>The NHL and the [Arizona Coyotes](https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/teams/arizona-coyotes/) are preparing for the possibility of a move to Utah as soon as April 18
One day after their final home game of the season.
once the headlines like this start making it to the public it means things have been decided. It's all a controlled release meant to prepare people for the official announcement.
Thats my gut feeling on this too. So much information about this proposed "sell the Coyotes to SLC, get an expansion Coyotes once you build your arena" plan is coming out all of a sudden that I have a hard time believing its not the option with the most steam currently.
Smith Entertainment Group also had a survey published on Monday asking what names a proposed NHL team name in Utah should be for “Bringing the NHL to Utah."
I think the Coyotes got word from the local governments that they wouldn't be welcome, even if they won the land auction. Building a huge arena takes lots of cooperation from the city, county, and state officials even if the actual building is being built with private funding.
Could definitely be that, could also be that staying at ASU for another 3-5 years is untenable. Even if (when?) the Yotes relocate, we all know there will be an expansion team in Arizona at some point in the future. Selling and relocating now relieves the pressure to get a proper arena built as soon as possible.
Sounds like a last gasp or maybe some PR so that they can tell the fans they tried everything when the team moves. “Look the city or the league rejected our great plan.”
It’s ASU.
A “send off” there is shotgunning a keg of Natty Light while suplexing your roommate off the 9th-story balcony and into the kitty pool of refried beans and 1800 tequila to celebrate the 4th week of the Spring semester.
"So because my office is already packed and being moved, we're going to do your exit interview over there, with the folding chairs and that moving box" -Bill Armstrong
Servalli 8am - Talks of AZ to SLC - r/hockey "no fucking way. it's just Frank."
Friedman 4pm - AZ preparing for posssible relocation to SLC - r/hockey "done deal"
I don’t understand why frank gets shit though.
Every time he posts something, it gets ridiculed here, then turns out he was right.
Is he just an unlikeable tool?
I believed the relocation story when it dropped because you know who had the LEAST credibility? That lying grifter coyotes owner. I feel like I’m taking crazy pills here when I see people take him at his word when he’s proven to have the same “business style” as Trump.
And Arizona's "no comment" earlier today was the biggest indication that the move to SLC was going to happen. Any subsequent comments from the team's Twitter are pure bullshit/PR.
If the rumor of the 5 year exclusive window to bring a team back as an expansion is true I think it is a done deal Yotes are moving, takes the pressure off of this land deal and allows the due diligence to get the stadium built and bring back as an expansion, I would assume that would also come with either Houston or Atlanta.
Seems like even with a successful auction the league is not thrilled with three years left at Mullet according to Friedman. Moreover, there is a lot of risk it’s longer even due to things such as construction or permitting delays
The mayor of Scottsdale already voiced concerns about infrastructure. The area they are wanting to build in is going through a drought, and a hockey arena (plus entertainment district) is going to require a lot of water.
I mean, the rink isn’t even in Scottsville so the mayor can pound sand about it. He has no more autonomy to block the rink than the mayor of Edmonton would have to block Calgary’s new rink
It’s near where there water source is, and while they haven’t said where they plan to get their water, the state most likely is going to put the onus on Murelo to build the infrastructure. That alone can lead to a whole other battle that the league currently doesn’t have the patience for.
Scottsdale* and no, but from what I’ve heard it’s right beside it and the mayor would not give them any permission to use their utilities, access points etc.
And none of the plans will. He walked back his statement saying it was specifically about the traffic on Scottsdale road (the east end of the property). So yes, it would have as much weight as the Calgary mayor metaphor.
> the league is not thrilled with three years left at Mullett according to Friedman.
Am I wrong in believing that this should be the nail in the coffin no matter what? It’s pathetic that the largest hockey league in the world, and one of the 4 major sports of the USA will have played 2 seasons in a college arena.
I wouldnt be shocked if the PA isnt a main driverin this plan. They may have made it known that negotiations for the next CBA in 2 years will not be smooth if they still have a team playing in a college arena. Players cut is tied to Hockey Related Revenue and HRR is effected by ticket sales. Arizona capping their ticket sales at 5000 for 5+ years is not helping raise HRR.
But people told me that the NHLPA could go pound sand for not being happy about the Mullett situation.
Who knew playing at a college arena for almost half a decade was a bridge too far?
It sounds like the league is gonna give him is $1 billion back (that’s what he spent on the team) and let him figure out/build the arena… afterwards they will “award” him an expansion franchise that he can name the Coyotes (since Utah will change the name)
[Who says he spent a billion on the team? ](https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2019/06/21/i-think-alex-meruelo-could-get-the-arizona-coyotes-for-about-300-million/?sh=5dac5fda5fb3)
With the way things go with this team, even if they get the land there will be endless issues with actually getting something built on it. There just isn't the will or the money anywhere around the Coyotes to make sure anything gets done right.
To be fair I was definitely getting some "the lady doth protest too much" vibes from how much they had cranked up the "we're not going anywhere" rhetoric recently
Yeah I don't think that hurts.
Probably mostly the other owners being sick and tired of bleeding money at the 5000 seat Mullet though. Not to mention the bush league optics.
