Arizona Coyotes Bashing is Really Senseless

The Arizona Coyotes bashing that is going on mostly on social media, is completely senseless. It’s fine if you want to put them down because they’ve never won a Stanley Cup. It can also be acceptable to say that they’ve had their issues concerning ownership and financial difficulties. But, to bash them because they are going to play in a 5,000-seat ASU arena is a bit much. Do both the Calgary Flames and Ottawa Senators get called out because of their arena situations? Not hardly. Most senseless comments on social media don’t contain facts, it’s just hate content, and lacks empathy. Oh yeah, not much of that on social media these days.

Arizona Coyotes Bashing as a Franchise Lacks Empathy

The Coyotes have been described as “Gary Bettman’s reclamation project” by those on social media who have nothing better to do. It seems they are disturbed that with the team playing in a sub-standard (in seating capacity) arena that the rest of the NHL will suffer financially. The team receives the maximum from revenue sharing and has for a while. One thing Bettman made perfectly clear was that he was fine with the team playing in the ASU multi-purpose arena until they get a new facility built. The condition was made clear that it was going to be a temporary situation. And, what most who slam the team for playing there don’t realize is… it is exactly that. TEMPORARY!

While the city of Tempe has not officially approved the new arena project, they are expected to by the end of the year… or earlier. With construction timelines taken into consideration, the team should be in their new digs by the 2025-26 season. Then, and perhaps only then will the Arizona Coyotes bashing cease. I suppose if Auston Matthews were to decide to “come home” that would cement the Coyotes as a legitimate NHL team. It could happen.

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This is Not a Unique Situation

The New York Islanders had to play their first 13 games of the 2021-22 season on the road since their new UBS arena was still under construction. We didn’t hear too much bashing of that team, so just leave the Coyotes alone! It was complicated why they were not able to continue playing at Gila River Arena in Glendale. The city was allowing the team to renew the lease to the arena on a year-to-year basis. When the city found out that the ownership of the Coyotes was interested in going to Tempe, they made a demand that the Coyotes sign a long-term lease. That was not their goal to stay in Glendale when the majority of the team’s fan base resides in the east valley.

The ownership of the team (Alex Meruelo) may have made an assumption that Glendale would allow them to stay for the required time it took to complete the proposed arena in Tempe. That didn’t happen.

It seems that the management team of the Coyotes knows what’s best for the team to succeed elsewhere. Besides, what do the bashers on social media care about the actions/inactions of billionaire sports team owners? They mostly will lose money, and it is a tax write-off for them. That’s a personal thing, right? So, mind your business and leave everybody else alone!

Well, Just Move the Team

This has been a thorn in all Coyotes fans’ side for… well forever. Move them to Houston. Move them to Quebec City. Without any thought process at all, these statements show the lack of information that goes on in our society today. The NHL isn’t interested in moving ANY franchise and hasn’t since the Atlanta Thrashers were relocated. In May 2011, the Thrashers were sold to Canadian-based ownership group True North Sports & Entertainment. The group moved the franchise to Winnipeg, which became the second incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets.

The NHL is also not interested in being a tenant in an arena. The only facility that can meet NHL standards in Houston would be the Toyota Center where the NBA Houston Rockets play. The owner of the NBA team, Tilman Fertitta has expressed interest in having an NHL team, but it seems that will only happen via expansion.

The senseless remarks about moving any team to Quebec City also lack integrity. The league just expanded to 32 teams and has 16 teams per conference. Adding or moving a team to Quebec would disrupt that completely. It can be expressed that if the league does consider expansion again that both Houston in the west and Quebec in the east would be added simultaneously to keep the conferences equal.

Final Comments

While being an Arizona Coyotes fan has its challenges, the fans deserve to be able to follow their team… good or bad. The Phoenix area is a top-ten TV market and Bettman knows which side of his toast is buttered. It’s always about money. If the Coyotes get into their new arena, the NHL will see more profits. It will be a tourist attraction and everyone will be vying for a ticket.

Besides all of that, does anyone with a right mind think that Meruelo is going to invest $20 million to build a practice facility with NHL standard dressing rooms for the team… and then leave? That is the reason the team must play 20 of its first 24 games next season on the road. Yes, they even got flak about that!

It seems to this writer that the ownership of the Yotes is committed to play here in Arizona and is showing it with actions… not just words.

So, all you naysayers… just follow your team and the Coyotes will be just fine.

PHNX Coyotes podcast covered this topic well… here’s the LINK.