Have you seen the TV audience for the Coyotes? Apart from all the finger pointing over whose fault it was, very few people watched/found the Coyotes games on the screen. I suspect the TV rights were never worth very much.
I've been a Phoenix market defender since probably 2016 in this saga, and even I will acknowledge the TV numbers are really bad. Having a better on ice product probably would have gone a long way in attracting any kind of good local owner/tv eyeballs.
I define a successful season in the NHL as "Winning a playoff round when your home fans could actually attend games."
In that sense, the Coyotes have had exactly one "Successful Season" since moving to the market.
Heck, the franchise as a whole has only had three "successful seasons" since joining the NHL in 1979.
Food for thought…
Would the Coyotes be in this situation had:
- Glendale followed through with their original plans for Westgate?
- Wayne Gretzky didn’t drive the team into the ground as head of Hockey Ops for the team?
Yes and Probably Yes.
For one, the local ownership situation probably falls apart anyways, which is the root of all their problems.
For two, maybe they would have had a better on ice product, but I don't think they'd ever have turned themselves into a contender. Gretzky was a marketing gimmick, and a team turns to a marketing gimmick when they're already in a weak position.
Given the history of owners, I can't imagine either really making a difference.