Confirmed with Link: All-Purpose Coyotes Arena Talk: Land Auction Date Set - 6/27

[The Feckless Puck]

Easier to dogpile on Meruelo than to take a long look at the 20 years worth ineptitude by all the parties involved (including the NHL) that cratered not only just the franchise, but the entire market itself.

You know what, though? Meruelo is the guy that got the Coyotes relocated. Gary Bettman moved heaven and earth to keep this team here even when he probably shouldn't have (see: Ice Clowns), and he worked absolute miracles in the process... but Alex Meruelo did in 5 years what not even a total bankruptcy, attempted coup, and league ownership couldn't over the preceding 15... he salted the earth for NHL hockey in Arizona.

So f*** it, I'm gonna dogpile on that shifty-eyed, self-absorbed Cuban bastard until he either has a come-to-Jesus moment in his life or he leaves the state and goes back to his comfy Nevada mafia.

If people are going to pine over a guy like Ryan Smith and wonder why the Coyotes couldn’t have an owner like him you better go back and realize Bill Foley was offered the Coyotes once. And after just one look decided he was better off going to Vegas and starting from scratch.

Yeah, the value of a fresh start, clean slate, what have you is tremendous.

Which is why it's so f***ing PERFECT for us Coyotes fans that our "clean slate," if it happens, is going to be the same song, different verse with that prick and his failson.

 

[Dirty Old Man]

Nah, my ire still falls more to the 18000 or so Tempe NO voters that either were stupid from the start or allowed themselves to be easily led astray. And I'll never set foot in a Changing Hands Bookstore again. Except if i need to use their bathroom, maybe.

Unless someday I find out it turns out they could have gotten it done at TED without a vote, like probably every other damn building next to Tempe Town Lake....*then* I'd wanna b-slap AM around.

 

[Bonsai Tree]

My only hope is that Ishbia renovates the Footsie to make it hockey friendly, Meruelo misses his benchmarks and in 3 years Ishbia gets an NHL franchise.

 

[DustyDangler]

My only hope is that Ishbia renovates the Footsie to make it hockey friendly, Meruelo misses his benchmarks and in 3 years Ishbia gets an NHL franchise.

This was always the ideal solution to me. Suns, Coyotes, Dbacks should all be downtown.

 

[MIGs Dog]

This was always the ideal solution to me. Suns, Coyotes, Dbacks should all be downtown.

I like downtown stadiums/arenas, but no one lives downtown in Phoenix. The place is a ghost town after dark. Is having it near no one a good compromise? Perhaps. The commute for SE Valley and central/south Scottsdale is not bad. The commute for N Scottsdale is longer than the auction sight of course, but can still be done in under 30 minutes. West side drive time is better than an east side location.

 

[Dead Coyote]

It might be one day. Will Phoenix be that excited?

Easier for a dog that's new to be excited than a dog that's been whipped and abused and threatened it's whole life.

EDIT: I'm not "excited" for a Ryan Smyth owner. That's the bare minimum. What I am excited for is the PLAYERS to show that kind of enthusiasm and die-hardedness to the fandom, before they even have a rink or a name.

 

[Knights2017]

I like downtown stadiums/arenas, but no one lives downtown in Phoenix. The place is a ghost town after dark. Is having it near no one a good compromise? Perhaps. The commute for SE Valley and central/south Scottsdale is not bad. The commute for N Scottsdale is longer than the auction sight of course, but can still be done in under 30 minutes. West side drive time is better than an east side location.

This has changed in the past 5 years.. I've worked downtown for 15 years and it's busier than ever in evenings with all of the apartments that have sprung up

 

[MIGs Dog]

This has changed in the past 5 years.. I've worked downtown for 15 years and it's busier than ever in evenings with all of the apartments that have sprung up

Good to know. My intel is a bit dated. An arena/entertainment district can also boost downtown night life.

 

[rt]

 

[TheLegend]

You know what, though? Meruelo is the guy that got the Coyotes relocated. Gary Bettman moved heaven and earth to keep this team here even when he probably shouldn't have (see: Ice Clowns), and he worked absolute miracles in the process... but Alex Meruelo did in 5 years what not even a total bankruptcy, attempted coup, and league ownership couldn't over the preceding 15... he salted the earth for NHL hockey in Arizona.

So f*** it, I'm gonna dogpile on that shifty-eyed, self-absorbed Cuban bastard until he either has a come-to-Jesus moment in his life or he leaves the state and goes back to his comfy Nevada mafia.

If Meruelo hadn’t come along they were gone anyway. Barroway was out of cash…. Period. The hints were all there.