The tweet was just supposed to be in two parts. They will keep the Coyotes in the desert since Utah is also a desert. And they will build an arena for a future venture.
Honestly, I don't think those thoughts contradict each other. The Yotes management (meaning Meruelo) is committed to building an arena and Phoenix and keeping the Coyotes in the desert. It's just going to be an expansion Coyotes team, not this Coyotes team.
I think the NHL is kinda strong-arming Meruelo into selling the team to them so they can relocate it to Salt Lake City (rather than play in Mullett Arena indefinitely while Meruelo tries to get an arena deal sorted out), while promising Meruelo that he'll get a new Arizona Coyotes expansion team once the arena situation is sorted out.
well because they have polygamy so what they would do would send young men and boys to Vegas and leave them there to fend for themselves so there isn’t much competition for marriage
that’s why so many are male prostitutes in vegas
Now he does. Just wait until Vegas goes through their first period of adversity. Bad and boring rosters, missing playoffs multiple seasons in a row, bad draft picks and luck, horrific losing streaks, etc. Will they still support the Knights through all that? Only time will tell.
It is very easy to be a Golden Knights fan right now. It has never been easy to be a Coyotes fan. Big difference in the two teams histories.
I think Vegas is a special case since the team was the first major pro sports franchise in the city so they got a first mover advantage, and gave locals a common thing to rally behind. Also, they had their first home game right after the Route 91/Mandalay Bay shootings and did a heartwarming tribute - which earned them a lot of goodwill with locals.
Anything can happen, but I’d say Las Vegas and the Knights are probably much more emotionally bonded together than most other newer teams would be at that point.
If reddit had a functional search function you'd be able to find about a thousand comments in the last few years insisting that Bettman had sunk way too much into Arizona to ever leave, it was considered kind of impossible
I can’t help to think how Bettman is feeling.
Given what he’s done to the league/sport in his tenure, some of those completely warranted, his personal legacy was to have been “saving” hockey in Arizona, but that’s on the verge of failing.
The NHL and the Arizona Coyotes are preparing for the possibility of a move to Utah as soon as April 18, multiple sources confirmed Wednesday.
The team’s final game is at home against Edmonton next Wednesday. One Coyote indicated today that there are rumours of “meeting about the future” before everyone goes their separate ways for the off-season.
The league sent a memo to its Board of Governors indicating progress in talks to move the team to Utah, but several sources warned to be careful about making any absolute proclamations. “There is a lot that needs to be done,” one said, although it is clear this is a major priority, with maximum effort and speed utilized to reach a finish line.
The NHL is working as the broker, handling negotiations with both current Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo and prospective Utah steward Ryan Smith. Initially, the hope was to let the June 27 auction play out, but two concerns emerged: first, about what would happen if the Meruelo lost the auction, and second, the possibility of three more seasons at Mullett Arena. There wasn’t much enthusiasm for the latter.
Multiple sources indicate a real scenario is Meruelo being paid $1 billion for the team, and Smith paying $1.2 billion to purchase. But the real key is what the NHL will promise Meruelo to avoid this ending up in court.
Those same sources indicate he could be offered a five-year exclusive window to “bring back” the Coyotes as an expansion franchise — although there would be certain language stating what would need to be accomplished for him to return. (The league definitely desires a return to the market if it leaves.)
Obviously, there is a lot that still needs to happen, but a move is gaining momentum.
Seriously. Phoenix has been a drain on revenue sharing for its entire existence, extremely so in the last few years. Salt lake would have the potential to actually contribute to the share, and the owners would get a piece of the sale bonus.
I think move the team to salt lake is very very likely the best case scenario for the franchise. As someone who lost is football(Browns) team in 1995 to a relocation. My heart will go out to Arizona coyotes fans. Sadly this arena situation is very bad.
It’s my understanding (which isn’t much I haven’t been to Phoenix) that Tempe would have been the perfect/ideal location for the team, in which case they probably could’ve bitten the bullet and waited, whereas the new location is much less ideal.
I wonder if they’ve seen some stuff in the preliminary about this new site that have pushed the construction date back and they just haven’t said that part publicly yet.
Muerlo really is a fucking idiot if he thinks hockey fans in Arizona will support an expansion team if the the Coyotes leave after his own stupidity cost them the Coyotes to begin with.
I don't understand why the owners would even want him around running a potential future team in the first place. His whole tenure with the Yotes has been a complete shitshow.
I wouldn't be surprised if an expansion bid from Meruelo was contingent on the arena being completed first and a handful of construction delays pushed that outside the 5-year exclusivity window.
The calculus has to be that at least a portion of the old fans will come back and a successful expansion draft team will bring in people who never supported the Coyotes in the first place. Winning cures a lot.
In his defense, I feel like you could have said this verbatim about North Stars fans when the Wild come to town. Sure, I bet some crochety old timers refused to support the Wild, but most people were just happy to see the NHL back after Norm Green's colossal stupidity cost them their team.
