arena will be an impressive venue in which people can come together for music, sports and other events, Forro said.
"We look at this arena as a community trust," Forro said. "This arena will be a place where the very diverse background of folks who live in the valley can come and be together for a night of entertainment and truly enjoy themselves, whether it is an American Hockey League game or it is a great concert, to be able to come together."
And the arena cannot be arriving at a better time for the area and the markedly divided nation.
"Politically and with COVID, and also we've been in isolation for a year now," Forro said. "The timing couldn't be more perfect for this arena to open up in the fall of '22. It really can be a beacon of hope and a place where people can come together and be social, celebrate and enjoy hockey and concerts. We see this arena really being something that brings folks together in a time when we need it the most."
