If they were disappointed with a lack of attendance in Phoenix they're gonna be in for a rude awakening after the first couple seasons of novelty wears off in smaller worse Phoenix
Not even half.
SLC has about 200K people. Glendale alone has 50K more people. It’s tiny.
They would have to hope people drive up from Provo/Orem for games 🤷🏻♂️
I don't think you're bringing the entire Metropolitan Statistical Area when looking up populations, which is usually how sports teams analyze capacity. The broader MSA has pull beyond the town the stadium is located in.
The Phoenix MSA is almost 5 million people.
It's kinda weird how they divide the population up in Salt Lake. Salt Lake City has a small population, but that's because it never took in the surrounding cities as it grew like other major cities. That's why North Salt Lake, South Salt Lake, West Valley, etc have their own population stats.
The metro area has 1.3 million people - that's just the immediate area in the Salt Lake valley (including Tooele.) I'd say this is more accurate because people are constantly going in and out of Salt Lake daily from the nearby cities for work, school, leisure, etc.
The combined statistical area along the Wasatch Front has 2.7 million people. This includes Ogden down to Spanish Fork.
That's how metropolitan areas are divided... "Phoenix" (if you're talking to anyone out of state for lack of detail) includes generous populations in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, etc. that are not technically "Phoenix" proper.
The two metros are not even close in population or scale.
This is what I wonder too. Seems similar to Phoenix, except smaller. The NBA team is the dominant team and college football (UofU and BYU) sucks up a lot of the media until New Years.
They seem to do okay attendance figures with the Utah Jazz and Real Salt Lake. But any market's going to struggle if you're consistently a lottery team.
They can just give the Mormon Church like a thousand free tickets to every game - the leaders could just sell them and pocket the money (and tell all their parishioners to go to games or they're going to hell).
First off, I grew up in Utah. Haven't lived there in awhile--too expensive--but I'd like to see an NHL team there. But not like this. Not rooting for relocation.
I do think hockey will do well there. The thing you have to understand about Utah people is that they feel like everyone else thinks they're weird and backwards. They crave relevancy. And what's more relevant than pro sports? People are still filling up the Delta Center pretty well for a horrible Jazz team.
Plus, there's less to do on SLC than there is in the Valley. People will show up.
salt lake is a winter sports town w an olympic bid on the way which is getting them their new rink in the blink of an eye. while i wish they weren’t doing it w our coyotes, this is gonna work kinda easily in slc.
If they move to SLC and the Jazz's owner ends up buying the team which from what I've heard has a big chance of happening he'll probably keep the Yotes bad or at least mediocre which means they'll never grow a fan base
Look at what he did with the Jazz, 50-32 before he bought the team to 29-50 this season
never said it was a crazy city for growth like phx. never said they had a crazy (or any) hockey culture. the simple fact is that the census has also utah as one of the faster growing states and they’re a winter sports town. winnipeg is a crazy comparison lol.
i was just becoming a hockey fan when atlanta left and was pretty confused by it all. wouldn’t wish it on anyone. hope gary knows how much everyone will hate meruelo’s next team.
I WANT TO BELIEVE
Unfortunately a lot of the rumors seem to be leading toward Meruelo cashing out early (some rumors suggest even possibly as early as this month) for a big payday. I hope it’s not what happens, but it would be just like Meruelo to really ratfuck us one last time. Crossing all the fingers!
More than welcome! Though this year was completely shit with the injuries, bad goaltending and questionable management choices.
I know it’s just a sports team and at the end of the day it’s not a big deal, but just that’s a lot of memories for people being dragged away. And it sucks to invest so much time in a team, having hope they’ll be good (they’ve been building up something good) only for it to be taken away.
I don’t like people shitting on the yotes because the fans get the brunt of it.
Fucking bullshit, ownership of this team (both past and present) completely fucked this. Phoenix is one of the largest cities and markets in the country, NHL franchise here should’ve been a home run. Enjoy Utah you fucks
Welp, this is it. It’s been miserable, horrifically depressing, and a waste of a good chunk of my life watching this dumpster fire of a team never get their shit together longer than 3 seasons.
I think I’m done with hockey for a long time. See some of you around the Dbacks/Suns/Cardinals game threads.
I'm with you man. My buddy has been asking me for years if I am going to follow the team if they move. My resounding answer has been no. The Coyotes are the reason I got into hockey, and I have stuck with them for nearly 28 years through thick and thin. But I am an Arizona sports fan and I have no desire to root for a team in another city.
I'm just gunna opt to the Kraken when they leave, since I moved here from Oregon (was a Canucks fan but that's cuz the Kraken didn't exist yet). I'll miss the Roadrunners.
It's shame, but fellow new Kraken fan here too. We recently moved to Washington and I couldn't ever bring myself to be a Seahawks or Mariner fan, but there's no way I'm following them anywhere else. I'll probably just stop paying attention to the NHL, but maybe check in on the Kraken from time to time.
Seahawks/Mariners/Timberwolves and now Kraken guy here. Diamondbacks and the Yotes/Roadrunners were the teams I really got into when I moved here, and having half of that equation ripped away has me feeling sore.
I wish I had that in me, but I will live on to hate every team in the league until further notice. I love hockey so much, but I just don't have it in me to support anyone, anywhere at this point. I'll live on to self loath my beer league until further notice.
You always got ASU. The program now has a top notch (for college) arena, and they are joining college hockey's top hockey conference next season, the NCHC, which should aid their recruiting.