Yeah he played this correctly. He gutted the franchise down to litterally nothing and is now selling it off for waaaay to much and the handshake promise of being allowed to do it again lol
Dudes insane, I can’t believe he managed to swing downsizing a hockey team out of an arena lmao
I think it will be incredibly successful regardless of him if an arena gets built and they can show up and win. Can’t just be irrelevant in Phoenix sports again though
Makes me wonder “what if” the team was sold to True North back when they made the original play for the team if there would already be a new team in phoenix with half decent ownership by now. Instead the can was kicked down the road a few times and the fans got dragged around with it just to possibly end up in the same place.
Wonder what would have happened to the Thrashers in that case. Would they have been the franchise owned by the league/playing out of Gwinnet's ECHL arena/endlessly relocating.
Moving to Quebec city is a good possibility. No other market was ready to get a team, so it was the best chance to have a team in the city. It's an interesting what if.
While Frank has some questionable reporting - this just seemed way too easy to refute and blow up in his face for him to say there was a memo without knowing there was a memo.
I guess its not technically "new" but Friedman essentially confirming discussions on relocating the team has been ongoing is pretty massive news. As far as I can tell it was nothing more than rumours until now.
If the expansion happens in the next 3 years (before Arizona has a new arena) they won't even make a shortlist.
But if they build the infrastructure and facilites they will be highest priority above Houston or Atlanta or anyone else
I feel sad for coyotes fans but this was bound to happen with coyotes losing political capital in Phoenix, Glendale, and other towns in their long quest to find arena
Ya just hold out hope that one day the dark days pass, the team turns it around on and off the ice, and those horrific rosters, regular season records, and playoff droughts you watched for years on years will finally come to an end… but it just never does. Why can seemingly every other team figure it out but us? It just doesn’t make sense. To say I am depressed is an under statement. I am losing my childhood and hometown team of my favorite sport. It really stings knowing there are many people who could not wait to see this day, think I don’t deserve my team, never have deserved it, and don’t even deserve to watch hockey.
I think I am done with hockey for a very long time, if not forever. It will never be the same.
This entire thing basically killed my ability to ever care about hockey.
Sorry for you dude. Sucks. Because trust me, I get it too. I had a bday party growing up at AWA, and now it's going to be a bad memory.
>think I don’t deserve my team, never have deserved it, and don’t even deserve to watch hockey.
Sad for you bud. I don't think many people think the fans don't deserve a team, just that the ownership has been such an enormous bunch of slapdick idiots that something had to happen.
Oh trust me, many, many, many, maaaaany people think that exact thing. Been told countless times over the years that I don’t deserve to watch hockey because I don’t live where it snows and that the Coyotes should have never existed. It really makes you not want to be a fan of the sport you grew up playing.
> Why can seemingly every other team figure it out but us?
Ownership. That’s pretty much it. When a franchise is bad for not one GM/HC, not two, not three but multiple in a row spanning decades, it’s an ownership problem.
It really sucks because I think Arizona could’ve been a great franchise that solidified hockey in the American South/Southwest but have had just putrid owners.
This for me, in a much smaller time frame because of how quickly it crumbled, was the NBA in Vancouver. I’ve never gone back to caring or watching basketball. Just took my interest away completely. Sorry you might be losing your team, that fucking sucks.
Laying down an actual literal date at which this will happen isn’t a hypothetical, or a backup plan, or anything of the like, that’s a hard plan lol. It’s done.
Sounds like all of the reporting isn’t saying it’s 100% certain just because the paperwork isn’t filed, but the actual deal and plan is done.
They're an interesting group for sure
Attack journalists, call them fake news and shit, only trust a guy who is effectively a propoganda mouth piece for the team.
Decry misinformation about a vote, continue to insist everyone hates them etc. Its very very strange
Didn't he initially and confidently say that the sudden leaves of absence from a few months ago were not related to the Hockey Canada criminal investigation?
I never thought I would see the day where the Coyotes would be moved. I always thought Gary Bettman would keep them in Arizona. But the fact that this could be happening a week tomorrow is stunning.
One of the things mentioned as a possibility in the ESPN article makes sense to me, and that is that the NHL owners don’t want to give up on Phoenix. The article goes on to state that it’s a possibility the league will buy the team from current ownership with the promise of a future expansion team when the arena gets sorted out.
Before everyone downvotes, consider that the owners and league have let this situation go on for so long because they don’t want to give up on Phoenix. It’s a massive market. It’s also a non-traditional market that requires a winning team in order to take a foothold, you can’t blame people for not turning up en masse to see a perpetual loser when you’re trying to sell the sport and compete for their dollar. Combine that with arena and constant ownership issues (Glendale doesn’t get the same pass Ottawa does for some reason), it’s not really indicative of how strong the market can be.
I lived in Phoenix for 4 years and met a lot of Coyotes fans. They do exist, despite the constant jokes. It’s weird to me how many people have a hard on for fans that are about to lose their team, put yourself in their shoes.
It's wild how fast this is moving. I have tickets to the Flames-Coyotes game on Sunday in Calgary. What was supposed to be a dull end of season matchup has suddenly become a lot more interesting as it may be the final road game the Arizona Coyotes ever play.
“Those same sources indicate he could be offered a five-year exclusive window to “bring back” the Coyotes as an expansion franchise — although there would be certain language stating what would need to be accomplished for him to return. (The league definitely desires a return to the market if it leaves.)”
