To everyone. If you're being forced to pay hotel bills with certified cheques up front because you aren't paying them, it's time to move the kitty. The fact the NHL was forced to intercede on the hoterliers behalf was probably what did it in the end.
Really tough time for AZ Hockey fans. As a Jets fan a small bitter part of me feels vindicated that the Coyotes fanbase gets to feel a bit of what we had to deal with when they left in 1996. The other part of me knows just how crushing reality is without the team there. It’s a heartbreaking outcome and I hope that fans in Arizona can find other avenues to enjoy the sport in the same way. You will always be a part of hockey history, you won’t be forgotten, and you’ll be warmly welcomed back in time. I’m hopeful that they won’t have to wait 15 years before they get a second chance with ownership that can properly support the community. Condolences to fans everywhere, and for eager supporters in Salt Lake - Cheer hard, and give them the love they’ve just lost. Excited to see a new NHL market embrace the new beginning.
Still, you got to admit it felt great to see the Jets back in front of a packed arena. You just KNOW that Bettman was acting sour grapes in his office!
Jets have the current smallest arena and smallest population out of any professional sports market in north America. You better believe they are being looked to be relocated . AGAIN. You might have to hold your breath for your so called vindication.
The best solution for this franchise is to disband it, not move it to a smaller market. 1423-1598-266-191 all-time, the second worst win percentage record of active teams, and 4 playoff appearances in 21 years and one was a gimme during covid and zero cups.
How is this Bettman's fault? He's not the one who built an arena in Glendale. He's not the one who put a bad team in the ice for decades. He's not the one who didn't show up to the games, you "fans" didn't show up.
@@FAITHandLOGIC He is the one that kept the team there after switching owners multiple times and watching the team go in and out of bankruptcy. In case you forgot there was a point the NHL took over ownership. Now he lets the team slowly slip away like a silent fart playing in a 5,000 seat arena they can't even sell out. Embarrassing. Jim Balsillie offered to bail the team out and move them to Hamilton you know a Canadian market where hockey is everything and he refused. Educate yourself FAITHandNOLOGIC.
It’s the idiot transplant fans that live in Phoenix and can’t seem to let go of rooting for their previous home teams. More fans turn out for the opponent than the Yotes.
My sincere sympathies to these fans. Unfortunately that's how the American franchise system works and it's what I least like about American sports. Interesting that there was no mention whatsoever of the pain and frustration Winnipeg Jets fans felt when their team moved to Phoenix in 1996. It's like they never existed.
This is how capitalism works, if the owners don't make money (for whatever reason) they look to divest. Perhaps the ownership was incompetent, Perhaps it was a weak fan base, It doesn't matter, market forces dictate these decisions.
As journalists the “what happened” in the Coyotes history leaves alot of holes…and to be honest, if you want to know why they left Glenndale it was because the team wouldn’t agree to a 12year extension on the lease and that’s why they left
There was nothing wrong with Arizona and the Arizona Coyotes . Great fan base and jerseys. It’s another disgrace on the NHL and Gary Bettman aka Buttman
Bally Shut Down, Also it was still a Great Broadcast Deal to take advantage of and Grow Their Brand. Hopefullly, Scripps will get the Broadcast Rights for the New Utah Team with SEG Media taking over Production.
I'm glad they did, I caught almost all their games this year because of that and got to know the team pretty good. I feel bad for Arizona, but I'm super excited to see some NHL here in Salt Lake
The Coyotes have been on life support for so long and it’s really embarrassing for the NHL. Finally they’re moving to a city where hockey is appreciated!
Quebec? Utah will be nothing different than Phoenix. Same thing happen to Atlanta. The only reason the Panthers survive is the NHL southern base is Boca Raton.
I am from Winnipeg. I was 21 in 1996 when we lost our beloved team. I sympathize. Thank god we got our Jets back. Something tells me you will too. NHL will be 36 teams by the end of the decade.
lol all these Jets fans on here “sympathizing” with Yotes fans…. Where was their sympathy when we lost the Thrashers…. Oh wait… they were celebrating….
So devastating! My daughter was planning to play on the Kachinas - girls team under coyotes - bit a lot of youth programs will be gone from Arizona along with the coyotes
Sorry 'Yotes fans. I know my Dad caught a game or two when he and my Mom were living there in the winter and the Wings were in town (we're from SE Michigan originally). People enjoy the sport. Auston Matthews is from there. You should have a team in the desert. You deserve better than you got.
Part of the problem, the NHL Board of Governors were financially supporting the Coyotes franchise. And they were getting tired of the mixed signals of the arena to which the franchise could start making money. The B.o.G. also put their foot down on Commissioner Bettman of keeping the Coyotes in Arizona. - So now, if the Phoenix market is in position of getting a 'new' franchise, in 5-10 years, how many expansion franchises will there be, 2, 4, or more? Usually, its a balanced amount of teams...