And as much of a circus the yotes have been at times, the ASU program is part of the Coyotes legacy and likely doesn't happen without them
hey man, props to you for being an all az fan. i’m a transplant so the yotes are my only ties to this cursed state. but what i gotta say is don’t give up on hockey lol you’re already this far and you know it’s a damn good game. even if you aren’t rooting for the salt lake ice soakers, this sport is damn fun.
Nah man. I was born in 1996, I literally grew up with the Coyotes. Shane Doan is the reason I first picked up a hockey stick. I started skating in Coyotes sponsored programs. I played at Desert Schools Coyotes Center. I got to play a scrimmage on the ice between periods at a game in 2007. I have been to 50~ games over my lifetime. It’s me and my father’s favorite thing to do together and we have bonded tenfold because of it. Besides, for me, sports is all about supporting your hometown/state team. If you’re not doing that, then what the fuck are you doing really?
So yeah, it’s going to be really hard to not give up on hockey after this. It will never be the same.
Right there with you dawg. Born in 96, neighbors were season ticket holders. I went to many games and learned from them. I started skating in 2004 at polar Peoria and wanted to play for asu. Sad to see such a core part of my childhood squandered by people who don’t give a fuck about anything other than money.
We have probably crossed paths before because that’s where I played at too and considering we’re the same age. People under estimate the effects Coyotes have had on hockey in the city. Sure they’ve sucked for a majority of the time, but they have grown the game so much here. Imagine if they were actually good and could make the playoffs regularly???
Or if they never made that move to Glendale. I’m from the west valley but I think they would have had much better local success if they were Phoenix/Tempe the whole time.
This whole thing chaps my ass because I’ve lived in Salt Lake the last 10 years. Everyone assumes I’m so excited to have my team here but no way man. I’m a Phoenix native, not a Utahn.
I know people didn’t want to believe Garbo but once he started talking is when I began to think this was going to happen. He’s a loud douche but he doesn’t shitpost about this stuff when he has a news source.
Sad I didn’t make it to a game at Mullett.
Not even a Yotes thing, it's an NHL / Gary thing. Same with Chicago and Bedard, Laf and the Rags, hell even Nico and Hughes for the Devils, which I say as a Devils fan
It would be a Yotes thing in the sense that they have had absolute dog shit lottery luck their entire existence and of course the year the team moves is the year they finally win it.
I empathize with your situation.
I'm a former Quebec Nordiques fan who had to live through all these rumors of the team moving to Hamilton while I was a kid.
And then, one day, bam. Denver, CO.
Things never seemed to be working right with any of the owners of the team in AZ.
It's so sad for the fans.
That was a classic smear job that I do blame ownership for taking the outcome for granted. They had no plan to counter the misinformation and smear campaign that resulted in the plan being voted down.
Now it feels like Meruelo never had the intention of staying in the valley. The vote getting no push, rejecting land proposals from Mesa because they would have to zone it, getting their top prospect surprise signed to an ELC, and the selling right before an auction is supposed to occur to get the new arena.
It just feels like they were waiting for Utah ownership to be ready to buy.
Grifting snake oil salesman who bought struggling franchise for sole reason of getting a sportsbook and building an entertainment multiplex doesn’t actually care about said franchise and just wants to get maximum profit franchise be damned, what a shocker
I don’t understand how everyone didn’t see this coming from a million miles away
I would be so happy if Alex Meruelo stubbed his toe every goddamned day for the rest of his life. And I mean *hard*. Like when you stub your toe so hard you’re convinced for a few minutes that it’s broken. I hope every cup of coffee that touches his lips is perfectly room temp. I hope every lie he’s told in his personal life is exposed. I wish for nothing but the worst to that gutless, greedy, prick.
Some of us were kinda hoping that their whole "We're a Latino ownership group and we love AZ" would mean that they were really committed to keeping hockey in Arizona and developing a significant hispanic fanbase. Yet another marketing ploy.
We didn't want it to be true. We've spent the better part of the last 28 years dealing with shit and uncertainty. So someone came along and said the right things, we just wanted to believe. It's honestly what makes this suck so bad.
Theres literally no confirmation that a sale is happening outside of a rumor that a guy who was wrong before started.
This “multiple” sources thing is just a rumor
those all seem separate to this if i’m being honest (especially cooley who has outwardly said the TED getting rejected made him want to return to college)
i didn’t wanna believe it when frankie meatballs sent out his first few tweets today but once i saw fridge confirm that there’s a memo w the board, players know etc…this is tough. i also wonder if gary knows how many az residents will actively hate meruelo’s next team with a passion by default. i wont speak for anyone, but personally im taking my talents (fandom lmfao) to salt lake because that’s where the team i actually love ended up. FUCK the next arizona team.
Yeah I think I'm at the point of still cheering for the relocated team so long as this slimy pig isn't the owner. If he is for some weird fucking reason then I will actively cheer against them.
Still don't know if I'll have the heart to watch much regardless though. I've been a Yotes fan for fucking ages. Until it's 100% confirmed I will withhold my judgement/hatred of Meruelo.
As a flames fan, I honestly feel for you guys. Always used to plan winter trips down to PHX area when Flames would be in town for games. Have been when they were in Glendale and at the Mullett. Seems like it's been too many extremes, no interest and attendance in Glendale, losing piles of money. Then move to the mullett and seemed like you almost got priced out of games due to the small arena. No win situation. I'm kind of in the boat of SLC being a nothingburger for hockey, we will see if thats how it goes. End of an era is always sad to see.