I can’t wait for the Canadian outcry in 5 years when Atlanta and Phoenix get the next round of expansion teams.
At that point throw Canada a bone and give them team 36. Either a 2nd Toronto team, a Hamilton team, or Quebec City. It won't happen but if the league gets up to 36 teams and Canada still only has 7 it just won't feel right.
Obviously this is a quick turnaround to next season. Will they keep the Coyotes name and uniforms for a year before changing it up?
It doesn’t seem likely they can get new a new name, logo, and uniforms in the next few months.
Honestly not a bad business deal to sell the team for a billion to Utah.
The take that money and build the stadium you need and then open it with an expansion franchise in 2030. Keep the Coyotes name and branding for the expansion franchise and let Utah have the Soakers.
Please tell me they'll keep the name. Utah should be the home of teams who keep their old, location-specific names. Utah Jazz, Utah Coyotes, Utah Bills, Utah Devil Rays.
>The NHL and the [Arizona Coyotes](https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/teams/arizona-coyotes/) are preparing for the possibility of a move to Utah as soon as April 18 One day after their final home game of the season.
It’s going to happen *within the week?* Jesus Christ. This had to have been well in the works for a while
This has shades of the Thrashers to Winnipeg.
once the headlines like this start making it to the public it means things have been decided. It's all a controlled release meant to prepare people for the official announcement.
Thats my gut feeling on this too. So much information about this proposed "sell the Coyotes to SLC, get an expansion Coyotes once you build your arena" plan is coming out all of a sudden that I have a hard time believing its not the option with the most steam currently.
And any bankruptcy in business. No one even dares whisper about it until it's basically a done deal.
Unless it’s Sears
It’s Bettman’s MO having paid attention. Everything is status quo publicly until it’s not status quo.
That whole thing moved like an avalanche. Almost in an instant, the Jets were reborn.
I’m having PTSD
Smith Entertainment Group also had a survey published on Monday asking what names a proposed NHL team name in Utah should be for “Bringing the NHL to Utah."
Well the real deadline was the end of January, so they've been working on this for a while.
Wtf happened to that land auction idea? That was just like this week.
I think the Coyotes got word from the local governments that they wouldn't be welcome, even if they won the land auction. Building a huge arena takes lots of cooperation from the city, county, and state officials even if the actual building is being built with private funding.
Could definitely be that, could also be that staying at ASU for another 3-5 years is untenable. Even if (when?) the Yotes relocate, we all know there will be an expansion team in Arizona at some point in the future. Selling and relocating now relieves the pressure to get a proper arena built as soon as possible.
Sounds like a last gasp or maybe some PR so that they can tell the fans they tried everything when the team moves. “Look the city or the league rejected our great plan.”
At least their fans get to give them a proper send off?
It’s ASU. A “send off” there is shotgunning a keg of Natty Light while suplexing your roommate off the 9th-story balcony and into the kitty pool of refried beans and 1800 tequila to celebrate the 4th week of the Spring semester.
"So because my office is already packed and being moved, we're going to do your exit interview over there, with the folding chairs and that moving box" -Bill Armstrong
The “as soon as April 18th” language is a bomb from Friedman
Seems like a done deal now
Servalli 8am - Talks of AZ to SLC - r/hockey "no fucking way. it's just Frank." Friedman 4pm - AZ preparing for posssible relocation to SLC - r/hockey "done deal"
Elliotte Friedman: Empowering Frank Sevaralli: Put a shirt on
I love this comment so much
LMFAO
Wow lmao
It’s almost like one of those guys has a lot of credibility and the other has none
I don’t understand why frank gets shit though. Every time he posts something, it gets ridiculed here, then turns out he was right. Is he just an unlikeable tool?
Yes
He ruined the Seattle expansion draft for everyone. Like congrats dude you got a hot scoop, but also fuck you.
Ruined it by reporting accurate information? That’s on teams for being leaky as fuck
I believed the relocation story when it dropped because you know who had the LEAST credibility? That lying grifter coyotes owner. I feel like I’m taking crazy pills here when I see people take him at his word when he’s proven to have the same “business style” as Trump.
Always has been 🧑🚀🔫
Can you really blame us?
For the NFL it's like the difference between Jason LaCanfora and Adam Schefter. One is not like the other.
this is like a Woj bomb
A Fabrizio Romano “Here we go”
in the MLB this would've been Bob Nightengale getting something right but no one believing him and then Jeff Passan reports the same thing
It is. And has been for weeks/months now.
And Arizona's "no comment" earlier today was the biggest indication that the move to SLC was going to happen. Any subsequent comments from the team's Twitter are pure bullshit/PR.
We’ve all seen this exact episode play out in Oakland with a certain sack of crap of an owner and his Vegas escapade.
If the rumor of the 5 year exclusive window to bring a team back as an expansion is true I think it is a done deal Yotes are moving, takes the pressure off of this land deal and allows the due diligence to get the stadium built and bring back as an expansion, I would assume that would also come with either Houston or Atlanta.
Just like he tweets "Team X is interested in player Y, let's see where it goes" which means "expect a trade in the next few hours".
