Melbourne Memories: Coyotes’ Trip to Australia Delights Old & New Fans

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Some of them have been fans for just a few weeks. Others, for well over a decade.

No matter the length of time they have followed the NHL, though, Australian residents came out in full force to support the Arizona Coyotes for the 2023 NHL Global Series last weekend.

It was a busy sports weekend in Melbourne, as the city hosted nearly 100,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the thrilling preliminary Australian Football League final on Friday night before welcoming 30,000 additional fans for the weekend’s festivities in and around Rod Laver Arena.

Every single NHL team was represented in some form at the Global Series events, whether it was through jerseys, t-shirts, hats, or scarves. The league received an impressive display of support from Australian hockey fans – one that won’t soon be forgotten.

“It’s unbelievable, the number of NHL jerseys in the street, in the crowd, everywhere,” Coyotes head coach André Tourigny said. “I will be honest, I was not expecting that. You’re so far from here, and you see jerseys from many teams, Calgary, Vegas, I even saw a Nordiques jersey of Joe Sakic behind me. It’s amazing to see how many fans the NHL has.”

Arizonacoyotes.com caught up with five fans at Rod Laver Arena this past weekend – each of them were attending their first-ever NHL game, but they became fans of the team in very different ways.

Here are their journeys to becoming part of The Pack.

Matty Davis
Davis said he watches a little bit of AFL action from time-to-time, but his true passion lies in supporting West Ham United of the English Premier League. He was contracted through the company promoting the event, and ultimately was assigned to be a dressing room area manager.

As luck would have it, he was designated to the Coyotes’ locker room.

Though he has also spent time working with his brother building ice rinks in the past, he admitted his hockey knowledge wasn’t exactly overwhelming. Even so, his interaction with Coyotes players and staff made him an instant fan of the team – so much so that he decided to get it permanently inked on his calf.

“I came into work, saw the logo there, and I thought, 'that’s amazing, I want that on me,'” Davis said. “It turned out I was working with you guys, too, so it gave me a reason to get it done.”

Though it was not his first tattoo – he said he has 10, including his entire back – it was one of his first visible tattoos, and he was excited to reveal it to the players upon completion.

“I don’t work with the players a huge amount, but they’re all very kind,” Davis said. “I’m looking forward to telling the story.”

That story, in fact, has made him one of the Coyotes’ newest fans, and he was thrilled to watch them play against the Los Angeles Kings for two days over the weekend. He said when he does tell it, and any time he looks at the tattoo, for that matter, he’ll fondly recall his time working for the event and supporting the Coyotes’ locker room.

“It’s been one of the best jobs I’ve ever done, to be honest, because they guys are so happy to see me every day. It’s rewarding work,” Davis said. “I’ll definitely remember Stan Wilson and the equipment team, too. It’s been a great job, and I’ll remember the feeling of being rewarded for my work.”

David Pillinger and Sarah McNabb
Pillinger and McNabb have been playing hockey for about six months to this point, though it was McNabb who first got interested in the sport. She began to play and settled into a forward role, and Pillinger soon followed suit.

McNabb’s interest was piqued after her sister went skating with friends, and shortly after she saw her first hockey game on television, their interest in the sport soon followed.

“We went as a family, and pretty much then we got sucked into skate school and then hockey academy,” McNabb said. “Here we are.”

The pair hails from Avondale Heights, and were excited about the opportunity to see the Stanley Cup on Saturday afternoon. Decked out in Coyotes jerseys, Pillinger said there wasn’t any rhyme or reason to why they chose the Coyotes as their favorite team over the Kings.

It was simply the team they were drawn to.

“It’s an awesome thing to be able to bring the pro guys over here and watch a real game,” Pillinger, who also plays forward, said. “Hopefully we get some more games.”

John Graham
Graham is an Arizona sports superfan, proudly cheering for the Cardinals and Suns in addition to his beloved Coyotes. The Brisbane native has been traveling to Phoenix to catch Cardinals games dating back to 2016, but the timing has never worked out to see the Coyotes on the same trip.

As such, Friday’s game against the Kings – all the way in Melbourne – was his very first NHL / Coyotes game. Graham, who said his favorite player is Clayton Keller, was sporting an Arizona hat and State Fourty Eight basketball jersey, a nod to his undying support for Valley sports.

“One trip over to watch the Cardinals play back in 2016 just got me hooked on the city, the people, and everything around it,” he said. “Everything Arizona I just breathe it.”

He made the trip to Melbourne with his wife, Amanda, and he said the pair never hesitated to book their tickets when the game was first announced by the league. He certainly still supports his local teams, saying he loves his local Rugby League team, but there’s just something about hockey that he loves watching.

“The pace, the speed, and the collisions. It’s just so good to watch,” Graham said. “It amazes me how fast they can stop and then start moving again.”

He also had a little advice for anyone that may be on the fence about getting into the sport:

“Do it. Just jump into it straight away,” Graham said. “Pick a team, watch it, and pick a team, and go from there.”

Ryan Adamson
Adamson was proudly sporting a Coyotes hat while watching his beloved AFL team compete one day earlier in the preliminary final, and though the Giants lost a nail-biter by just one point on Friday night, the Coyotes came through for him with a 5-3 win over the Kings in Saturday’s game (Friday in the US).

The Nelson Bay native was just like the others who precede him in this story, having never seen an NHL game in person. Adamson has been watching hockey for three years, and though he originated as a Flames fan, he started watching the Coyotes when the league announced the team would play in Melbourne.

He hasn’t looked back since.

“They seemed so much cooler -- Everything I’ve watched about them seems so much cooler,” Adamson said. “First time in Australia, you have to make sure you get to these kind of things. It’s just awesome to see it finally in Australia, and you get to watch some amazing games on your home soil.”

When asked if he preferred the AFL or the NHL at this point, Adamson answered immediately.

“NHL,” he said with a huge smile.