That was confirmed by insiders. The hoteliers basically called the NHL, who then forced the Yotes to make it right and now make payments with basically cashier cheques. If Murello can't pay his normal operational bills, how in the hell is he gong to finance a new arena?
Oh shut up. This owner tried everything and the NHL has been patient for 15 years in finding a solution. Maybe you all shouldn't have built an arena in a wasteland like Glendale. Not only that, you all didn't go to the games so there was no owner who wanted to own the team in Glendale.
@@BleachCowboy2016 It was a vote in which a small community got to vote and this was after Meruelo lied about privately funding a new arena and that vote was asking for public money which will never fly in a big city like Phoenix. Meruelo and has group lied time after time and didn’t deliver on their promises. This is why the rumor of him possibly getting the new Arizona expansion team in a few years doesn’t make any sense. No one will trust this guy. Not the fans, management or players.
As a Winnipeger who lived through the loss of the JETS back in '96, I feel terribly for all the Coyotes fans out there. If they're talking about putting a third team in Atlanta, I'm sure that a good ownership team and an arena deal will see Arizona back in the NHL.
The Coyotes could build an arena ANYWHERE, but they choose Tempe. Tempe has the WORST infrastructure for traffic. Even with an ASU game, it's gridlock for hours on end. Accidents happen and there's no way to get thru because they don't have the space to handle all the traffic. A million traffic cones lines the streets for a whole day and it's just constant u-turns and traffic jams. TEMPE is not the place for an NHL arena and a whole entertainment center because we don't have it together already with what we got. Tempe Marketplace traffic is just bars and stores and that's horrible. They're talking about putting an entertainment district just northwest of it? Won't work. Fix Tempe's infrastructure before you guys do anything else in this part of town. When it's a game, I use whatever street can get me to Southern or Baseline and stay away from about a 2 mile radius of ASU. It's crazy.
You knew at some point that the NHL was going to realize that the Mullet Arena having the smallest capacity in the NHL was unacceptable and wasn’t up to the league standards and it was possible relocation
I hope when the league expands again, Arizona gets a new team under ownership who has half a clue and/or heart when it comes to hockey. Yote fans deserve so much better than Meruelo.
You're putting too much blame on the current owner as if he's always been in AZ, and though he bares some responsibility, the Coyotes were DOA when he bought em....The culpable parties go way back before Meruelo. This is a story of many many many many chapters that were written before Meruelo. The moment that the Coyotes moved to Glendale was the moment that their eventual departure from Arizona was promised. They were bleeding money way before Meruelo came along. To be frank, I'm actually surprised he bought the Coyotes in the first place. I wouldn't have done it. They were always a financial mess. Technically he went about a stadium the normal/usual way that owners typically do...he solicited the support of a local government in Tempe and they were on very much on board, which is something previous ownership groups failed to get done including the NHL who acted as owners for a few seasons. That Tempe vote in '23 was expected to go in his favor...even I thought it would go through. It didn't and it wasn't even close. Had it gone through then that arena is now under construction and Muruelo would be credited for at the very least preserving the franchise by returning the team back to its original East Valley fanbase. But Muruelo, along with that Tempe City Council grossly underestimated the public opinion of their voters, who collectively told them to stick their arena straight up their candy asses, and that's when I and probably a lot of critically thinking people knew that they were officially done in Arizona. I agree that Coyotes fans....all 25-30 of them, deserve a better owner but they also deserved a better team. Their team was unremarkable for the majority of their time in the Valley with zero Stanley Cups complicated by years of poor attendance which continued their loss of revenue. It was always a bad product. Ironically, the Coyotes did a LOT to promote the growth of hockey in the Phoenix area, but they failed to grow with it, which proved to be fatal.
Less than average team. Believe me, if they were above average and competitive, the fans will come. Trust me, when the Arizona Cardinals turned from a joke of a team to a contender in the late 2000's, the fanbase came through and stayed since then. The Diamondbacks got the fans for the early years and definitely had it last year. And obviously the Suns got it back in 2020-21 after the awfulness that was the 2010's, in spite of the challenges since then! The only time the Coyotes were ever competitive was in the 2011-12 season. Sadly for them, though, they never capitalized on it ever.
Sorry, Coyotes fans. Your owner is a disaster. Not your fault the team is moving. What a s-show. Hopefully you get a new team with a different owner in the early 2030s. The wound will still sting either way.