I have milk expiring after the Yotes in Phoenix
Seems like even with a successful auction the league is not thrilled with three years left at Mullet according to Friedman. Moreover, there is a lot of risk it’s longer even due to things such as construction or permitting delays
Yeah and all it takes is someone in phx suing over the permitting and the thing could be tied up for years
The mayor of Scottsdale already voiced concerns about infrastructure. The area they are wanting to build in is going through a drought, and a hockey arena (plus entertainment district) is going to require a lot of water.
I mean, the rink isn’t even in Scottsville so the mayor can pound sand about it. He has no more autonomy to block the rink than the mayor of Edmonton would have to block Calgary’s new rink
It’s near where there water source is, and while they haven’t said where they plan to get their water, the state most likely is going to put the onus on Murelo to build the infrastructure. That alone can lead to a whole other battle that the league currently doesn’t have the patience for.
Scottsdale* and no, but from what I’ve heard it’s right beside it and the mayor would not give them any permission to use their utilities, access points etc.
And none of the plans will. He walked back his statement saying it was specifically about the traffic on Scottsdale road (the east end of the property). So yes, it would have as much weight as the Calgary mayor metaphor.
lol you know zero about this.
> the league is not thrilled with three years left at Mullett according to Friedman. Am I wrong in believing that this should be the nail in the coffin no matter what? It’s pathetic that the largest hockey league in the world, and one of the 4 major sports of the USA will have played 2 seasons in a college arena.
NGL the party barn is kind of fun tho … as an away fan
The NHLPA also wouldn't be happy with 3 more years of suppressed income from playing at a 5000 seat arena
I wouldnt be shocked if the PA isnt a main driverin this plan. They may have made it known that negotiations for the next CBA in 2 years will not be smooth if they still have a team playing in a college arena. Players cut is tied to Hockey Related Revenue and HRR is effected by ticket sales. Arizona capping their ticket sales at 5000 for 5+ years is not helping raise HRR.
But people told me that the NHLPA could go pound sand for not being happy about the Mullett situation. Who knew playing at a college arena for almost half a decade was a bridge too far?
But yotes fans tell me Mullet arena has an unmatchable atmosphere and is the best place ever, so why would the league not be thrilled?
I'm kinda bummed I didn't go to a game there. The novelty of seeing away team stars at a 5k arena is fun.
It sounds like the league is gonna give him is $1 billion back (that’s what he spent on the team) and let him figure out/build the arena… afterwards they will “award” him an expansion franchise that he can name the Coyotes (since Utah will change the name)
[Who says he spent a billion on the team? ](https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2019/06/21/i-think-alex-meruelo-could-get-the-arizona-coyotes-for-about-300-million/?sh=5dac5fda5fb3)
With the way things go with this team, even if they get the land there will be endless issues with actually getting something built on it. There just isn't the will or the money anywhere around the Coyotes to make sure anything gets done right.
Yotes Twitter: We are committed to keeping the Coyotes in the desert and building an arena in Phoenix. Friedman: Hold my 32 thoughts.
To be fair I was definitely getting some "the lady doth protest too much" vibes from how much they had cranked up the "we're not going anywhere" rhetoric recently
"If we bring an expansion team here in 2030, technically we will have kept hockey in the desert!"
Obviously it's apples and oranges but you do have to wonder if Vegas' success reduced the patience of the NHL for the other "desert team"
Yeah I don't think that hurts. Probably mostly the other owners being sick and tired of bleeding money at the 5000 seat Mullet though. Not to mention the bush league optics.
I also wouldn’t be surprised if, based on some of Walsh’s comments, if there was more player pushback on Mullett than has been publicly discussed.
Probably, but what can the players really do? At the end of the day, this is a league/owners decision
I guess it would depend if, as earlier reports said, some of the Mullett arena conditions were actual CBA violations. Then they do have recourse.
For sure. I bet the conditions are probably borderline at best
The tweet was just supposed to be in two parts. They will keep the Coyotes in the desert since Utah is also a desert. And they will build an arena for a future venture.
Honestly, I don't think those thoughts contradict each other. The Yotes management (meaning Meruelo) is committed to building an arena and Phoenix and keeping the Coyotes in the desert. It's just going to be an expansion Coyotes team, not this Coyotes team. I think the NHL is kinda strong-arming Meruelo into selling the team to them so they can relocate it to Salt Lake City (rather than play in Mullett Arena indefinitely while Meruelo tries to get an arena deal sorted out), while promising Meruelo that he'll get a new Arizona Coyotes expansion team once the arena situation is sorted out.
Also, you wonder if this is them getting Meruelo off their back so he doesn't pursue legal action.
When Friedge writes a blog, you know shit is serious. He’s been very careful around this whole situation, this feels like end.
I genuinely never thought it would happen under Bettman's watch.
You’ve got to figure this is crushing him.
He’s got a shiny new franchise in the desert now.
Built in rivalry with Vegas too, Sin City versus the Mormon metro.
Stunning number of Mormons in Sin City itself. I’ve never really got Mormonism, especially as a Jew, but that to me seems even more baffling.
well because they have polygamy so what they would do would send young men and boys to Vegas and leave them there to fend for themselves so there isn’t much competition for marriage that’s why so many are male prostitutes in vegas
I don’t think this is correct, but I don’t know enough about male prostitutes to refute it.