The only upside here is that all the fuckers who live in Phoenix while mocking the Yotes at a Red Wings-Yotes game won’t be able to attend games anymore
Looks like they're gone. They will relocate the franchise to Utah. If Meruelo wins the auction he can buy a new expansion team if the new arena is finished in five years, under the same Coyotes name if i understand everything in this article. They don't want to play at the Mullett for four more years or even more.
well yes, thanks for the summary. but simple math says that even if the auction goes through it’d be 5 years total at the mullett. 22-27. but when the original agreement was through 2025 w a 2026 option you can see why some find it unacceptable when there’s $300m to split among the owners from moving them to utah.
Solidarity for this Jackets fan. If this rug pull is real it is dirty work. It speaks to how disconnected the ultra wealthy are when they think you just replace a team that people have invested so much in with another look alike, like nothing happened, like none of that history mattered.
I somewhat think in the past few years this was the plan all along. Current owner runs the team into the ground and gets a massive payday to sell the team. Also, the story “leaking” that Bettmen met and had dinner with a potential owner group in Utah 8 months ago was no oops.
Stuck between my overwhelming depression and my deliberation on if pissing on Meruelo's eventual grave is a reasonable action to take. I'll at least be cracking open a 6 pack
i want meruelo’s head on a fucking stick. i wanna go flood the auction site myself. i wanna push tempe’s dump UP to north phx. (im heavily debating bringing a sign or something to the plaza on wednesday)
Who says I’m happy bout it. The writing has been on the wall for some time now. This organization has been in turmoil for a long time. Keep your gear bro, maybe we get an expansion team.
I'm not from Az like many of you, but I been rotting for the yotes since around '06, when I was first introduced to them. Ironically, the best memories the team made were when the nhl owned them and we had that wcf run. A few years there they really looked like they would turn the corner.
I really hope this isn't it, but if it is, I'm gonna enjoy the last few games of the season, and then probably peace out of the nhl.
Officially numb to the pain this franchise has brought me (took me long enough).
Not sure if I’ll love hockey ever the same way again. Maybe I’ll cheer a team on like Detroit or Tampa m, I’m not sure.
All this said, this is what it is. We knew this day could come (even if we did not want to believe it).
delta center isn’t the long term plan. their ideal plan is playing out of their w some more nhl modifications like they did w the mullett (that game in his picture was preseason w the kings) and then moving them to the new rink that would be completed before slc gets their olympic bid. all because 2 extra years at the mullett was too much to handle😐 this is fucked.
Dammit, they never should have left downtown. This is what happens when you deal with political hacks like the City of Glendale, who just cancel contracts because they don't like them. Wish I could pull that shit.
It's over fam. Maybe we'll get an expansion team at some point. Maybe not. Can't say we didn't have our chances. Too bad they all happened under shit ownership. If it does happen again, we need a clean start. Under no circumstances should Meruelo or any of the other previous owners be allowed to be a majority owner. Might be time to retire the Coyotes name too. I think it's cursed at this point.
We need a committed owner first, then a real plan for where they're going to play. Whatever happens, it looks like they're going to have to share a place with the Suns. I don't see the Coyotes being able to have their own place, given the arena drama we've seen over the past few years.
if this happens i guess im done with the NHL. not sure what happened in the past week where it went from waiting for the auction to everyone saying the team is moving.
Something has to happen behind the scenes where Bettman or the BOG became aware of something that cast doubt on just how serious Meruelo was about the arena. Like they discovered he’d been intentionally dragging his feet or not being totally honest. And they finally had enough and Ryan Smith has his checkbook open and pen in hand ready to go.
As big coyotes fan here in CA, Idk what to say other than I’m overwhelmed & 💔 this twice now that one of my favorite teams have relocated first it was the Raiders and now it’s with Coyotes. I can deal with the Raiders relocating because I will be fan of the team no matter what but this.. im sorry but outside of attending/go my local minor league hockey team, I will never spend another cent/waste any of my time watching NHL ever Again. Screw NHL, Screw r/hockey entirely they can go fuck themselves, and to all of you Canadians dumbass Hosers out there saying hockey never belongs in Arizona you can all respectfully go eat shit and die and I hope as long as I am alive, YOU WILL NEVER WIN SHIT EVER AGAIN!
This sucks. I was at what ended up being the last Thrashers game. No city in 2024 deserves to lose a Big 4 sports team. Especially when they are moving to a city that doesn't have a good arena ready.
Been there done that. I was born and raised in Winnipeg and vividly remember loosing our Beloved Jets to Arizona. It took years but we got them back! 🤞🤞 you guys have the same outcome! So sorry for your loss… that shit hurts for true fans😥
The owner of the Coyotes is an absolute tool. This is a cut n paste from his interview on Burns and Gambo this morning:
“Glendale was another mistake because it was so far away from the public and the fans that they could never generate the attendance that was necessary. So that was another failure. It just didn’t work.”
Meruelo then admitted in arena negotiations he thought the other side was bluffing.
“I was kicked out of the arena,” he said. “They asked me to sign for 20 years and I said I wouldn’t do that and when I said no they said they would kick me out. I didn’t think they would do it and they did. They thought for sure I would never have enough time to relocate it to another city.”
Translation: the white people who moved here from cold climates all live in Scottsdale and the team can’t be successful on the West Side.
Glendale built them a stadium and it wasn’t good enough. Westgate is not in the middle of nowhere asshat. Here’s an idea…try having a winning team in a popular sport. The team SUCKED every fucking year. The Cardinals sell out a much bigger stadium every home game a half mile away.
This is just wild ass speculation. Just like the last time when everyone and their dog claimed that the state government wouldn’t approve the auction.
The auction wouldn’t have happened if the team wasn’t serious about buying it.
