We traveled to Phoenix with our friends Jeff and Mary in the early part of January to watch our hockey team play in a tournament hosted by Arizona State University (ASU). Yes, ASU has a hockey club, and a good one. We just have to get over the preconceived notion regarding where hockey should be played and get used to the fact that very good hockey teams suit up in Florida, Nevada, and Arizona. ASU will join our hockey conference, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), next year. Teams from the NCHC have won five out of the last ten national championships, finished second two other times. ASU played Harvard and we played Massachusetts-Lowell on the first day of the tournament.

We saw two very competitive games. We bested the River Hawks (Mass-Lowell) in overtime and the Sun Devils (ASU) beat the Crimsons (Harvard) on the first day of the tournament. ASU beat us in overtime on the second day. We had a fine time hanging out with UNO staff, alums, administrators, and our coach, Mike Gabinet. It was also nice to be in warmer weather. Our Airbnb was walking distance to the arena. Tempe and Mesa are good places to visit, especially in January.

Jeff, Mary, Janet, and I decided to tour the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) during our time in Arizona. It’s a relatively new museum, it opened in 2010, and full of surprises. We didn’t know what to expect, although we had been told that it was a “must see” place. The MIM is organized into regions of the world. There is also an extensive amount of history about when instruments emerged in different parts of the world, emphasizing the role that music played in the emergence of different cultures. At each station on the tour, detailed explanations of each instrument are offered.

 My favorite stop on the tour was the section on American music. Instruments and other memorabilia are mixed in with tunes and history to produce a rich experience. Seeing Prince’s purple piano and Elvis’ guitar was good, but integrating them with songs and tales made them come to life. Be prepared though. This is not a one-stop museum. There is a lot there and you will want to go back (get a two-day pass). We will revisit the MIM the next time we go to Phoenix.