The future of the Coyotes franchise...

[QuebecCard]

I doubt Arizona will be offered an expansion team. Quebec, Houston & Kansas City are the favorites. Plus, there is no arena for an expansion team.

I'm from Quebec, and even with a new arena and deep-pocketed ownership, we don't believe we are in the running. The NHL has little interest in concessions north of the border. Houston, KC, Atlanta, and Arizona, if and when they get an arena, seem the likely contenders.

 

[QuebecCard]

Hockey is a tough sport to get into out here since it's not something kids play in schools. Ice is limited in this state. I got into the Roadrunners as a kid and we got the Coyotes at a time where I gave them a chance as a youngster but I was the only kid in my class who could name more than 1-2 players so not having a social group to talk about the games with hurt. I got into them again as an adult because going to NHL games is so much fun. I prefer to it to NBA, MLB, and NFL games. Live hockey is really amazing and it creates fans. It's not a fun sport to watch on TV, although better than baseball IMO. The business side caused me more confusion and kept me from getting too invested, almost twice as much since the league has had plenty of issues while the Coyotes always had issues.

The leading goal scorer in the NHL is Arizona, born and bred.

 

[Ronin]

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[MigratingOsprey]

I don't think it's strange at all.

NHL expansion has been in the air for a while

SLC was a potential location, has the ability to secure a new facility and a minute league team in a temporary home that previously had the Olympics

If you were going to expand a few years down the road to SLC, why not sell and relocate now as the most optimistic timeline in Phoenix is a few more years at Mullett.

SLC gets a team earlier, the AZ ownership gets funding to buy the land and develop and would be in a position for an expansion team in a few years

If they can't get the venue done, then they cash out and are done and a different market steps in

If the league collects expansion and relocation fees, the better for them as well

 

[GatorAZ]

How different would last last 20 years have been in terms of winning had Steve Ellman got his arena at the Los Arcos location?

 

[Gambler]

I agree, watching ice hockey in person is one of the most exciting games around. I watched the old Phoenix Roadrunners on several occasions. The most exciting game I saw was when they played the USSR team in Phoenix.

I agree. Hockey is 4th on my list of the top 4 major sports. But years ago my son begged me to take him to a Phoenix Roadrunners game (he played youth soccer). I knew nothing about hockey but he convinced me to go. It was a great time. I remember on one play we got called for icing and I stood up yelling against the call and then sat down and asked my son "what is icing?" It's like that, contagious. I can't watch it on TV but in person, it is the best spectator sport (to me).

 

[MigratingOsprey]

How different would last last 20 years have been in terms of winning had Steve Ellman got his arena at the Los Arcos location?

I don't think much different - maybe a more cooperative city partner, but 2008 would still happen and Ellman was always more interested in developing around a team, not actually owning or operating a team

 

[jf-08]

This one smarts.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Still haven't heard anything official regarding the team's name. Hopefully, we keep it for a future expansion team. If not, we start completely fresh (except the owner - Meh) and get to come up with a new name.

Wouldn't be the first time Utah took another city's team and kept their name.

 

[MigratingOsprey]

I saw a headline saying that the name, logo, etc would stay as condition to the sale - didn't click through, but it would make sense

 

[PDXChris]

I saw a headline saying that the name, logo, etc would stay as condition to the sale - didn't click through, but it would make sense

I wonder if the stats would too? Does Doan own AZ or Utah records.

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[Ronin]

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[Mulli]

Beep beep.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

It is crazy that there are no local voices/leaders out there talking about what a shame it is for our state to lose its hockey franchise. Guess the up/down nature of the Yotes since they came to town and the long drama of finding a home in the East Valley has worn people down on them. Not a mayor or the governor or any city leader anywhere lamenting that they are being sold off to Utah speaks volumes for the support they have received compared to the Cardinals, Diamondbacks, and Suns.

The NHL itself preaches how badly they want to keep hockey in the desert but then they went ahead and negotiated this sale despite a possible pending land deal which could keep the team here. To me that says they are not too confident in the land deal and the building of a new arena anytime soon.

I just wish that if we have to lose our team and hope to gain another within a few years that it could be without the current team ownership. An expansion team should be all about new beginnings and not rewarding a bumbling owner with a second chance.

 

[Phrazbit]

The west side thing is utter BS. It’s false logic as you point out. People in other cities travel just as far in worse traffic for games and are happy to do so.

Disagree. I live in north central Phoenix and I haaaaaate going to Westgate. On a weekday you’d have to pay me to go out there.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

Disagree. I live in north central Phoenix and I haaaaaate going to Westgate. On a weekday you’d have to pay me to go out there.

Yeah, what people do in other cities is completely irrelevant. People in the Phoenix metro area don't want to drive to the west side on a consistent basis.

 

[MigratingOsprey]

People here drive more than most and it works both directions - with that, there is definitely driving fatigue and contain

Product is the issue though

There are only a handful of NHL teams that will support steady losing

The coyotes drew over 15,000 to Glendale with awful teams in a much less developed footprint in their early years in that space

Places like Calgary, Colorado, Buffalo, NJ, Anaheim, SJ, etc have all had years under that mark in recent years

Even in the dying years they were roughly near 14,000

If you had a consistently winning product, it's not difficult to believe they could add another 1,000 - 2,000 to those averages.

It's the worst franchise in the league in the ice - worst franchise point percentage of any active franchise, no period of sustained success in AZ

The last time they made the playoffs in a full season was that 11/12 run to the conference finals.

Most years since they've been 20+ points out of the playoffs

That year also marked their only playoff series wins in their time in AZ and they've only made the playoffs 5 times during "regular" seasons in the past 25 years - most of those a long distant memory.

They've been almost as dysfunctional off the ice as on

At some point you need to give the fans something to show up for - regardless of where

 

[MigratingOsprey]

Fountain Hills showing some love

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[Brian in Mesa]

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[Ronin]

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[Germz249]

So do we root for Salt Lake?

 

[Dback Jon]

So do we root for Salt Lake?

No

 

[Brian in Mesa]

So do we root for Salt Lake?

Some will. That's our coach and those are our players that we have been following. Whole situation sucks.

 

[Lefty]

So do we root for Salt Lake?

I really won't be a fan of Utah but I will be rooting for the players. This is probably one of the best collection of young talent that the Coyotes have had here. They are going to be a playoff team very soon, possibly next year.

 

[jf-08]

I'm still sad. The Coyotes have been such a big part of my life the past 25+ years. And finally have a team that has a bright future.

*sigh*

Me--------> <<---Tempe