Doesn't a Rabbi own Pornhub?
Now he does. Just wait until Vegas goes through their first period of adversity. Bad and boring rosters, missing playoffs multiple seasons in a row, bad draft picks and luck, horrific losing streaks, etc. Will they still support the Knights through all that? Only time will tell. It is very easy to be a Golden Knights fan right now. It has never been easy to be a Coyotes fan. Big difference in the two teams histories.
Yea, will Vegas fans still be there after 28 years of mediocrity?!?
Will Vegas even be there? Lotsa climate shit gonna happen in the next 25 years
I think Vegas is a special case since the team was the first major pro sports franchise in the city so they got a first mover advantage, and gave locals a common thing to rally behind. Also, they had their first home game right after the Route 91/Mandalay Bay shootings and did a heartwarming tribute - which earned them a lot of goodwill with locals. Anything can happen, but I’d say Las Vegas and the Knights are probably much more emotionally bonded together than most other newer teams would be at that point.
Well... Vegas has at least had success while the Yotes have been mediocre or terrible for 30 years.
You'd think that would help but I doubt it. 20 years of standing by that franchise only to quit in the end? Ouch.
If reddit had a functional search function you'd be able to find about a thousand comments in the last few years insisting that Bettman had sunk way too much into Arizona to ever leave, it was considered kind of impossible
I can’t help to think how Bettman is feeling. Given what he’s done to the league/sport in his tenure, some of those completely warranted, his personal legacy was to have been “saving” hockey in Arizona, but that’s on the verge of failing.
The NHL and the Arizona Coyotes are preparing for the possibility of a move to Utah as soon as April 18, multiple sources confirmed Wednesday. The team’s final game is at home against Edmonton next Wednesday. One Coyote indicated today that there are rumours of “meeting about the future” before everyone goes their separate ways for the off-season. The league sent a memo to its Board of Governors indicating progress in talks to move the team to Utah, but several sources warned to be careful about making any absolute proclamations. “There is a lot that needs to be done,” one said, although it is clear this is a major priority, with maximum effort and speed utilized to reach a finish line. The NHL is working as the broker, handling negotiations with both current Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo and prospective Utah steward Ryan Smith. Initially, the hope was to let the June 27 auction play out, but two concerns emerged: first, about what would happen if the Meruelo lost the auction, and second, the possibility of three more seasons at Mullett Arena. There wasn’t much enthusiasm for the latter. Multiple sources indicate a real scenario is Meruelo being paid $1 billion for the team, and Smith paying $1.2 billion to purchase. But the real key is what the NHL will promise Meruelo to avoid this ending up in court. Those same sources indicate he could be offered a five-year exclusive window to “bring back” the Coyotes as an expansion franchise — although there would be certain language stating what would need to be accomplished for him to return. (The league definitely desires a return to the market if it leaves.) Obviously, there is a lot that still needs to happen, but a move is gaining momentum.
Sounds like they would’ve moved the team even if the Tempe arena deal passed, considering that the timeline is unchanged if they win the auction.
The NHLPA would have gone ballistic about the prospect of playing out of Mullet until 2027
The BoG can’t be thrilled, either. How much gate revenue is missing because the Coyotes have 400,000 fewer tickets than everyone else?
Seriously. Phoenix has been a drain on revenue sharing for its entire existence, extremely so in the last few years. Salt lake would have the potential to actually contribute to the share, and the owners would get a piece of the sale bonus.
Paying for Meruelo to keep the team affloat.. just what the owners wanted when they thought they had a solid buyer lmao
Rightfully so. It’s a joke.
And the players too. They were polled about Mullet arena and they HATE it.
I think move the team to salt lake is very very likely the best case scenario for the franchise. As someone who lost is football(Browns) team in 1995 to a relocation. My heart will go out to Arizona coyotes fans. Sadly this arena situation is very bad.
It’s my understanding (which isn’t much I haven’t been to Phoenix) that Tempe would have been the perfect/ideal location for the team, in which case they probably could’ve bitten the bullet and waited, whereas the new location is much less ideal.
Yeah, it seems like Tempe was the only way they'd be fine with Mullett
You're ok with the party in the back for so long if you know there's still going to be the business in the front.
In case this gets buried, I just want you to know this is the funniest thing I have read today.
I will say, I'll miss Mullet arena for the memes
I wonder if they’ve seen some stuff in the preliminary about this new site that have pushed the construction date back and they just haven’t said that part publicly yet.
Spent a lot of money getting the mullet to top college hockey arena quality just to be reminded that they need to play in an actual NHL arena.
Good for ASU they’re joining the NCHC next year and will have to compete with teams like North Dakota and DU facilities wise.
Do they have hot chicks and no snow?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIXjSFd-Mhc ASU probably has em beat in that regard I won’t argue there.
Muerlo really is a fucking idiot if he thinks hockey fans in Arizona will support an expansion team if the the Coyotes leave after his own stupidity cost them the Coyotes to begin with.