Faith is the belief in something without evidence. That's the literal definition. Which also means faith in matters such as this is really embracing stupidity. The last thing hockey fans need in Arizona is faith. They need concrete action that's responsible, organized, and transparent. That's what gets things done the right way. None of those terms apply to the Coyotes organization which is why they failed in the first place. No new NHL team will ever be rewarded to the Phoenix area UNTIL an arena has been designed and fully (privately) funded, with a logical location already acquired in advance of being granted a franchise. The area is not remotely close to offering any of that to the NHL right now.
The people of Arizona made it clear they Do Not want a team. No new building, no land, no govt support, most recently "we dont have water for your stadium". No playing sad about it. The state and population did not support hem.
This is the best move forward for a Coyotes team that needed stability. Salt Lake City has a wonderful fanbase and add Wyoming into the equation, it should only help this team grow. My heart breaks 💔 for Coyotes fans....
The NFL has been bad with teams moving, but the NHL has been worse. We can say this is on Coyotes management or Arizona local municipality (because it is), but the NHL has been run like garbage for a long time.
As an Original Jets fan since 1972 - 1995, the year the Jets were ripped out from us was devastating. Seeing this happen yet again brings back those memories. Im positive that Arizona will get another team in the future.
Paused at 3:12...Black Hawks fan here. If a new Phoenix/Arizona NHL team should arise, the present owner (Maurello - sic?) shouldn't be allowed to have part in it.
The Coyotes owner and management didn't pay their arena rent, hotel bills, and taxes. Why would the NHL want to keep investing with a team owner that can't even pay his, bills much less paying for a new billion dollar facility in Phoenix. I can see why the NHL wanted to relocate the Coyotes but Salt Lake? That's not a hockey town. Name one NHL player that's from Salt Lake. What a mess!
But they do have the Utah Grizzlies, a minor league hockey team since 2005. They play in an arena that seats 12,000 people so, hockey won't be foreign to them. You probably don't have many NHL players form Florida, North Carolina, Texas or Tennessee either, that part of the situation really doesn't matter. It's a winter sports town and they have hosted a Winter Olympic, so hockey will actually fit in well there.
@jasonaltig985 born before 1996? Sean Couturier, Ty Conklin, etc... after 1996, Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, Tage Thompson, Matthew Knies, Austin Matthews, etc...but from Salt Lake? Your turn.
Steve Konawalchuck, Trevor Lewis, Dylan Olsen, Daniel Brinkley, Richard Bachman… Almost like your point about where someone on the NHL is born is irrelevant isn’t it? I like the “etc.” by the way lol
To be honest, they were never OUR team. They were the Winnipeg Jets that moved here. Just like the Cardinals are not our team either. Only the D-Backs and Suns can claim the home team title in this town.
Lured them with false promises. Come to Arizona, we’ll provide a great market base and a suitable arena. And they never did in either case. It got to the point, where once the Jets moved to Arizona, the state said , “Ha! Fooled you. Now go F YOURSELF”
Save the franchise? From what? Doan isn't Mario Lemieux and the Coyotes were not beloved enough to draw legions of local fans. Did you see the ticket prices for the Mullett Arena? Outrageously priced. You'd think they were the Boston Bruins or the Chicago Blackhawks, in other words a team that has a legacy of HOF players AND Stanley Cups of which the Coyotes can't claim. If you examine their entire history in AZ, they signed their death certificate when they agreed to move to Glendale, thereby distancing themselves from their core East Valley fan base, because Glendale is not a Tuesday night destination if one lives in the East Valley. This is why their attendance was always among the NHL's worst. They continued to lose money year after year after year. It got so bad that Glendale quickly grew to dislike the Coyotes and made the decision to no-longer offer a lease in a stadium that was built for them in the first place. The tag team of jesus christ & Elvis Presley managed by Thomas Edison couldn't save the Coyotes from the themselves. They've been a clinically dead franchise for years, it's just that now, the life support has finally been disconnected and they're now declared deceased.
As a Canadian Hockey fan I feel bad for the Arizona/Phoenix Coyotes fans who have to deal with their team being relocated... as I was rooting for the team to be sold to a new ownership group and hopefull run well, as Phoenix is a desirable place to live, there's a lot of entertainment, great weather (minus the extreme heat), and lots of Canadians who go down in the winter. However they sadly have to feel the pain that was felt by Winnipeg Jets fans in the 90s when their team was snatched from them (from a much more passionate fanbase). That said it was only right that a team came back to Winnipeg in the form of the Thrashers, and I'd hope one day a franchise could form or be moved in Arizona, bringing things full circle. Moving to Salt Lake City is not a decision that is popular with me...
