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Is NHL Hockey Leaving Arizona?

The Phoenix Coyotes have been owned by the NHL league for about 3 years… We have had 2 failed attempts of new ownership during the past 2 playoff seasons. Are the Coyotes leaving? I am afraid if I don’t get the last game, then I will not see another NHL game here in Arizona.

Is a team really necessary? Since I am a die hard hockey fan, I would immediately say, “hell, yes!” Let’s look at it a different way, we are one in the top 10 in largest cities in the US. We currently have all 4 major league sports teams. Just makes sense…

Why so much struggles?

  • Good intentions that have gone terribly wrong. Needed a new arena to actually see games. Got that, drawback it is in Glendale. Making it out to games on weeknights is tough, makes the actually getting back to my place around 11pm. I am okay with getting up the next morning, but if you bring your family… The kids and school are a difficult chore.
  • Team ownership was in Real Estate. We all know what happened in that space. Our home values are still recovering. Lost that owner, NHL steps in and keeps the team running on a budget. The team performs well, and the past 2 years we had potential owners come forth.
  • 2 Owners step up and leave… What are the real reasons as to why those owners left? I don’t know exactly, but a simple view of everything shows that City of Glendale, The Goldwater Institute and NHL are not ever going to workout a good deal. City of Glendale is under new leadership that frankly is not in favor of being a “sports” city. Everything they want, is in favor of improving a very bad deal that the city is under. The Goldwater Institute likes to think of themselves as the watchdogs for the people… Not sure what they actually do! Don’t really care, they don’t represent “the people” as much as they do “themselves.” Can someone enlighten me on what that group does, really? The NHL wants a team to stay in Phoenix in words but their actions don’t quite match. All three parties are not really working together for the best possible outcome. They each have their agenda’s and they are sticking to them.
  • Players want to play! We have been very fortunate that our players have done well, despite the overall team ownership and future is concerned. Last season we were just a bad no call away from going to the Stanley Cup. The city was on fire… The players played well. This season, we get a lockout shorten season. I think the worries of the teams future is on everyone’s mind.

Will we have a NHL team next season? I doubt it! I don’t see anyway that the NHL can and will sponsor the team after this season. They will have to entertain all of the ownership options that include which cities the team will move to. I hate to say it… I will miss the team and many of the players that have been more than open with the fans. Phoenix will be losing their last sports city fine representative in Shane Doan.

I have a solution.. New owner from Phoenix, that will move the team to a central location for all of the metro Phoenix fans to enjoy the games. One can only dream.

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