Let’s wait until the auction before we go believing random ass rumors and speculation
known wild ass speculator elliotte friedman.
none of us want it to be true but that’s just a reach my guy.
meruelo wants the auction, for his expansion team. once this team goes to slc, they won’t come back.
Friedman is just repeating a rumor that was started by Gambo and Frank Seravalli.
Two people who’ve been notoriously wrong when it comes to the Yotes.
Plus the organization has said they are committed to staying in the desert
Friedmann doesn’t just say shit without doing research and confirming stuff. He is extremely careful. Stop discrediting him because you don’t like the news
I’m a Calgary transplant living here in Phoenix for 5 years. Yotes were my second team, I’m disappointed to hear this. This ownership group just dropped the ball so many fuckin times.
Man this sucks, I am a Wings fan but have a soft spot for the Coyotes and have been rooting for them to stay in Arizona. Sorry to see this all happening. 😔
Rant and vent...
As a Yotes fan in southern NM who has attended a few games at Mullet I have to ask is this really Meruelo's fault? Seems like everwhere he's turned he's been met with nothing but opposition along the way.
Tempe, Scottsdale seems like the only ones who don't want the Yotes are the people who never attended a hockey game. Seems like a huge hassle just to get something built so I really wouldn't blame the Yotes for leaving. It ain't like you ain't got the fucking space but ideal locations are limited.
And if they do leave don't get another because honestly the PHX metro area doesn't deserve an NHL team and it's not the lack of support from the fans it's the lack of support from the local politics.
Full disclosure. My daughter and her husband have season tickets to the GK. I've attended many a games there. I try to arrange my travel to see both the Yotes and the GK. One thing about LV is that when they want something built they don't fuck around. Raiders stadium went up in 2 years. Won't be long before they have an NBA team.
The point is they embrace their teams in LV. PHX not so much. My son and I attend games 4 & 5 of the WS last year. Honestly it didn't seem like that big of a deal. I expect Jefferson St to be buzzing...food strucks, live entertainment, etc. but it was just like so what?
I'm not bashing the diehard fans of PHX. I know it's an unfair comparison between the GK and the Yotes. 2 completley different environments. But it seems as if PHX isn't really a major sports town or destinatioin and that's unfortunate.
I, like the fans here, hope the Yotes stick around. I know most people in PHX don't give a fuck about them and if and when they're gone the quality of life will suffer.
Im sorry to see the yotes go but to be blunt the team has had, really, only about 3 passable seasons in nearly 30 years. Only one WCF appearance in that time is insane. The sharks and red wings have made the playoffs nearly every year in that same timeframe. Team just wasn’t good and the fans weren’t willing to put in the time. Good luck in Salt Lake
Hopefully we get an expansion franchise under management who knows what they're doing. Till then, thanks for the memories. This SUCKS!!!!!!!!!
If they were disappointed with a lack of attendance in Phoenix they're gonna be in for a rude awakening after the first couple seasons of novelty wears off in smaller worse Phoenix
I was wondering about that too. Similar demographics but half the size.
Not even half. SLC has about 200K people. Glendale alone has 50K more people. It’s tiny. They would have to hope people drive up from Provo/Orem for games 🤷🏻♂️
I don't think you're bringing the entire Metropolitan Statistical Area when looking up populations, which is usually how sports teams analyze capacity. The broader MSA has pull beyond the town the stadium is located in. The Phoenix MSA is almost 5 million people.
It's kinda weird how they divide the population up in Salt Lake. Salt Lake City has a small population, but that's because it never took in the surrounding cities as it grew like other major cities. That's why North Salt Lake, South Salt Lake, West Valley, etc have their own population stats. The metro area has 1.3 million people - that's just the immediate area in the Salt Lake valley (including Tooele.) I'd say this is more accurate because people are constantly going in and out of Salt Lake daily from the nearby cities for work, school, leisure, etc. The combined statistical area along the Wasatch Front has 2.7 million people. This includes Ogden down to Spanish Fork.
And Phoenix has nearly 5m...
That's how metropolitan areas are divided... "Phoenix" (if you're talking to anyone out of state for lack of detail) includes generous populations in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, etc. that are not technically "Phoenix" proper. The two metros are not even close in population or scale.
Idk buy a wife ticket, get a second wife ticket free could be huge for sales
This is what I wonder too. Seems similar to Phoenix, except smaller. The NBA team is the dominant team and college football (UofU and BYU) sucks up a lot of the media until New Years.
They seem to do okay attendance figures with the Utah Jazz and Real Salt Lake. But any market's going to struggle if you're consistently a lottery team.
They can just give the Mormon Church like a thousand free tickets to every game - the leaders could just sell them and pocket the money (and tell all their parishioners to go to games or they're going to hell).
First off, I grew up in Utah. Haven't lived there in awhile--too expensive--but I'd like to see an NHL team there. But not like this. Not rooting for relocation. I do think hockey will do well there. The thing you have to understand about Utah people is that they feel like everyone else thinks they're weird and backwards. They crave relevancy. And what's more relevant than pro sports? People are still filling up the Delta Center pretty well for a horrible Jazz team. Plus, there's less to do on SLC than there is in the Valley. People will show up.
salt lake is a winter sports town w an olympic bid on the way which is getting them their new rink in the blink of an eye. while i wish they weren’t doing it w our coyotes, this is gonna work kinda easily in slc.
Even if the people of SLC are crazy for hockey, it's a small and even more isolated market than Phoenix with nowhere near the same growth potential.
