An ongoing pandemic. Supply chain issues. The addition of an NHL tenant.
Outside factors threatened the timeline of the Arizona State multi-purpose arena's completion and it seemed hard to believe ASU hockey would drop the puck for its first game there on Oct. 14.
However, those planning the arena didn't anticipate the rapidly-moving timeline for the arena, which has resulted in the initial game date of December being moved up to October.
They had a backup plan to start the ASU hockey season at Oceanside Arena, where it has been playing, knowing it wouldn't be easy speeding up a project that includes a 5,000-seat arena for hockey, wrestling and women's gymnastics, along with concerts and other events.