Coyotes had tried twice to get out of Glendale before Meruelo came along and were going nowhere since they had to rely on everyone else’s money to do it. At least Meruelo was going to use a his money for the most part to get it done but all the stigma attached to public funding anything by then made him an easy target.

Ryan Smith for all his money and coolness couldn’t have got it done either. He’s getting his arena refurbished for free, and a new one built on the public dime.

Yeah, the value of a fresh start, clean slate, what have you is tremendous.

Which is why it's so f***ing PERFECT for us Coyotes fans that our "clean slate," if it happens, is going to be the same song, different verse with that prick and his and his failson.

Maybe it’s what we needed in the first place.

 

[TheLegend]

This has changed in the past 5 years.. I've worked downtown for 15 years and it's busier than ever in evenings with all of the apartments that have sprung up

Phoenix has been working the last fifteen years or so to rebuild the downtown core.

 

[Jakey53]

Easier to dogpile on Meruelo than to take a long look at the 20 years worth ineptitude by all the parties involved (including the NHL) that cratered not only just the franchise, but the entire market itself.

If people are going to pine over a guy like Ryan Smith and wonder why the Coyotes couldn’t have an owner like him you better go back and realize Bill Foley was offered the Coyotes once. And after just one look decided he was better off going to Vegas and starting from scratch.

Exactly. While we love Bettman for keeping the Yote's alive for so long, what the NHL actually did was put a knife in our back and turned it slowly. The NHL made us operate like a high school team with bare bones everything. IF the NHL supported the team as they should have, they would have attracted the right buyer years ago by showing that a NHL team can be very successful in this market.

 

[Jakey53]

If Meruelo hadn’t come along they were gone anyway. Barroway was out of cash…. Period. The hints were all there.

Coyotes had tried twice to get out of Glendale before Meruelo came along and were going nowhere since they had to rely on everyone else’s money to do it. At least Meruelo was going to use a his money for the most part to get it done but all the stigma attached to public funding anything by then made him an easy target.

Ryan Smith for all his money and coolness couldn’t have got it done either. He’s getting his arena refurbished for free, and a new one built on the public dime.



Maybe it’s what we needed in the first place.

I agree, but Smith isn't getting a new arena. You are right, Smith is getting a free ride.

 

[Coyotedroppings]

You guys, Steve Peters is burning down every bridge he has left on PHNX YouTube right now in case you want some cathartic release...

EDIT: Here is the rant, clipped for your convenience.

Yeah, I been telling y'all this since before the Tempe vote failed.

 

[Foggy1097]

I agree with you, I don't understand it at all. So bizarre, I just can't fathom how people can jump aboard another communities team. But like you said, maybe so many people just aren't attached to AZ.

Even for me, I'll be a Knights Fan but it's hard to latch on unless I move to Vegas.. but it's the closest team in a city I visit often so thats it.

I sure as hell won't be going to Utah... EVER so they're dead to me.

I’ve lived a handful of other places but AZ has always been my favorite. I’ve spent over 20 years here and set down roots here, and it will always be home to me. The civic pride as it relates to sports is a weird one for me. I root for all the major AZ sports teams, but definitely at more of a distance than I did the Coyotes. The other teams I will catch a game now and then, or watch the big ones, but I never really make it a point to watch. Therefore with those teams, for me personally it’s like Seinfeld says…”I’m rooting for laundry.” It’s not so much who is wearing the uniform it’s the uniform and the city I’m rooting for, so I get that perspective. If/when AZ gets a hockey team back I will instantly be a fan again.

But with this situation it just feels different. I’ve had zero hesitation about following the group. Because I pay more attention than other sports I do get invested more in the players and getting to know them, and you have your guys who you like to see have success. I can only speak for myself, but just because the laundry is different doesn’t mean this isn’t my team anymore. This is the Utah community’s team now yes, no doubt about it, and I’m jealous of them for that…but it’s also still my/our team. Those of us that have followed these guys closely and like what BA and AT are building…we still get to watch that process and we still get to root for the same people. All of the old Jets fans that have been on this board over the years…is their fandom any less relevant than our’s? Is it somehow more our team (AZ residents) than it is their’s? I think the answer is, not in a real meaningful way, no. There is the community aspect of having the team in your backyard…it’s a real thing and it does matter, but it isn’t everything. Especially for people that don’t go to a ton of live games anyway…

 

[Coyotedroppings]

Easier to dogpile on Meruelo than to take a long look at the 20 years worth ineptitude by all the parties involved (including the NHL) that cratered not only just the franchise, but the entire market itself.

If people are going to pine over a guy like Ryan Smith and wonder why the Coyotes couldn’t have an owner like him you better go back and realize Bill Foley was offered the Coyotes once. And after just one look decided he was better off going to Vegas and starting from scratch.