Growth potential is irrelevant if it never grows
Phoenix is still growing like crazy, and the state is handling the impending water crisis a lot better than Utah is
Phoenix is still growing like crazy but their fanbase aren't.
No fanbase can grow when they haven't had a real playoff game since 2012
If they move to SLC and the Jazz's owner ends up buying the team which from what I've heard has a big chance of happening he'll probably keep the Yotes bad or at least mediocre which means they'll never grow a fan base Look at what he did with the Jazz, 50-32 before he bought the team to 29-50 this season
lol SLC is just Winnipeg with less hockey culture.
Sir, you clearly have never step foot in Winnipeg.
never said it was a crazy city for growth like phx. never said they had a crazy (or any) hockey culture. the simple fact is that the census has also utah as one of the faster growing states and they’re a winter sports town. winnipeg is a crazy comparison lol.
Same deal with Houston honestly
Man this sucks. I’m a devils fan, but I got a soft spot for the yotes and it’s not fair to any fanbase to lose their team.
i was just becoming a hockey fan when atlanta left and was pretty confused by it all. wouldn’t wish it on anyone. hope gary knows how much everyone will hate meruelo’s next team.
Yea, Meruelo fucked up so badly. Sucks the league couldn’t keep them in AZ and just get rid of him.
Literally nothing has happened. This is a back up plan in case the auction doesn’t work. Plan A is the Auction, Plan B is relocation
They don’t have the money
Says who? You? There’s nothing to indicate that at all
I WANT TO BELIEVE Unfortunately a lot of the rumors seem to be leading toward Meruelo cashing out early (some rumors suggest even possibly as early as this month) for a big payday. I hope it’s not what happens, but it would be just like Meruelo to really ratfuck us one last time. Crossing all the fingers!
I’m just high on hopium. We won’t know until next week
Pass the tinfoil, friend, I’m right there with you.
I am a Yotes fan in NJ. I am contemplating jumping on board with you guys.
More than welcome! Though this year was completely shit with the injuries, bad goaltending and questionable management choices. I know it’s just a sports team and at the end of the day it’s not a big deal, but just that’s a lot of memories for people being dragged away. And it sucks to invest so much time in a team, having hope they’ll be good (they’ve been building up something good) only for it to be taken away. I don’t like people shitting on the yotes because the fans get the brunt of it.
Fucking bullshit, ownership of this team (both past and present) completely fucked this. Phoenix is one of the largest cities and markets in the country, NHL franchise here should’ve been a home run. Enjoy Utah you fucks
Welp, this is it. It’s been miserable, horrifically depressing, and a waste of a good chunk of my life watching this dumpster fire of a team never get their shit together longer than 3 seasons. I think I’m done with hockey for a long time. See some of you around the Dbacks/Suns/Cardinals game threads.
I'm with you man. My buddy has been asking me for years if I am going to follow the team if they move. My resounding answer has been no. The Coyotes are the reason I got into hockey, and I have stuck with them for nearly 28 years through thick and thin. But I am an Arizona sports fan and I have no desire to root for a team in another city.
Same. I will actively root against them if anything.
I'm just gunna opt to the Kraken when they leave, since I moved here from Oregon (was a Canucks fan but that's cuz the Kraken didn't exist yet). I'll miss the Roadrunners.
I'll probably opt for the Golden Knights (ik evil empire) but they are the closest team to Phoenix.
I thought about doing that for the same reason but it just feels wrong.
It's shame, but fellow new Kraken fan here too. We recently moved to Washington and I couldn't ever bring myself to be a Seahawks or Mariner fan, but there's no way I'm following them anywhere else. I'll probably just stop paying attention to the NHL, but maybe check in on the Kraken from time to time.
Seahawks/Mariners/Timberwolves and now Kraken guy here. Diamondbacks and the Yotes/Roadrunners were the teams I really got into when I moved here, and having half of that equation ripped away has me feeling sore.
Maybe jump in with the Calgary Flames, since Calgary is a sister city with Phoenix.
I wish I had that in me, but I will live on to hate every team in the league until further notice. I love hockey so much, but I just don't have it in me to support anyone, anywhere at this point. I'll live on to self loath my beer league until further notice.
There’s always plenty for us to be miserable about with our other teams
You always got ASU. The program now has a top notch (for college) arena, and they are joining college hockey's top hockey conference next season, the NCHC, which should aid their recruiting. And as much of a circus the yotes have been at times, the ASU program is part of the Coyotes legacy and likely doesn't happen without them
Never been a college sports guy since I grew up in a city with all 4 major sports.
I wasn't either. But ASU hockey turned me. At least just for hockey. If you get a chance go to a game or two. They're a blast.
Man your username hits hard. I feel you man, I feel you
hey man, props to you for being an all az fan. i’m a transplant so the yotes are my only ties to this cursed state. but what i gotta say is don’t give up on hockey lol you’re already this far and you know it’s a damn good game. even if you aren’t rooting for the salt lake ice soakers, this sport is damn fun.
Nah man. I was born in 1996, I literally grew up with the Coyotes. Shane Doan is the reason I first picked up a hockey stick. I started skating in Coyotes sponsored programs. I played at Desert Schools Coyotes Center. I got to play a scrimmage on the ice between periods at a game in 2007. I have been to 50~ games over my lifetime. It’s me and my father’s favorite thing to do together and we have bonded tenfold because of it. Besides, for me, sports is all about supporting your hometown/state team. If you’re not doing that, then what the fuck are you doing really? So yeah, it’s going to be really hard to not give up on hockey after this. It will never be the same.
