page_title: Spokane Chiefs
section_title: Outdoor hockey game
hierarchical_section_title: Spokane Chiefs / Outdoor hockey game
caption_attribution_description: English: Photo of the Spokane Chiefs playing Kootenay in the WHL's first-ever outdoor hockey game.
context_page_description: The Spokane Chiefs are a major junior ice hockey team that plays in the Western Hockey League based out of Spokane, Washington. The team plays its home games at the Spokane Arena. Their uniforms are similar to those of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens. Spokane consistently ranks in the top 10 in the Canadian Hockey League in attendance. The Chiefs won the Memorial Cup in 1991 and 2008. They also hosted the first outdoor hockey game in WHL history on January 15, 2011, at Avista Stadium versus the Kootenay Ice.
context_section_description: During the 2010 offseason, the Chiefs and the Western Hockey League announced the WHL's first outdoor hockey game would be played in Spokane on January 15, 2011, between the Chiefs and the Kootenay Ice. While the game was welcomed with great excitement in Spokane, many fans questioned the location of the 7,000-seat Avista Stadium, the home of the Spokane Indians baseball club. Joe Albi Stadium, a 28,000-seat facility that usually hosts high school and college football, was thought to be a much-better choice. Chiefs' owner Bobby Brett, who also owns the Indians baseball team, said the Chiefs could not reach an agreement with the city on using Joe Albi. 
  Construction crews begin their work at Avista Stadium the week after New Year's. A platform was constructed between first and third base on the baseball field, and then the ice refrigeration unit was placed on top of the platform. It took crews about one week to have the ice rink ready to go.
  Weather played a critical role in the lead up to the game and on game day itself. Initial forecasts called for arctic temperatures and more than a foot of snow falling on January 15. That changed the week of the game, when a warm Pacific storm went through the northwest and melted nearly a foot of snow already on the ground in Spokane. The temperatures on game day reached 50-degrees and there was no snow. Moments before the puck dropped, the sky turned cloudy and hid the sun allowing for optimal conditions. In the end, the game was played at Avista Stadium in front of a sell-out crowd of 7,075. While they enjoyed the experience, many fans complained about the view from their seats at Avista Stadium. Fans who bought front-row tickets discovered they were eye-level with the side boards, making only the upper-part of the players' bodies visible and making it impossible to see the puck.
  The Chiefs won the game 11–2 over Kootenay, as nine different players scored for Spokane. Brett and the Chiefs organization have said it is very unlikely an outdoor game would ever be played in Spokane again, although the following day general manager Tim Speltz did leave open the possibility of hosting a game at Joe Albi Stadium.
caption: The Chiefs hosted the Kootenay Ice in the WHL's first-ever outdoor hockey game at Avista Stadium in Spokane. The Chiefs won the game 11–2.
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