Arizona (Phoenix) Coyotes 1996-2024

[Eternal Leaf]

Hate it for the fans.

Teams can be bad, poor, struggling, but the idea of losing your team is devastating. I never like when cities lose their teams, especially when they have the potential to do well.

 

[BB79]

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

Looking at you, Terry Pegula!

 

[spiny norman]

Experiencing the loss of the Jets 1.0 back in 1996, I sympathize with what the Coyotes fans are feeling at this time.

 

[Carbooja]

Experiencing the loss of the Jets 1.0 back in 1996, I sympathize with what the Coyotes fans are feeling at this time.

Agreed, with you there as well.

 

[PaulD]

I don't know if this is a thread that really can be separate from the sale thread, but I think it would be a nice gesture. While I wasn't a coyotes fan, I always had a soft spot for the underdog, always wanted them to succeed in some form. Sadly, just could never do it. Some great players and memories there.

Let's have a thread where we can remember them.

Beyond tired of hearing about the state sale/moving/folding/arena deal/ money losing/ bottom feeding lousey franchise.
Talking heads try to show each other how smart and informed they are on the radio talk shows all day.
Everyones got theory of why it's hasn't worked.....and how it could if they only did this or that.
Fans don't give a shit.
Enough already. There is no storied franchise here. There is no story period.
A 25 year flop.
Move on already.

 

[WhataKnight]

I once thought hockey in the desert was silly.

Then, I moved west. Then, the Knights happened.

This stinks. I feel for y’all.

Beyond tired of hearing about the state sale/moving/folding/arena deal/ money losing/ bottom feeding lousey franchise.
Talking heads try to show each other how smart and informed they are on the radio talk shows all day.
Everyones got theory of why it's hasn't worked.....and how it could if they only did this or that.
Fans don't give a shit.
Enough already. There is no storied franchise here. There is no story period.
A 25 year flop.
Move on already.

Someone in Phoenix would hard disagree…..enough to taser a mayor.

And they got a lot of friends.

 

[PaulD]

I once thought hockey in the desert was silly.

Then, I moved west. Then, the Knights happened.

This stinks. I feel for y’all.



Someone in Phoenix would hard disagree…..enough to taser a mayor.

And they got a lot of friends.

Yea, Tough for the die hard fans in the city.
But jusy like fans in Dallas, LA , and Nasville couldn't care less if Winnipeg or Calgary folded........there are a ton of hockey fans that won't even notice the Coyotes are gone.

 

[Qwijibo]

I feel for the few fans they had, but that franchise has been a black eye for the league for years. They've negatively affected HHR and the salary cap by playing in a 5000 seat arena. The rest of the players in the league must be thrilled that the franchise is going somewhere thst will play in an actual arena with an owner that can pay thier hotel bills

 

[VivaLasVegas]

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

Well, for starters, Meruelo was locked into the rights until he finally failed.

 

[EpochLink]

Experiencing the loss of the Jets 1.0 back in 1996, I sympathize with what the Coyotes fans are feeling at this time.

Yeah.

A big part of my childhood was lost after that, then onto my teenage years most of the people that followed hockey already had other teams they cheered for.

 

[Mr Positive]

They'll be back

 

[WhataKnight]

Yea, Tough for the die hard fans in the city.
But jusy like fans in Dallas, LA , and Nasville couldn't care less if Winnipeg or Calgary folded........there are a ton of hockey fans that won't even notice the Coyotes are gone.

I think that’s more assumption than anything else.

Either way, Schadenfreude isn’t a good approach while these fans that care are mourning their loss. Had the interwebs been about in 1995, my sentiments would be online, and they’d be the same for Québec.

Just saying that it’s reasonable to view a few parameters between the Nords and Yotes similarly. As hesitant as I am to see the NHL f*** up expansion to 36 teams, it won’t be proper if Québec and Arizona aren’t two of those four teams. Not all of us out in the western US are devoid of Canada love.

Empathy is better than assumption.

 

[Qwijibo]

They'll be back

Considering the conditions of returning are the same owner who made this mess has to have a brand new building ready within 6 years.... I doubt it

 

[StreetHawk]

Considering the conditions of returning are the same owner who made this mess has to have a brand new building ready within 6 years.... I doubt it

Shovels need to hit the ground in 2027. Plus time before that to get plans and zoning all approved.

Gut says it won't be AM.

For the most part, I'm of the mindset that NHL/NBA teams should share arenas. So, I think it's more likely to take a bit longer to around when the Suns are closing in on the end of their lease in 2037 before NHL returns to AZ.

 

[Stammertime91]

My fondest memory of the Coyotes is getting drafted by them in NHL 11 Be a Pro. I think I played in a line with Lauri Korpikoski until they sent me down to the AHL.

Why am I not surprised I would see this post, look at the username, and see it is you. Lol.

 

[Tkachuk4MVP]

My username is because Keith Tkachuk was my favorite player as a kid. The 90s Coyotes were my second team behind the Sharks. Tkachuk, Roenick, Tocchet, Numminen, Janney, Khabibulin, etc. Very fun teams to watch, and that building was rocking whenever they were in the playoffs. The white outs were awesome. I don’t think the franchise ever reached that level of popularity again unfortunately, and moving from downtown Phoenix certainly didn’t help. I feel for the fans who stuck with them all these years.

 

[Zobitembois]

I feel bad for the fans who never deserved such a shit show. Love u guys.

And the Kachina jersey is iconic and will be dearly missed (again).

 

[syz]

I feel bad for the fans who never deserved such a shit show. Love u guys.

And the Kachina jersey is iconic and will be dearly missed (again).