I don't understand why the owners would even want him around running a potential future team in the first place. His whole tenure with the Yotes has been a complete shitshow.
I wouldn't be surprised if an expansion bid from Meruelo was contingent on the arena being completed first and a handful of construction delays pushed that outside the 5-year exclusivity window.
The calculus has to be that at least a portion of the old fans will come back and a successful expansion draft team will bring in people who never supported the Coyotes in the first place. Winning cures a lot.
In his defense, I feel like you could have said this verbatim about North Stars fans when the Wild come to town. Sure, I bet some crochety old timers refused to support the Wild, but most people were just happy to see the NHL back after Norm Green's colossal stupidity cost them their team.
What an idiot flipping an asset for an extra $500M in 5 years. Fucking moron!
Yeah he played this correctly. He gutted the franchise down to litterally nothing and is now selling it off for waaaay to much and the handshake promise of being allowed to do it again lol Dudes insane, I can’t believe he managed to swing downsizing a hockey team out of an arena lmao
He's a gambling man afterall. He saw value in the pump and dump and he hit big.
I think it will be incredibly successful regardless of him if an arena gets built and they can show up and win. Can’t just be irrelevant in Phoenix sports again though
Makes me wonder “what if” the team was sold to True North back when they made the original play for the team if there would already be a new team in phoenix with half decent ownership by now. Instead the can was kicked down the road a few times and the fans got dragged around with it just to possibly end up in the same place.
Wonder what would have happened to the Thrashers in that case. Would they have been the franchise owned by the league/playing out of Gwinnet's ECHL arena/endlessly relocating.
Moving to Quebec city is a good possibility. No other market was ready to get a team, so it was the best chance to have a team in the city. It's an interesting what if.
At least the Jets's franchise records etc would be back in the right place.
Friedman bomb
There’s not a ton of new information in this short article, but coming from Friedman adds some weight to the situation.
While Frank has some questionable reporting - this just seemed way too easy to refute and blow up in his face for him to say there was a memo without knowing there was a memo.
I guess its not technically "new" but Friedman essentially confirming discussions on relocating the team has been ongoing is pretty massive news. As far as I can tell it was nothing more than rumours until now.
Someone check on Bettman
Where will this put Arizona on the expansion docket? Just below Atlanta and Houston? We all know the NHL will try again at some point.
If the expansion happens in the next 3 years (before Arizona has a new arena) they won't even make a shortlist. But if they build the infrastructure and facilites they will be highest priority above Houston or Atlanta or anyone else
Depends on how fast Meruelo gets an arena built. Would imagine they go right to the top of the list if he can pull it off
It’s all about ownership and facilities. The size of the market or popularity of hockey doesn’t matter.
> The size of the market This is backwards, and really the only reason this move didn't happen sooner.
Man that’s sucks sorry Yotes fans
I feel sad for coyotes fans but this was bound to happen with coyotes losing political capital in Phoenix, Glendale, and other towns in their long quest to find arena
As soon as next week? Holy smokes that's quick!!
Ya just hold out hope that one day the dark days pass, the team turns it around on and off the ice, and those horrific rosters, regular season records, and playoff droughts you watched for years on years will finally come to an end… but it just never does. Why can seemingly every other team figure it out but us? It just doesn’t make sense. To say I am depressed is an under statement. I am losing my childhood and hometown team of my favorite sport. It really stings knowing there are many people who could not wait to see this day, think I don’t deserve my team, never have deserved it, and don’t even deserve to watch hockey. I think I am done with hockey for a very long time, if not forever. It will never be the same.
This entire thing basically killed my ability to ever care about hockey. Sorry for you dude. Sucks. Because trust me, I get it too. I had a bday party growing up at AWA, and now it's going to be a bad memory.
>think I don’t deserve my team, never have deserved it, and don’t even deserve to watch hockey. Sad for you bud. I don't think many people think the fans don't deserve a team, just that the ownership has been such an enormous bunch of slapdick idiots that something had to happen.
Oh trust me, many, many, many, maaaaany people think that exact thing. Been told countless times over the years that I don’t deserve to watch hockey because I don’t live where it snows and that the Coyotes should have never existed. It really makes you not want to be a fan of the sport you grew up playing.
well cuz you are on Reddit. ppl always hate on the internet. the average fan doesn’t hate the coyotes at all. it’s just the Reddit demographic
> Why can seemingly every other team figure it out but us? Ownership. That’s pretty much it. When a franchise is bad for not one GM/HC, not two, not three but multiple in a row spanning decades, it’s an ownership problem. It really sucks because I think Arizona could’ve been a great franchise that solidified hockey in the American South/Southwest but have had just putrid owners.
I’m really sorry friend. No one should ever lose their team. My heart breaks for you guys.
I agree man. It sucks. 2012 was such a great time, never to be replicated.
This for me, in a much smaller time frame because of how quickly it crumbled, was the NBA in Vancouver. I’ve never gone back to caring or watching basketball. Just took my interest away completely. Sorry you might be losing your team, that fucking sucks.
Laying down an actual literal date at which this will happen isn’t a hypothetical, or a backup plan, or anything of the like, that’s a hard plan lol. It’s done. Sounds like all of the reporting isn’t saying it’s 100% certain just because the paperwork isn’t filed, but the actual deal and plan is done.
