Arizona (Phoenix) Coyotes 1996-2024

[MVP of West Hollywd]

The crowd was fun but they had the most boring roster for a good team I can remember in the early 2010s, like if this Torts Philly team goes on to have a 107 point season and then a WCF appearance all without really improving their namepower. If they had that multi year run with a clear star like Islanders Tavares maybe it would've had a more long lasting positive impact.

The last decade? Man that is some les miserables shit

 

[HabsQC]

I predict the phoenix will resurrect from its ashes someday

 

[StreetHawk]

Everything seemed to spiral out of control when they moved Glendale. Arena location is very important for a 41 home game a season league and you'd have to think a lot of teams would struggle with this. If they would have been able to get the arena built in the early 2000s in Scottsdale/Tempe/Downtown Phoenix it would have made a big difference.

I don't know all the details of why any arena deals that were more central fell through, but it seems to me they went chasing the maximum taxpayer funding they could receive at the expense of their long-term sustainability. This combined with the losing just spiraled things out of control, and money-losing businesses seem to just attract more charlatans as owners.

All other counties/cities, be it Tempe, Mesa, Scottsdale have to decide if building another 18k indoor arena makes sense for them when you have Footprint that opened in 1992 in Phx. Not exactly an easy sell to the residents of the area.
Money was different back in the late 90's early millennium.

I did hear about a location at an old mall in Scottsdale that the Coyotes were aiming for but that fell through. Probably the only real shot of making it in AZ. Glendale was a massive miscalculation. If you move away from your fanbase, you better be sure you can grow a new one.

Curious to see how it goes in AZ. Going into NBA cities, it's not an easy thing to get done. Need to have someone like Smith to be interested in SLC. Allen in Portland wasn't. Alexander after securing the Houston arena was no longer interested. Group that bought the Hawks/Thrashers from Turner was not interested. See what happens with the Suns when they near the end of their lease. Will their owner be interested in the NHL?

 

[Esq]

This is one of my least favorite teams over the years, with some truly detestable players. Mike Smith and Raffi Torres, for example.

That said, their fan base is passionate and it's a damn shame that this happened.

 

[Coaches Coroner]

Some of the best jersey's in the game.

 

[Extra Texture]

I know this franchise has been in pain for a long time. This is still a sad day and moment that those passionate fans, the ones on this site and who showed up for years DESPITE the headwinds, do not in any way deserve. Having lived with the threat of losing my franchise from 2002-5, I would never wish this uncertainty or fate on anyone.

On the other hand, to hell with Alex Merulo and his clown shoes ownership group that have been a joke for years and years. I hope this joker fails for the rest of his life, and is never let near another professional sports franchise again. And to hell with Bettman for allowing him to do it, and turn a franchise (into a supposedly top league) into a farce run by a dumbass lacking any class or pride

 

[VivaLasVegas]

The Yotes were victimized by bad owners through their existence, from Jerry Moyes, a trucker who had probably never watched a hockey game but was in a "buy one of everything" mode due to the huge success of Swift Transportation, to Meruelo who had been rejected as an owner by the NBA in his attempted purchase of the Atlanta Hawks, and a bunch of duds in between.

IMHO, as quickly as Meruelo's rights expire, a deep-pocketed investment group will appear and do a new Phoenix expansion that is right from the beginning.

 

[StreetHawk]

The Yotes were victimized by bad owners through their existence, from Jerry Moyes, a trucker who had probably never watched a hockey game but was in a "buy one of everything" mode due to the huge success of Swift Transportation, to Meruelo who had been rejected as an owner by the NBA in his attempted purchase of the Atlanta Hawks, and a bunch of duds in between.

IMHO, as quickly as Meruelo's rights expire, a deep-pocketed investment group will appear and do a new Phoenix expansion that is right from the beginning.

See how it goes. Still think it will hinge on the nba suns. Probably need them to be the next owner. Just like a lot of other businesses, see more consolidation of nba and nhl owners to make the arena situation work.

 

[Soundgarden]

Really wish they could have ended up making it, they started off strong, but just toiled at the bottom for so long. So many things went wrong for them. Feel bad for the fans losing their team they stuck by, I know that feeling of dread from when the Preds almost moved.

 

[Hockeyholic]

Any chance AZ gets another team within 10 years?

 

[LOFIN]

Any chance AZ gets another team within 10 years?

100% yes, if it's up to the NHL.

The NHL will have Atlanta and Arizona/Houston in the league for 34 teams by 2030, that's something I would place a small bet on.

 

[eartotheground]

15+ year reader, infrequent poster feel I have to chime in…



For years, a friend of mine from high school (the only person from HS I chose to stay in touch with) and I would get together whenever the NHL schedule was announced and pick a Kings game in Arizona to drive out to. He and I are VERY different politically and spiritually yet we would use the 5+ hours in the car each way to talk about our viewpoints, music, sports, and life in general which I think we both valued immensely.