Maybe Utah will do a spin on it like the Hurricanes do with the Whalers jersey. Though legally they might not actually be allowed, I guess.

 

[ijuka]

The Phoenix area is a HUGE market, no matter what the Canadian media keep shamelessly telling fans elsewhere to believe. If hockey can flourish in Tampa, Nashville, Carolina, and more, it can work in Arizona.

The problem was with how this team was run for decades.

It's not a huge market. Hockey market, that is.

The absolute population does not matter. What matters is how many people care about hockey.

 

[Puckstop40]

I want to express my condolences for all coyotes fans. it is a shame it has come to this. You guys deserved better ownership, which has been such a clusterf*** for you guys. I hope hockey is able to return to Phoenix in the future.



There are plenty of hockey fans from Arizona. What a lot of people do not see is how much the Coyotes helped grow the game in the state. The Jr. Coyotes program is one of the top AAA programs in the country and there has been a lot of hockey talent to come out of Arizona because of the Coyotes. I have made several trips to Phoenix to play tournaments growing up and play against Arizona State when I was playing college hockey in the ACHA. It was always a lot of fun. The Coyotes struggles are not reflective of how much people like hockey in Arizona.



A lot of people will not see this because they do not live in these markets, but as somebody who grew up in Southern California, I know how much having an NHL team contributes greatly to growing the sport. The Anaheim Ducks have done a fantastic job of growing hockey in Southern California as have the Los Angeles Kings. I’m seeing that impact with the Knights now in Vegas. Whether people want to believe it or not, the Coyotes did the same thing for Arizona. Arizona State even has a D1 NCAA hockey program which couldn’t be fathomed not long ago. I hope with the Coyotes moving, it does not have a negative impact on hockey programs in the Phoenix area or growth.

 

[HockeyWooot]

There was a time when that was the team with Jeremy Roenick and Keith Tkachuk, selling out playoffs games with a crazy whiteout atmosphere.

It was supposed to be different. Phoenix could have been another Dallas or Nashville. The way it all played out was a tragedy for the league and the sport.

I remember distinctly as that was the year I moved to Canada as a kid and became obsessed with ice hockey.

I thought Tkachuk and Roenick were something else keeping in mind the World Cup earlier in the summer. I think they were featured in those classic Nike Hockey adverts around that era too if I remember correctly.

Those unis too. Beautiful. One of the best designs of the newer teams. Glad they switched back recently.

 

[hockeyboy1923]

I want to express my condolences for all coyotes fans. it is a shame it has come to this. You guys deserved better ownership, which has been such a clusterf*** for you guys. I hope hockey is able to return to Phoenix in the future.



There are plenty of hockey fans from Arizona. What a lot of people do not see is how much the Coyotes helped grow the game in the state. The Jr. Coyotes program is one of the top AAA programs in the country and there has been a lot of hockey talent to come out of Arizona because of the Coyotes. I have made several trips to Phoenix to play tournaments growing up and play against Arizona State when I was playing college hockey in the ACHA. It was always a lot of fun. The Coyotes struggles are not reflective of how much people like hockey in Arizona.



A lot of people will not see this because they do not live in these markets, but as somebody who grew up in Southern California, I know how much having an NHL team contributes greatly to growing the sport. The Anaheim Ducks have done a fantastic job of growing hockey in Southern California as have the Los Angeles Kings. I’m seeing that impact with the Knights now in Vegas. Whether people want to believe it or not, the Coyotes did the same thing for Arizona. Arizona State even has a D1 NCAA hockey program which couldn’t be fathomed not long ago. I hope with the Coyotes moving, it does not have a negative impact on hockey programs in the Phoenix area or growth.

You are 100% right

Austin Mathews would probably be playing baseball today if it wasn't for the Phoenix Coyotes

I understand franchises need to leave for business reasons somtimes, but it is terrible for the sport that the NHL will pull out of a top 10 rapidly growing city, with a growing hockey culture and youth presence. Houston is the only larger city in the US that does not have a NHL team. Bringing the Coyotes to Phoenix 20 years ago was a questionable decision, but since then, the population has grown from 3mm to 5mm, including many people from NorCal and the Midwest where hockey is popular. Only 1.3mm people live in SLC today.

I have only lived in Phoenix 3 years and never abandoned the Wild for the Coyotes, which makes this a bit easier, but I am surprised at the short-sighted stupidity of the NHL. Hopefully they keep promoting youth hockey here so my 4 year old will have somewhere to play. My wife would probably be happy though if he plays soccer.

 

[GrkFlyersFan]

I watched the last game on the Coyotes broadcast and was a lot sadder than I thought'd I'd be. Even if it makes sense, the untenable arena, the years of bad attendance, seeing a market lose their team is sad. Maybe this will be a Cleveland Browns situation, just take a few years off and come back when you're ready. It's got to be an NHL arena, and it's got to be in Phoenix. One of my lifelong goals is to see my Flyers play in all 32 NHL destinations. I was looking forward to one day going to AZ. Get your team back, and I'll come visit!

 

[Contenderorpretender]

The amount of leverage these "billionaires" are using is crazy. Might as well just let another joseph spano jr own a team.

 

[tucker3434]

They just never got over the hump. Plenty of the 90's era expansion/relocations struggled at times. Most endured through the hardships, eventually got a product worth watching, and now have established solid roots. Teams aren't meant to be hopeless indefinitely. I wonder what would've happened if the Yotes had an occasional season in the last decade that resembled the NJD last year. Even if it wasn't fully turning the corner, it gave everyone legitimate reason to hope for the future with some very strong individual performances. The Yotes never even had hope.