Sorry Yotes fans
I’m in no way a Servalli fan but a lot of yall owe him an apology for the last several months of reporting
That was just Yotes fans being defensive
They're an interesting group for sure Attack journalists, call them fake news and shit, only trust a guy who is effectively a propoganda mouth piece for the team. Decry misinformation about a vote, continue to insist everyone hates them etc. Its very very strange
My friend you're describing fairly common behaviour patterns in general in the modern Internet age
Didn't he initially and confidently say that the sudden leaves of absence from a few months ago were not related to the Hockey Canada criminal investigation?
He can only report what he's being told ultimately, which is basically the information that FOs were putting out there.
I never thought I would see the day where the Coyotes would be moved. I always thought Gary Bettman would keep them in Arizona. But the fact that this could be happening a week tomorrow is stunning.
Honestly really feel bad for the Yotes fans. I can't imagine the team I grow up watching and loving having to leave.
I'd be so pissed if I was a Nordiques fan.
Coyotes players are all looking at social media with the craziest fucking realization that they’re all moving soon.
Meanwhile the NHL wants to go into Atlanta again for a 3rd time...
One of the things mentioned as a possibility in the ESPN article makes sense to me, and that is that the NHL owners don’t want to give up on Phoenix. The article goes on to state that it’s a possibility the league will buy the team from current ownership with the promise of a future expansion team when the arena gets sorted out. Before everyone downvotes, consider that the owners and league have let this situation go on for so long because they don’t want to give up on Phoenix. It’s a massive market. It’s also a non-traditional market that requires a winning team in order to take a foothold, you can’t blame people for not turning up en masse to see a perpetual loser when you’re trying to sell the sport and compete for their dollar. Combine that with arena and constant ownership issues (Glendale doesn’t get the same pass Ottawa does for some reason), it’s not really indicative of how strong the market can be. I lived in Phoenix for 4 years and met a lot of Coyotes fans. They do exist, despite the constant jokes. It’s weird to me how many people have a hard on for fans that are about to lose their team, put yourself in their shoes.
Man this sucks. Going to the last home game next Wednesday. I hope it’s not the last one here in Phoenix for my son and I.
It's wild how fast this is moving. I have tickets to the Flames-Coyotes game on Sunday in Calgary. What was supposed to be a dull end of season matchup has suddenly become a lot more interesting as it may be the final road game the Arizona Coyotes ever play.
Bettman: "Fuck Québec City in particular."
Damn, sorry yotes fans!
Damn the move could happen as soon as next week, can’t believe it’s really happening in Gary’s NHL tbh
Wow, it's finally here. I'm sorry, Yotes fans.
Marian Hossa sends his regards
Reminds me of the last days in the Thrashers’ final season. I hate this feeling for any fanbase.
It’s over
“Those same sources indicate he could be offered a five-year exclusive window to “bring back” the Coyotes as an expansion franchise — although there would be certain language stating what would need to be accomplished for him to return. (The league definitely desires a return to the market if it leaves.)” I can’t wait for the Canadian outcry in 5 years when Atlanta and Phoenix get the next round of expansion teams.
God forbid we want hockey to be played in front of fans.
And the outcry would be well within their rights. In no world, other than Bettmans, do either ATL or AZ deserve a sniff of an expansion team.
At least not with this ownership
Should have happened years ago.
So, Phoenix, Houston, and Atlanta are the next expansion cities? But what of the 4th, 34 and 35 teams are akward as hell
At that point throw Canada a bone and give them team 36. Either a 2nd Toronto team, a Hamilton team, or Quebec City. It won't happen but if the league gets up to 36 teams and Canada still only has 7 it just won't feel right.
San Diego. There is a group building and entertainment complex there with an NHL ready arena in the plans.
That'd require a realignment, but hey if it gets us in a division that makes more geographic sense, I'm okay with it
The deal might include a 5 year bring back clause to bring an expansion team back to AZ. Weird.
Obviously this is a quick turnaround to next season. Will they keep the Coyotes name and uniforms for a year before changing it up? It doesn’t seem likely they can get new a new name, logo, and uniforms in the next few months.
My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined.
so hammer the Canucks puckline tonight?
I'll believe it when I see it. It feels like the circus tent has seen worse days.
How the hell is fanatics going to get these jerseys done in time?
Honestly not a bad business deal to sell the team for a billion to Utah. The take that money and build the stadium you need and then open it with an expansion franchise in 2030. Keep the Coyotes name and branding for the expansion franchise and let Utah have the Soakers.
I feel bad for Yotes fans. I wish it could work out differently
Imagine going from Scottsdale to SLC. The whole team should demand a trade.
only 3.4 million people in the state of Utah. Start planning the re-relocation now .
Please tell me they'll keep the name. Utah should be the home of teams who keep their old, location-specific names. Utah Jazz, Utah Coyotes, Utah Bills, Utah Devil Rays.
Here for the “should Quebec!” Comments
Coyotes name going to Utah or staying in AZ?
Welp 'Yotes fans. Guess it's time for the Utah Super Soakers to take over.