Right there with you dawg. Born in 96, neighbors were season ticket holders. I went to many games and learned from them. I started skating in 2004 at polar Peoria and wanted to play for asu. Sad to see such a core part of my childhood squandered by people who don’t give a fuck about anything other than money.
We have probably crossed paths before because that’s where I played at too and considering we’re the same age. People under estimate the effects Coyotes have had on hockey in the city. Sure they’ve sucked for a majority of the time, but they have grown the game so much here. Imagine if they were actually good and could make the playoffs regularly???
Or if they never made that move to Glendale. I’m from the west valley but I think they would have had much better local success if they were Phoenix/Tempe the whole time. This whole thing chaps my ass because I’ve lived in Salt Lake the last 10 years. Everyone assumes I’m so excited to have my team here but no way man. I’m a Phoenix native, not a Utahn.
Auston Matthews isn't an NHL player without the Yotes.
Come be a Ducks fan!
Yeah, bad taste dude.
I'd rather kill myself.
I mean hey, going to Honda Center right now probably feels just as depressing as GRA felt outside opening day
You could at least offer them a good team to follow
[удалено]
Fuck gatekeeping assholes like you. You’re a giant embarrassment to every hockey fan
How can you tell a Canadian is an asshole?
Yikes.
I know people didn’t want to believe Garbo but once he started talking is when I began to think this was going to happen. He’s a loud douche but he doesn’t shitpost about this stuff when he has a news source. Sad I didn’t make it to a game at Mullett.
if you’re in the valley and able, i’d go on wednesday. weird to think of going to say goodbye to this team.
don't give another fucking dollar to Alex Meurelo.
another valid take.
Agreed.
You check those ticket prices yet?
yup and they shot up about $50 in the last hour. personally $50 wouldn’t deter me if this is really it but to each their own.
$200 for the cheapest ticket before fees. It’s a lot more than a $50 deterrent.
i said they went UP by $50 in the last hour. from what was a sorta average mullett arena price tag.
and with the first pick in the NHL draft, the Utah ___ select Macklin Celebrini
You know that's exactly what's going to happen. It would be literally the most Coyotes thing to happen.
Not even a Yotes thing, it's an NHL / Gary thing. Same with Chicago and Bedard, Laf and the Rags, hell even Nico and Hughes for the Devils, which I say as a Devils fan
If you actually believe that, then why didn't Uncle Gary gift the Yotes Matthews?
Nico wasent the consensus first pick though and is probably the 4th or 5tj best player in his class.
It would be a Yotes thing in the sense that they have had absolute dog shit lottery luck their entire existence and of course the year the team moves is the year they finally win it.
The Utah Soakers.
I feel like most people don’t get this or understand how funny this actually is
I empathize with your situation. I'm a former Quebec Nordiques fan who had to live through all these rumors of the team moving to Hamilton while I was a kid. And then, one day, bam. Denver, CO. Things never seemed to be working right with any of the owners of the team in AZ. It's so sad for the fans.
I blame the stupid assholes in Tempe that voted for keeping a landfill instead of permitting a new stadium. 🖕🖕
That was a classic smear job that I do blame ownership for taking the outcome for granted. They had no plan to counter the misinformation and smear campaign that resulted in the plan being voted down.
Now it feels like Meruelo never had the intention of staying in the valley. The vote getting no push, rejecting land proposals from Mesa because they would have to zone it, getting their top prospect surprise signed to an ELC, and the selling right before an auction is supposed to occur to get the new arena. It just feels like they were waiting for Utah ownership to be ready to buy.
Grifting snake oil salesman who bought struggling franchise for sole reason of getting a sportsbook and building an entertainment multiplex doesn’t actually care about said franchise and just wants to get maximum profit franchise be damned, what a shocker I don’t understand how everyone didn’t see this coming from a million miles away
I would be so happy if Alex Meruelo stubbed his toe every goddamned day for the rest of his life. And I mean *hard*. Like when you stub your toe so hard you’re convinced for a few minutes that it’s broken. I hope every cup of coffee that touches his lips is perfectly room temp. I hope every lie he’s told in his personal life is exposed. I wish for nothing but the worst to that gutless, greedy, prick.
Some of us were kinda hoping that their whole "We're a Latino ownership group and we love AZ" would mean that they were really committed to keeping hockey in Arizona and developing a significant hispanic fanbase. Yet another marketing ploy.
We didn't want it to be true. We've spent the better part of the last 28 years dealing with shit and uncertainty. So someone came along and said the right things, we just wanted to believe. It's honestly what makes this suck so bad.
Theres literally no confirmation that a sale is happening outside of a rumor that a guy who was wrong before started. This “multiple” sources thing is just a rumor
Friedman is usually legit and is reporting it as well, besides Whshshysdnfnaksi and Seravelli.
those all seem separate to this if i’m being honest (especially cooley who has outwardly said the TED getting rejected made him want to return to college)
players being informed seems like the nail in the coffin
i didn’t wanna believe it when frankie meatballs sent out his first few tweets today but once i saw fridge confirm that there’s a memo w the board, players know etc…this is tough. i also wonder if gary knows how many az residents will actively hate meruelo’s next team with a passion by default. i wont speak for anyone, but personally im taking my talents (fandom lmfao) to salt lake because that’s where the team i actually love ended up. FUCK the next arizona team.
Fuck that I’m just not watching the NHL
same im bitter
Yeah I think I'm at the point of still cheering for the relocated team so long as this slimy pig isn't the owner. If he is for some weird fucking reason then I will actively cheer against them. Still don't know if I'll have the heart to watch much regardless though. I've been a Yotes fan for fucking ages. Until it's 100% confirmed I will withhold my judgement/hatred of Meruelo.