Yeah, I'd wager he saw a fair weather, root for the teams from the cities they used to live in, nutless puking fanbase, that has no heart and soul.

@Coyotedroppings As a fan I owe the Coyotes nothing. Over the 24 years in existence, the Coyotes failed in every conceivable way to engender fan loyalty Loyalty is earned by a team through good fan relations, ownership stability and true effort to build a Cup contender. No surprise at all that casual fans stayed away.

Never said you did, but here you are just the same. My point has always been as fans of the game, we owe it to the game, if we want a team.
Now we have no team, it's really quite simple.

 

[Llewzaher]

If Meruelo hadn’t come along they were gone anyway. Barroway was out of cash…. Period. The hints were all there.

Coyotes had tried twice to get out of Glendale before Meruelo came along and were going nowhere since they had to rely on everyone else’s money to do it. At least Meruelo was going to use a his money for the most part to get it done but all the stigma attached to public funding anything by then made him an easy target.

Ryan Smith for all his money and coolness couldn’t have got it done either. He’s getting his arena refurbished for free, and a new one built on the public dime.



Maybe it’s what we needed in the first place.

Agreed. Let Meurello win the auction , build the arena… and get the team back..

There is a reason he is an observer… to learn.. if he screws up.. I am sure the NHL will gladly take it off his hands.

Meurello lost a lot of cash… if he can swallow his pride work with the state, and build that entertainment facility.. that can fund the team

 

[Coyotedroppings]

This was always the ideal solution to me. Suns, Coyotes, Dbacks should all be downtown.

Absolutely. Somewhat along those lines, I just watched "Saving Sakic"

I like downtown stadiums/arenas, but no one lives downtown in Phoenix. The place is a ghost town after dark. Is having it near no one a good compromise? Perhaps. The commute for SE Valley and central/south Scottsdale is not bad. The commute for N Scottsdale is longer than the auction sight of course, but can still be done in under 30 minutes. West side drive time is better than an east side location.

Haven't been here in a while eh?

 

[Coyotedroppings]

Exactly. While we love Bettman for keeping the Yote's alive for so long, what the NHL actually did was put a knife in our back and turned it slowly. The NHL made us operate like a high school team with bare bones everything. IF the NHL supported the team as they should have, they would have attracted the right buyer years ago by showing that a NHL team can be very successful in this market.

They tried and tried Jakey and couldn't get it done in a market full of fair weather, root for the teams from the cities they used to live in, nutless excuses for a fanbase.

 

[Kai Yo T]

How the f*** can he have his son run the team?
He had all the pieces for success there. Shane Doan was there.
For gods sake, why did Garry allow this bucket of apples to buy the team?

It took the NHL 4 or 5 years just to find Meruelo, so they were desperate by then it seems. This team has never had people lining up to buy it (at least not with the intent of keeping it in AZ.)

 

[Coyotedroppings]

Agreed. Let Meurello win the auction , build the arena… and get the team back..

There is a reason he is an observer… to learn.. if he screws up.. I am sure the NHL will gladly take it off his hands.

Meurello lost a lot of cash… if he can swallow his pride work with the state, and build that entertainment facility.. that can fund the team

Even I agree. Let the asshat in chief have another shot. To me, he looked like a man in shock, with damaged pride and I think he'll do better.
Of course there is no other option either....

 

[Dirty Old Man]

Good to know. My intel is a bit dated. An arena/entertainment district can also boost downtown night life.

Yeah it's a little north of the two arenas, mostly, like Roosevelt and creeping up Central. But there's a lot more nice/nice-ish residential downtown than 15-20 yrs ago for sure.

 

[Edenjung]

It took the NHL 4 or 5 years just to find Meruelo, so they were desperate by then it seems. This team has never had people lining up to buy it (at least not with the intent of keeping it in AZ.)

300 million dollar for the franchise and you cannot get someone to buy it?
Damn.

 

[TheLegend]

300 million dollar for the franchise and you cannot get someone to buy it?
Damn.

Think of it this way….

Bettman sold Meruelo what was advertised a billion dollar Ferrari for the low price of taking over $300 million in financing……

Except that it had…

— a blown engine
— worn out transmission.
— four flat tires
— blown suspension
— and a salvage title

— only the horn worked

Then informs him after the sale he’ll need another garage to store it in because the owners of the current one has decided it wants a CircleK in its place.

 

[Dead Coyote]

How the f*** can he have his son run the team?
He had all the pieces for success there. Shane Doan was there.
For gods sake, why did Garry allow this bucket of apples to buy the team?

He told Shane Doan there was no job for him there, just like Chayka and Barroway told him he won't be a player here.

And now, Shane Doan is no longer here.