The Coachella Valley hockey team name revealed as the ‘Firebirds’
The Coachella Valley's hockey team will officially be known as the Firebirds.
🔥 Did you see that flame soaring across the sky? The Firebirds are landing in the Coachella Valley.
— Coachella Valley Firebirds (@Firebirds) November 5, 2021
Get all the details at https://t.co/qm2mwCho7U pic.twitter.com/FC5nczRbxd
The team name was unveiled during a news conference Friday morning at the site of the Coachella Valley Arena, which remains under construction in Thousand Palms.
Check out the full announcement news conference below:
The Firebirds will be the American Hockey League's 32nd franchise and will serve as the affiliate for the NHL's Seattle Kraken. The team's official colors will be flaming red and orange, with an ice blue accent in the bird’s eye.
Coachella Valley Firebirds. Confirmed. Let’s play some hockey. @CoachellaArena @TheAHL pic.twitter.com/LhG3hyzX9t
— Blake Arthur (@BlakeArthur24) November 5, 2021
"Taking its name from a desert legend, the name, primary and secondary logos, and colors of the Coachella Valley Firebirds were unveiled by Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke near the construction site of the new arena," reads an announcement by the team.
The officials Coachella Valley Firebirds website is also now up and live: https://cvfirebirds.com/
Watch News Channel 3 at 5:00 p.m. & 6:00 p.m. for continuing details on the Firebirds and their future
Download the KESQ News Channel 3 app on Apple Store or Google Play for continuing alerts on the arena's opening and when the Firebirds will start play
The Firebirds' future home, the $300 million, 11,000 seat arena, is being built in Thousand Palms next to the Classic Club Golf Course just north of the Cook St. Interstate 10 exit.
Over the weekend, a giant 440-ton crawler crane was assembled and on Monday, it put the first steel beam into place.
CHECK IT OUT: Drone captures progress on Coachella Valley Arena construction
Officials broke ground on the arena in June. Construction is expected to be complete by October 2022.
The Coachella Valley Arena will be a state-of-the-art facility that will not only host hockey games but also concerts and other entertainment events.
Tim Leiweke says in addition to @TheAHL hockey, @CoachellaArena will also host @ufc, boxing and @WWE. Endless possibilities and lot of excitement here at groundbreaking ceremony.
— Blake Arthur (@BlakeArthur24) June 2, 2021
"Part of the reason is the majority of our owners on the Seattle Kraken own homes in the Coachella Valley during the wintertime. So it's a huge point of destination back and forth, and easy to get our players back and forth," Tim Leiweke, CEO of Oak VIew Group, the arena's developer told News Channel 3 earlier this year.
The arena is privately funded and the owners are optimistic that it will host a variety of events for the Coachella Valley area. "Because if you think about it, is there a better place to come than the Coachella Valley during the winter time?" Leiweke said.
MORE: I-Team takes a look at who’s behind the new Coachella Valley Arena
News Channel 3 will bring you live coverage of the announcement on KESQ.com and throughout the day on News Channel 3.