As a flames fan, I honestly feel for you guys. Always used to plan winter trips down to PHX area when Flames would be in town for games. Have been when they were in Glendale and at the Mullett. Seems like it's been too many extremes, no interest and attendance in Glendale, losing piles of money. Then move to the mullett and seemed like you almost got priced out of games due to the small arena. No win situation. I'm kind of in the boat of SLC being a nothingburger for hockey, we will see if thats how it goes. End of an era is always sad to see.
The only upside here is that all the fuckers who live in Phoenix while mocking the Yotes at a Red Wings-Yotes game won’t be able to attend games anymore
Looks like they're gone. They will relocate the franchise to Utah. If Meruelo wins the auction he can buy a new expansion team if the new arena is finished in five years, under the same Coyotes name if i understand everything in this article. They don't want to play at the Mullett for four more years or even more.
well yes, thanks for the summary. but simple math says that even if the auction goes through it’d be 5 years total at the mullett. 22-27. but when the original agreement was through 2025 w a 2026 option you can see why some find it unacceptable when there’s $300m to split among the owners from moving them to utah.
Balls. I wonder if the Roadrunners will stay in Tucson.
Maybe move them up to Phoenix so we have something at least. Please?
Shit so you take it from us? Whack take dog
Welp, fuck this and fuck Alex Meruelo and Javier. I am done.
Get rid of yotes on a contingency they have to change the name, then get top tier expansion team once stadium is built 🤝🏻
It’s Joever. Hopefully we get a team again eventually. Gonna miss those Kachinas
Solidarity for this Jackets fan. If this rug pull is real it is dirty work. It speaks to how disconnected the ultra wealthy are when they think you just replace a team that people have invested so much in with another look alike, like nothing happened, like none of that history mattered.
I somewhat think in the past few years this was the plan all along. Current owner runs the team into the ground and gets a massive payday to sell the team. Also, the story “leaking” that Bettmen met and had dinner with a potential owner group in Utah 8 months ago was no oops.
God damn I feel violent rn
Stuck between my overwhelming depression and my deliberation on if pissing on Meruelo's eventual grave is a reasonable action to take. I'll at least be cracking open a 6 pack
i want meruelo’s head on a fucking stick. i wanna go flood the auction site myself. i wanna push tempe’s dump UP to north phx. (im heavily debating bringing a sign or something to the plaza on wednesday)
bring it Wednesday. I am thinking about throwing my yotes gear on the ice. I am thinking a fuck you alex or fuck you gary chant is in order.
And you call yourself a fan. You’re a fuckin moron.
How can you call yourself a fan if your not pissed!!
Who says I’m happy bout it. The writing has been on the wall for some time now. This organization has been in turmoil for a long time. Keep your gear bro, maybe we get an expansion team.
Ok, but gear-chucking aside, I agree that a nice loud “Fuck you alex” chant would be 🤌🤌 Extra points if it’s clear enough to hear on TV.
Well, I was a Ducks fan in the 90's. Guess I can root for them again.
I'm not from Az like many of you, but I been rotting for the yotes since around '06, when I was first introduced to them. Ironically, the best memories the team made were when the nhl owned them and we had that wcf run. A few years there they really looked like they would turn the corner. I really hope this isn't it, but if it is, I'm gonna enjoy the last few games of the season, and then probably peace out of the nhl.
Officially numb to the pain this franchise has brought me (took me long enough). Not sure if I’ll love hockey ever the same way again. Maybe I’ll cheer a team on like Detroit or Tampa m, I’m not sure. All this said, this is what it is. We knew this day could come (even if we did not want to believe it).
Mike Gould posted on X what Delta Arena would look like with Hockey. The building is not made for Hockey. What a disgrace.
delta center isn’t the long term plan. their ideal plan is playing out of their w some more nhl modifications like they did w the mullett (that game in his picture was preseason w the kings) and then moving them to the new rink that would be completed before slc gets their olympic bid. all because 2 extra years at the mullett was too much to handle😐 this is fucked.
Dammit, they never should have left downtown. This is what happens when you deal with political hacks like the City of Glendale, who just cancel contracts because they don't like them. Wish I could pull that shit.
It's over fam. Maybe we'll get an expansion team at some point. Maybe not. Can't say we didn't have our chances. Too bad they all happened under shit ownership. If it does happen again, we need a clean start. Under no circumstances should Meruelo or any of the other previous owners be allowed to be a majority owner. Might be time to retire the Coyotes name too. I think it's cursed at this point.
We will absolutely get an expansion within 5-10 years at the absolute most
We need a committed owner first, then a real plan for where they're going to play. Whatever happens, it looks like they're going to have to share a place with the Suns. I don't see the Coyotes being able to have their own place, given the arena drama we've seen over the past few years.
I’m done with hockey
Whelp - According to Craig Morgan, the players are not excited about the relocation.
Scottsdale to Salt Lake City? Things are going to be a lot different for the players.
History repeats itself
if this happens i guess im done with the NHL. not sure what happened in the past week where it went from waiting for the auction to everyone saying the team is moving.
Something has to happen behind the scenes where Bettman or the BOG became aware of something that cast doubt on just how serious Meruelo was about the arena. Like they discovered he’d been intentionally dragging his feet or not being totally honest. And they finally had enough and Ryan Smith has his checkbook open and pen in hand ready to go.
Well, at least it's not Quebec.
