Arizona Coyotes are relocating to Utah as Utah HC (hockey club)

[#freejame]

7 minutes ago, klos1963 said:

The team also spent a lot of money on youth hockey.  They provided free  equipment for mites just starting out. Youth hockey is pretty big here,  hate to see it suffer. My kids played 7 years,  it was a great program. 

I believe I saw this will all continue under the roadrunners branding 

[klos1963]

22 minutes ago, #freejame said:

I believe I saw this will all continue under the roadrunners branding 

Tucson fans won't be happy losing their team.  This ownership group is making a lot of enemies. 

[shrader]

So with Arizona holding onto the history of the franchise, does Doan’s kid have to stay?

[Buffalo Super Fan]

Arizona Coyotes fans are ridiculous they want to blame the current owner who is trying to get an arena built in Arizona. The whole area is to blame Coyotes fans are going to hit the jackpot when they return in 5 years like the Cleveland Browns. The bottom line the NHL wants to be in Phoenix. I think people are way over estimating Utah as a NHL/NBA market playing at the same time of year with major league prices and a small television market. We will see but I have my doubts about Salt Lake City as both a NBA and NHL market time will tell. The sad reality is the current Winnipeg Jets might end up being the Phoenix Coyotes again in 5 years because the Winnipeg market is too small and the arena is too small. No way is Canada building the Winnipeg Jets a new arena. I think the odds are the current Winnipeg Jets become the new Phoenix Coyotes in five years. With NHL expansion to Atlanta and Houston sometime in the early 2030’s in my opinion. Go Sabres! Let’s Go Buffalo 

[Buffalo Super Fan]

2 hours ago, klos1963 said:

Tucson fans won't be happy losing their team.  This ownership group is making a lot of enemies. 

Tucson is towards the bottom of the AHL in attendance. The ownership is doing the best business move to keep hockey alive in Phoenix while working on the new Phoenix arena. Tucson isn’t a professional sports towns it’s Arizona Wildcats and nothing else because it’s a college town in my opinion. Go Sabres! Let’s Go Buffalo 

[klos1963]

2 hours ago, Buffalo Super Fan said:

Tucson is towards the bottom of the AHL in attendance. The ownership is doing the best business move to keep hockey alive in Phoenix while working on the new Phoenix arena. Tucson isn’t a professional sports towns it’s Arizona Wildcats and nothing else because it’s a college town in my opinion. Go Sabres! Let’s Go 

It's not like Rochester is packing them in either.  It's minor league, and I still believe the Tucson fans will be sad to see them go,  wtf wouldn't they. 

[LGR4GM]

 

 

[LGR4GM]

 

 

[LGR4GM]

 

 

[klos1963]

On 4/20/2024 at 6:27 AM, LGR4GM said:

 

 

But what would you expect? The PC with the bad news wasn't as positive as the PC with the good news.  That shouldn't be a shock. 

[PerreaultForever]

I was thinking today that if we do want to swap some talent for grit and toughness Utah might be the best team to talk to. They will want a little more offensive flash for their new fan base.

[Doohicksie]

The SLC Stormin' Mormons

[LGR4GM]

Great article on the Coyotes owner and how crappy he is. 

Quote

In February 2021, The Athletic published a report that Meruelo’s first 18 months of ownership was marred by a revolving door of executives, strained relationships with corporate partners, and a litany of financial issues, some made worse by the pandemic. The story, which drew from interviews with more than 50 people, detailed a pattern of unpaid bills and jilted vendors, a disastrous draft pick that earned them universal scorn and employees complaining about a toxic environment.

 

[Doohicksie]

Yes, I know some people from Phoenix; they're hopeful that the Coyotes will return, but I told them I doubt Meruelo will be able to get things (i.e. the arena) laid flat in the next five years, even if he wins the land auction.

[LabattBlue]

After reading the two Athletic articles on this clown who owned the Coyotes, there is no way the NHL is ever going back to Phoenix with him as the owner….even if they have to fund(behind the scenes) a campaign to prevent a new arena from happening within this 5 year window. 

[IKnowPhysics]

1 hour ago, LabattBlue said:

the two Athletic articles on this clown who owned the Coyotes

100%.  If anyone is interested in understanding how hockey in the desert really fell apart, read these, especially the first one.  ***** ownership from minute one.  If you had any shred of thinking that the municipalities or the arenas or the fans or the sponsors were to blame for the final death knell, get corrected.  Meruelo's squad ran a toxic and inept organization that ruined employee, partnering company, sponsorship, hockey management, player, media, and government relationships.

https://theathletic.com/2390146/2021/02/16/arizona-coyotes-investigation-toxic/

https://theathletic.com/5439189/2024/04/24/arizona-coyotes-alex-meruelo-utah-nhl/

12ft.io

[shrader]

How many different owners did that organization have in Arizona?

[Doohicksie]

8 hours ago, IKnowPhysics said:

100%.  If anyone is interested in understanding how hockey in the desert really fell apart, read these, especially the first one.  ***** ownership from minute one.  If you had any shred of thinking that the municipalities or the arenas or the fans or the sponsors were to blame for the final death knell, get corrected.  Meruelo's squad ran a toxic and inept organization that ruined employee, partnering company, sponsorship, hockey management, player, media, and government relationships.

https://theathletic.com/2390146/2021/02/16/arizona-coyotes-investigation-toxic/

https://theathletic.com/5439189/2024/04/24/arizona-coyotes-alex-meruelo-utah-nhl/

Yeah it seems odd that the NHL let him keep the Coyotes name and logo, and I believe also he has franchise rights in Arizona for the next 5 years if there's an expansion.  If he was so awful, why nut just cut ties with him altogether?  The only thing I can think of is that by offering those things agreed not to fight the sale.

Edited April 25 by Doohickie

[shrader]

39 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Yeah it seems odd that the NHL let him keep the Coyotes name and logo, and I believe also he has franchise rights in Arizona for the next 5 years if there's an expansion.  If he was so awful, why nut just cut ties with him altogether?  The only think I can think of is that by offering those things agreed not to fight the sale.

I wonder if they’ll give the Jets history back to Winnipeg. 

[Doohicksie]

Interesting point.

I don't know the details, but it seems like the Meruelo deal is kind of like what happened to the Cleveland Browns... the team moved, but the franchise was deactivated and stayed in Cleveland.  The old team was assigned to a new franchise, the Baltimore Ravens.

So when the Browns started up again in Cleveland, all the franchise records stayed with them.

[OverPowerYou]

Will Salt Lake City have a new team name? 

[IKnowPhysics]

2 hours ago, Doohickie said:

If he was so awful, why nut just cut ties with him altogether?  The only think I can think of is that by offering those things agreed not to fight the sale.

Meruelo is a delusional narcissist that won't admit defeat despite his ineptitude and toxicity.  He'll pretend he still owns a franchise with zero hockey being played.  He still thinks he's the lone savior despite everyone and everything in Arizona refusing to work with him.

The NHL is simpler: it's always money.  They can get Meruelo an expansion team or a moved team for him.  Or they can plug in a expansion team into Arizona with a different owner and then either buy the IP rights back from Meruelo or just plug in a non-Coyotes franchise without the rights.  They don't give a *****.  Money over everything.

[MattPie]

1 hour ago, OverPowerYou said:

Will Salt Lake City have a new team name? 

I hope it's something apropos to the region, like the Jazz for the NBA team.

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, OverPowerYou said:

Will Salt Lake City have a new team name? 

Somewhere in this thread there is a tweet about the names they put in a trademark application on. 

[LGR4GM]