I actually do, and the reasons why are the same ones I enumerated way back when Vegas first put their name into the expansion bid process - they had no competition to deal with from other pro franchises, they had a state of the art arena built right in the middle of some of the United States' most lucrative and sought-after entertainment, gaming, and vacation properties, and - most importantly - they had a deep-pocketed locally-sourced benefactor as an owner. Vegas represented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the NHL and the circumstances all dovetailed into a near-perfect scenario.
In fact, I'll go a bit further - I think Vegas' chances of long-term success are far higher as things stand now than Seattle's - and Seattle is one of those markets that all the traditionalists believe was
the slam dunk of NHL expansion. I think there is a lot of political and logistical trouble that NHL Seattle will have to negotiate before we can say for sure that the NHL's decision to go there was worth it, no matter how attractive the Pacific Northwest is.
This is what I think you need to do to get Arizonans to buy into the franchise:
- Solid ownership with no threat of imminent relocation. You can't build loyalty or affinity in-market with one foot out the door. All you'll get is what we've gotten for the past decade - a small group of hardcore local fans, a very small amount of casual game-by-game visitors, a bunch of vacationing snowbirds, and fans of other franchises who only bother to show up when the Hawks, Wings, Sabres, or Flames show up.
- Appeal to local flavor. This team has to feel like it belongs here, to Arizona and to the Phoenix Metro area - not a glorified rental of some other city or country. One of Gretzky's, and then IceArizona's, biggest missteps was to target the team towards Canada. They ripped away the team's identity to refashion it as a nu-Canadian team with dull, traditional colors (or, in IA's case, legitimately ripped-off Team Canada colors and sweaters); IceArizona figured that they ought to play home games in Saskatoon, and that flooding the arena with TimBits and poutine was the road to eventual success. All it did was turn the Coyotes into a curiosity - a chunk of faux-Canada that was about as appetizing as a VHS of Strange Brew. Whoever owns the team from here on out has got to give it back to the locals. And it's more than just putting nachos in the concession stand - if you market to outsiders, then every game is an away game. The rink has to feel like home to the team and the fans.
- Be serious about winning. Robert Sarver, the owner of the Suns, has taken a team with nearly a half-century of history in Arizona and absolutely murdered fan interest in the franchise. The Suns are a national joke, a literal punchline to a whole series of Deadspin articles. Look at a Suns game these days, and you'll see the same types of crowds Gila River Arena saw during the bankruptcy. The Diamondbacks weren't that bad, but until the Tony LaRussa era ended they were floundering and making terrible deals (Yasmany Tomas, anyone?) and it was clear they were going nowhere. And now the Cardinals are starting to feel that same heat. It's not just winning that's the issue - it's whether those in power to do something about it have a plan that isn't ridiculously stupid. With the cost of pro sports always rising, fans want to know that they're not wasting money on a frickin' clown show. They'll forgive bad years and in-season struggles... if they know that those are the vagaries of sports and not a symptom of a terribly-run franchise. There are simply too many other options for people to spend their discretionary income on here.
Now, I get that that's a serious ask, all things considered. But I challenge
anyone to name a time in the Coyotes' history when they've had even two out of the three items I listed above. The only time I can think of that even comes close was the first two or three years of the franchise's tenure in Arizona, before they lost Roenick and Tkachuk and the ownership situation started to change - and during those years, the numbers show that the market embraced the team pretty strongly.
The reason I have hope about Meruelo is that, at least on paper, he can provide all three of those items I listed. Whether he actually does or not is still to be seen, but it's the most positive I've felt about things in over a decade.