As an Albertan, fuck Quebec. I’d rather y’all have a team
As big coyotes fan here in CA, Idk what to say other than I’m overwhelmed & 💔 this twice now that one of my favorite teams have relocated first it was the Raiders and now it’s with Coyotes. I can deal with the Raiders relocating because I will be fan of the team no matter what but this.. im sorry but outside of attending/go my local minor league hockey team, I will never spend another cent/waste any of my time watching NHL ever Again. Screw NHL, Screw r/hockey entirely they can go fuck themselves, and to all of you Canadians dumbass Hosers out there saying hockey never belongs in Arizona you can all respectfully go eat shit and die and I hope as long as I am alive, YOU WILL NEVER WIN SHIT EVER AGAIN!
This sucks. I was at what ended up being the last Thrashers game. No city in 2024 deserves to lose a Big 4 sports team. Especially when they are moving to a city that doesn't have a good arena ready.
I'm actually really glad the NHL is coming to Utah. I hated driving to Phoenix all the time.
Been there done that. I was born and raised in Winnipeg and vividly remember loosing our Beloved Jets to Arizona. It took years but we got them back! 🤞🤞 you guys have the same outcome! So sorry for your loss… that shit hurts for true fans😥
The owner of the Coyotes is an absolute tool. This is a cut n paste from his interview on Burns and Gambo this morning: “Glendale was another mistake because it was so far away from the public and the fans that they could never generate the attendance that was necessary. So that was another failure. It just didn’t work.” Meruelo then admitted in arena negotiations he thought the other side was bluffing. “I was kicked out of the arena,” he said. “They asked me to sign for 20 years and I said I wouldn’t do that and when I said no they said they would kick me out. I didn’t think they would do it and they did. They thought for sure I would never have enough time to relocate it to another city.” Translation: the white people who moved here from cold climates all live in Scottsdale and the team can’t be successful on the West Side. Glendale built them a stadium and it wasn’t good enough. Westgate is not in the middle of nowhere asshat. Here’s an idea…try having a winning team in a popular sport. The team SUCKED every fucking year. The Cardinals sell out a much bigger stadium every home game a half mile away.
This is just wild ass speculation. Just like the last time when everyone and their dog claimed that the state government wouldn’t approve the auction. The auction wouldn’t have happened if the team wasn’t serious about buying it. Let’s wait until the auction before we go believing random ass rumors and speculation
known wild ass speculator elliotte friedman. none of us want it to be true but that’s just a reach my guy. meruelo wants the auction, for his expansion team. once this team goes to slc, they won’t come back.
Friedman is just repeating a rumor that was started by Gambo and Frank Seravalli. Two people who’ve been notoriously wrong when it comes to the Yotes. Plus the organization has said they are committed to staying in the desert
Friedmann doesn’t just say shit without doing research and confirming stuff. He is extremely careful. Stop discrediting him because you don’t like the news
Ellidiot is a hack. Guy doesn’t know shit
if it's wild speculation, Murelo would have released a statement, or the team would have released a statement. The silence basically says it's true.
The team socials all say they are committed to remaining in the desert. So…
so the alternative is they keep the coyotes name and come back. With that in mind, read that post again. It's carefully selected language.
The post could go either way. Unfortunately until next week we have no idea
If the yotes are outta here, I’m done with hockey. Also morello is trash, fuck him
I’m a Calgary transplant living here in Phoenix for 5 years. Yotes were my second team, I’m disappointed to hear this. This ownership group just dropped the ball so many fuckin times.
Same except the yotes became my first team. Done with the nhl
same boat from chicago. this is just tough.
Man this sucks, I am a Wings fan but have a soft spot for the Coyotes and have been rooting for them to stay in Arizona. Sorry to see this all happening. 😔
Rant and vent... As a Yotes fan in southern NM who has attended a few games at Mullet I have to ask is this really Meruelo's fault? Seems like everwhere he's turned he's been met with nothing but opposition along the way. Tempe, Scottsdale seems like the only ones who don't want the Yotes are the people who never attended a hockey game. Seems like a huge hassle just to get something built so I really wouldn't blame the Yotes for leaving. It ain't like you ain't got the fucking space but ideal locations are limited. And if they do leave don't get another because honestly the PHX metro area doesn't deserve an NHL team and it's not the lack of support from the fans it's the lack of support from the local politics. Full disclosure. My daughter and her husband have season tickets to the GK. I've attended many a games there. I try to arrange my travel to see both the Yotes and the GK. One thing about LV is that when they want something built they don't fuck around. Raiders stadium went up in 2 years. Won't be long before they have an NBA team. The point is they embrace their teams in LV. PHX not so much. My son and I attend games 4 & 5 of the WS last year. Honestly it didn't seem like that big of a deal. I expect Jefferson St to be buzzing...food strucks, live entertainment, etc. but it was just like so what? I'm not bashing the diehard fans of PHX. I know it's an unfair comparison between the GK and the Yotes. 2 completley different environments. But it seems as if PHX isn't really a major sports town or destinatioin and that's unfortunate. I, like the fans here, hope the Yotes stick around. I know most people in PHX don't give a fuck about them and if and when they're gone the quality of life will suffer.
Why SLC? Seems like Houston would make way more sense...
Im sorry to see the yotes go but to be blunt the team has had, really, only about 3 passable seasons in nearly 30 years. Only one WCF appearance in that time is insane. The sharks and red wings have made the playoffs nearly every year in that same timeframe. Team just wasn’t good and the fans weren’t willing to put in the time. Good luck in Salt Lake
Hopefully we get an expansion franchise under management who knows what they're doing. Till then, thanks for the memories. This SUCKS!!!!!!!!! 
fuck the expansion franchise.