Centennial Fan Arena travel diary

The Centennial Fan Arena, a mobile Hall of Fame consisting of two 53-foot trucks, is a monument to the NHL's deep and vibrant history. Throughout 2017, the Fan Arena, a main pillar of the League's year-long 100-year anniversary, will travel across North America, visiting all 31 NHL markets and other stops along the way.
Chris Asbhy and Scott Wenge, the two drivers responsible for the transport of the Fan Arena, will be checking in regularly with NHL.com along the way to provide updates.

April 7, 2017

Hello Philly! We drove approximately 398 miles from PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina to Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. As of Friday, we have been on the road for 100 days. We've driven more in three months than most people do in a year! They say "America Runs on Dunkin'' and apparently, so do we.
We're looking forward to bringing the Tour to all the passionate Flyers fans. If anyone can let us know the best place to get a Philly cheesesteak, we're all ears...
Here's the latest on the Tour, by the numbers:
0... Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches eaten so far on this trip
2... Canadian provinces the trucks have driven through to date
16... total tour stops
28... U.S. states the trucks have driven through to date
100... days on the road
353... coffees consumed
16,601... total miles traveled by each truck

March 12

We headed out from Denver on Sunday morning. The weekend at Pepsi Center was amazing. It might have been the best turnout yet.
Our trip to Ottawa, which is almost 1,800 miles, should take about three days. Hopefully with no surprises.
The weather forecast on Monday for Buffalo, which is where we will be, doesn't look good. We'll keep you posted.
We are heading north again into the winter climate... not looking forward to below freezing temps.
The Fan Arena will be at Canadian Tire Center on ffrom 4 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Aberdeen Pavilion on Saturday (12 to 5 p.m.) and Sunday (12 to 7 p.m.) as part of the Stanley Cup 125th anniversary celebration.

March 3

The 2017 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series event in Pittsburgh went well. The weather was really warm. Certainly not bad for February. But game day was quite a different story. The temperature swing between days was close to 40 degrees. Good for the ice, but bad for all of us who were still in shorts.
We're in Florida now. The show opened at 6 p.m. on Thursday with a viewing party for the fans as the Florida Panthers played the Philadelphia Flyers.
The trip (1,148 miles) down to Sunrise, Florida, from Pittsburgh was pretty uneventful. It was a two-day drive and all went well. On Friday we'll be set up on the beach in Fort Lauderdale. The Stanley Cup and the Virtual Reality Zambonis will be on display. Saturday afternoon we return to BB&T Center with our setup in the front parking lot. The Stanley Cup will be on display all day.
Our next stop after Florida is Denver, which is about a 2,040-mile drive.
We will be at the Pepsi Center from 12-7 p.m. local time March 10 and from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on March 11.

Feb. 15

We have completed the 1,500-plus-mile drive from Nashville to Kenora, Ontario and got an amazing greeting from some local firefighters.
The guys at the City of Kenora Fire Station 1 washed the trucks in their building. All six of them were blown away by the trucks.
Earlier today, we successfully crossed into Canada, went to Winnipeg, Manitoba en route to Kenora.
Saturday is Scoatiabank Hockey Day in Canada, and we will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 14

After spending the weekend in Nashville, we are well into our 1,500-plus-mile trek to Kenora, Ontario, where we are looking forward to partnering with Scotiabank for Hockey Day in Canada.
It will be a great opportunity to show off our national sport and the Fan Arena's 100 years of memorabilia.
We're hoping to arrive in Kenora, which is about a seven-hour drive from Minneapolis, by Wednesday evening. We will open on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the Stanley Cup will be on display from noon to 2:30 p.m.

Jan. 30

With the 2017 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend ending, we've started the 1,800-mile journey from Los Angeles to St. Louis.
We're really looking forward to meeting all the wonderful fans in St. Louis when we arrive in town sometime early Tuesday afternoon.
Chris and the museum truck left Sunday afternoon so that they could arrive in St. Louis early to do some routine maintenance on the trailer along with a little spit and polish to get it ready for everyone.
We'll be open to the public from 11 a.m.to 6 p.m. on Friday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday, and 1-5 p.m. on Sunday. The Stanley Cup will be there Saturday and Sunday.
-- Scott Wenge

Jan. 23

Good morning everyone.
It's been a busy week.
We made the overnight drive of about 366 miles from San Jose to Anaheim, where Kris Loomis and the staff at Honda Center arranged showers and coffee upon our arrival.
We had first-class treatment from the staff at Honda Center this weekend. We had to set up inside due to the rainy weather, but the turnout was unbelievable. The fans in Anaheim were amazing.
Monday, we are ready to leave Honda Center and head to Starview Elementary School near Anaheim to show off our museum to the kids. We are told they are hockey crazy so hopefully this will highlight their year.
We will be packing up this evening and heading to Los Angeles for the All-Star Game this weekend.
When we get to Los Angeles, which is 26 miles from Anaheim, we will have covered almost 5,400 miles in our first three weeks.
Later!!
Scott and Chris

Jan. 16

Dallas, Texas to San Jose, California (approximate distance, 1,700 miles)
After a successful weekend in Dallas, we are on our way to San Jose.
We left Dallas on Monday. We had to stay in town to watch the Cowboys lose to the Packers on Sunday. We watched the game on TV at a place by our hotel.
It was a cold and stormy weekend but we had great crowds at the Fan Arena.
We should be in San Jose, which is about 1,700 miles away, by dinner time Tuesday.
-- Chris Ashby

Jan. 9

Tempe, Arizona to Dallas, Texas (approximate distance, 1,060 miles)
We are on our way to Dallas. I think we will get to Pecos, Texas on Monday and should arrive in Dallas around dinner time on Tuesday.
The tournout in Arizona was amazing. A line wrapped around the site at least an hour before we opened on Sunday. Saturday was crazy as well.
The rink at the Fan Arena and a chance to see the Stanley Cup have been a huge success.
Thanks Arizona for your support! -- Chris Ashby

Jan. 5

Toronto to Tempe, Arizona (approximate distance, 2,250 miles)
We are just over 24 hours into the trip from Toronto to Arizona. We got the usual stares that two trucks like this would command. The odd wave, but nothing crazy.
We drove through a snowstorm in the early morning hours in Missouri. Randy Rowland and I were driving the speed limit and everyone else was getting off the highway. It was plowed with only an inch of snow on top. Quite funny, actually.
We will arrive in Phoenix around midnight local time. -- Chris Ashby