We had the same schedule every year: Get to the hotel, swim, go to the game, get pizza, then in the morning go to Cabela’s then Waffle House(the closest Waffle House to us in Southern California) and drive home. We would always have an outdoorsy adventure on the way back: Joshua Tree, Salton Sea, Palm Springs Tramway, etc, and would get home an exhausted mess.



At the game though we always made friends with the Yotes fans around us. Even though we wore the jerseys of our team and cheered loudly we had no problems with anyone (except one person but that’s water under the bridge) and always left the game with nothing but respect for those fans, since they were as knowledgeable and deserving of a team as the people I met at games in Toronto, Boston, etc.



A few years back we stopped making the trip. He got married, had kids, and moved further away, I got married and bought a house and enjoy a very sedentary lifestyle with weekend pickup hockey I am addicted to, but every time he and I cross paths we always talk about making that trip just one more time. We could go to Vegas but neither of us are Vegas types (and they don’t have Waffle House).



Not even sure what compelled me to write this but since we are eulogizing the Coyotes I wanted to share since they were an important part of something that gave me a lot of joy and kept me close with someone that I wouldn’t have been nearly as tight with if it wasn’t for our one weekend.

this is beautiful. i hope yall can make more trips to anywhere in the future. being friends with and actually discussing things with ppl with opposing viewpoints is something we're hurting for.

 

[StreetHawk]

Any chance AZ gets another team within 10 years?

I’d probably go over 10 years. Suns lease expires in 2037. I just think a shared arena with them with the suns owner (whomever that may be in the future) owning the nhl expansion team is the best outcome.

Don’t think serious arena negotiation begin until maybe 4 years left on the lease.

 

[The Professional]

 

[King Woodballs]

You JUST identified the problem. They had a shit product for 30 years with multiple owners.

Most fanbases won’t tolerate that. Non-traditional markets certainly won’t, and as we’ve seen from the Senators lately, traditional markets have their breaking point as well.

How do you have THIRTY straight years of shit owners?
They knew they couldn’t make a nickel so they bailed.

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

Absolutely hated the Coyotes when they had Roenick and Tkachuk. Couldn't stand Roenick, still can't stand Keith Tkachuk. Like his one son though lol

 

[barkovcanfinnish]

How do you have THIRTY straight years of shit owners?
They knew they couldn’t make a nickel so they bailed.

it’s not as impossible as you would think. for every good owner there are five sleaseballs

 

[King Woodballs]

it’s not as impossible as you would think. for every good owner there are five sleaseballs

All owning the same franchise? lol ok

 

[JackieDaytona]

I attended a game when they were back at Gila River Arena. I thought it was a great atmosphere. Had some beers and a decent meal before the game and quite liked the setup around the arena. It was a good game, fan appreciation night, we all got t shirts and towels. Great fans that night, great friendly and fun vibes. Antoine Vermette was given some award.

Good memories for a visiting hockey fan that made a great impression, made it tough to understand why they were having the trouble they were having.

It’s sad to see them move and all of the nonsense that the team and fans have been put through. I hope you all get another team in the next few years there in the desert.

 

[Esq]

How do you have THIRTY straight years of shit owners?
They knew they couldn’t make a nickel so they bailed.

See, e.g., Wirtz, Bill.

 

[tarheelhockey]

How do you have THIRTY straight years of shit owners?

Sit down over here and let me tell you about the history of the NHL.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

How do you have THIRTY straight years of shit owners?
They knew they couldn’t make a nickel so they bailed.

Ah, so you’re just completely unaware of how the world works. Carry on, then.

 

[Louie the Blue]

How do you have THIRTY straight years of shit owners?
They knew they couldn’t make a nickel so they bailed.

That happens when you have people who are wealthy who want to own a sports team that have no idea how to run a sports team and don’t have enough money to run a team either.

 

[Byron Bitz]

Really feel for the fans, I can’t imagine losing my team.

Yeah tons of fans talk about their teams hitting ´rock bottom’ but there’s really only one rock bottom for any fan of any sports team and that is when you lose your team. If your team still exists you havnt hit rock bottom yet.

 

[Voight]

The Yotes were victimized by bad owners through their existence, from Jerry Moyes, a trucker who had probably never watched a hockey game but was in a "buy one of everything" mode due to the huge success of Swift Transportation, to Meruelo who had been rejected as an owner by the NBA in his attempted purchase of the Atlanta Hawks, and a bunch of duds in between.

IMHO, as quickly as Meruelo's rights expire, a deep-pocketed investment group will appear and do a new Phoenix expansion that is right from the beginning.

Ehh. I just dont see such a group appearing out of the woodwork. Why wouldn't such a group of come up previously?