By: Derek Shepherd
The Coyotes are staying in Glendale. Go ahead and let out a celebratory howl. Do it. No? You are missing out. My howl let out four years of frustration. Four years of offers falling apart and rumors of relocation. Four long years fearful that a fickle city council would just let the team walk away. So when the sale of the team was finalized, you can be sure that I celebrated. The near future would no longer bring non-hockey related broken dreams for my fellow Coyotes fans and myself.
While the team has officially been sold to the Ice Arizona group led by George Gosbee and Anthony LeBlanc, there is still a chance the team can relocate. The sale was negotiated with a 5 year out clause, meaning the team can leave Glendale after 5 years. This clause will only be available if the team loses $50 million over that span of time. With the recent performances of the team and an ownership group ready to make a good first impression, it is hard to imagine a scenario where the team loses that much money.
One way to hedge that bet is with good fan support. While the team missed the playoffs for the first time in 4 seasons, the per game attendance numbers were at their highest for this 4 year stretch. Unfortunately, those 13,924 fans per game still ranked 2nd to last in the league. With a good marketing plan, the team should be able to easily continue their rise in attendance. The team could very easily be the hottest ticket in town this winter with the Phoenix Suns expecting (and hopefully delivering) a very poor season. The other deciding factor will be the play on the ice.
The Phoenix Coyotes have one of the best General Managers in all of the NHL. What Don Maloney has been able to accomplish while taking over a rudderless franchise is nothing short of spectacular. Now that the team has some stability and potentially a larger payroll, it will be exciting to see what Maloney has in store for the future. Generally speaking, more money means more talent and more talent equates to more wins. For right now, the 2013-14 season, he has assembled a great mix of veterans and burgeoning young players. The 'Yotes are primed to return to the playoffs and to set their sights on bringing Lord Stanley's Cup to the desert.
To summarize, the Coyotes are staying in town. For now. It is going to take more fans and more support in order to eliminate that qualifying statement. So, go tell your friends about the success of the Coyotes. Take in an additional game or two this season, even if those are 1 or 2 more than the 0 you have been to in the past. Make it an entire night out at Westgate. You won't regret it. AAAWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
The Coyotes are staying in Glendale. Go ahead and let out a celebratory howl. Do it. No? You are missing out. My howl let out four years of frustration. Four years of offers falling apart and rumors of relocation. Four long years fearful that a fickle city council would just let the team walk away. So when the sale of the team was finalized, you can be sure that I celebrated. The near future would no longer bring non-hockey related broken dreams for my fellow Coyotes fans and myself.
While the team has officially been sold to the Ice Arizona group led by George Gosbee and Anthony LeBlanc, there is still a chance the team can relocate. The sale was negotiated with a 5 year out clause, meaning the team can leave Glendale after 5 years. This clause will only be available if the team loses $50 million over that span of time. With the recent performances of the team and an ownership group ready to make a good first impression, it is hard to imagine a scenario where the team loses that much money.
One way to hedge that bet is with good fan support. While the team missed the playoffs for the first time in 4 seasons, the per game attendance numbers were at their highest for this 4 year stretch. Unfortunately, those 13,924 fans per game still ranked 2nd to last in the league. With a good marketing plan, the team should be able to easily continue their rise in attendance. The team could very easily be the hottest ticket in town this winter with the Phoenix Suns expecting (and hopefully delivering) a very poor season. The other deciding factor will be the play on the ice.
The Phoenix Coyotes have one of the best General Managers in all of the NHL. What Don Maloney has been able to accomplish while taking over a rudderless franchise is nothing short of spectacular. Now that the team has some stability and potentially a larger payroll, it will be exciting to see what Maloney has in store for the future. Generally speaking, more money means more talent and more talent equates to more wins. For right now, the 2013-14 season, he has assembled a great mix of veterans and burgeoning young players. The 'Yotes are primed to return to the playoffs and to set their sights on bringing Lord Stanley's Cup to the desert.
To summarize, the Coyotes are staying in town. For now. It is going to take more fans and more support in order to eliminate that qualifying statement. So, go tell your friends about the success of the Coyotes. Take in an additional game or two this season, even if those are 1 or 2 more than the 0 you have been to in the past. Make it an entire night out at Westgate. You won't regret it. AAAWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
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