Moving here from St. Louis at the same time the Rams relocated, I completely understand getting screwed by a lying owner. Screwed by clueless city leadership. And screwed by the league/hockey culture all together. Meruelo/Kroenke Sucks
Unfortunately, this has always been a part of professional sports. They do this. It's their property; what can you do? In fact, I can't think of any of the major sports leagues that haven't done this. My condolences go out to Coyotes fans in Phoenix.
imagine if one of the canadian teams said their only option was to play in their university arena. bettman would say "see ya" so fast. hopefully arizona can come back and get it right in due time
@@redx1106 the Arizona Cardnials should defienitly leave. There owner is pretty Bad just like the Coyotes owner. I wouldn't give up on the Diamondbacks or the Suns yet though.
@@runrafarunthebestintheworld Any thoughts on why the Diamondbacks (MLB) and the Suns (NBA) should be kept in Arizona instead of moving elsewhere? How about the Phoenix Mercury (WNBA)?
I live in Utah, so I'm hyped about us getting our own NHL team, but I feel for Arizona fans. It's still a win-win situation IMO, Arizona will get a team back once they have an actual arena to play in
Not to worry Yote fans you will get a new team down the road if you get a new rink for them to play in. Surprisingly happened in a small market city Winnipeg in 2011 for sure will happen in Arizona.
Really? Who's paying for that arena? And where will they build it? The state has grown VERY anti-stadium/arena in recent years politically. The population will have nothing and I do mean nothing to do with any public financing OR any tax breaks given to billionaire sports owners. They've had it. The line has been drawn. Anything subject to a public vote will be choke-slammed through a table without hesitation. There is zero indication that the Valley is even interested in investing in a new hockey arena right now or the foreseeable future. That Tempe vote in '23, which wasn't even close, should tell you something about the public sentiment. 4 different towns in 25 years years rejected the Coyotes. They had zero friends in high places in AZ. Zero. So any sentiment of "for sure it will happen" is nothing more than an emotional response to a loss. And Winnipeg is already talking about how their team isn't meeting financial expectations, thus suggesting that their future in Winnipeg may be in jeopardy, so here we go again with the Jets and a familiar problem from the past creeping into 2024 and the issue is, big surprise, their current arena and the lack of attendance. Sound familiar?
@@moonytheloony6516 I said "IF" they could get a new rink they may get another team, I don't care who pays for it or where it is built or all the other crap you're talking about Winnipeg. BTW the Jets are doing fine "relax loony"🙄 they are not going anywhere.
@@moonytheloony6516 Really, at this point, it'd be more likely for Mat Ishbia to do more renovations on the Footprint Center to make it more hockey friendly when the time comes for it instead. At least then, it'd be a plan for them.
The long list of turmoil this team has undergone since it ripped Winnipeg's teamn away is astonishing. I knew for a long time that this team was on it's last legs. I went to Glendale a few years back when they actually played in Gila River, and was so underwhelmed by the Stadium, I knew they needed a new one. BUT DAMN, in just a small amount of time the amount of BS that has occurred since is almost comedic. Sorry to the actual fans though. you still have the Diamondbacks, Suns, Cardinals, and Indoor Football to get you bye.
So sad for the fans, this sucks for them, and also the staff and team members. I wish SLC could have been awarded an expansion frnachise, but without a building in AZ, there were no more options. Playing in Mullet at least until 2027 was not a good option.
Might wanna blame the Dem Mayor of Scottsdale which was missing from this story. The team was going to pay for everything for the most part and not use public tax dollars. But the Mayor made a bunch of crap up and basically told the team we don’t want you here, so don’t bid on that lot when its up for auction. Seems like a legit intelligent biz move on the Mayors part for the people of Arizona. What a Clown. He ran on this, “He steered the city away from being one focused on development and growth”. There’s the answer and problem right there! And whoever owns the land, should sue the Mayor for losing out on billions for his scare tactics promising to make it very difficult for the team and the NHL to build the complex. Thats where your anger should be directed at.
Vast majority of tax revenue wasn't going to Scottsdale (land belong to Phoenix, but bordered Scottsdale). Honestly, I had to look up that fact, since it "looks" like the land was in Scottsdale from the location. It would have given Scottsdale a small amount if increased revenue in only the surrounding area, but would have probably increased vehicle traffic far beyond what it was worth to Scottsdale. Besides, the deal with SLC was obviously in the works for a while, long before the franchise started looking at the spot the Dem Mayor of Scottsdale was referring too. The NHL board were the ones who made the call to give up on the auction of that lot North of the 101, because of the timeframe the construction would have taken was too long, pushing into an additional game season compared to SLC's timeline to be up and running. From what I'm gathering, SLC already had approval to build and arena. So SLC can beat the timeline to completion by 1-2 years as it is. Sucks either way that they are leaving the Valley though.
@@gbalph4 Looks like things "may" workout in the long run. A new arena may still end up being built on that North Phoenix lot, then an NHL expansion team will come when completed. Phoenix Mayor Gallego's office is still in talks with Meruelo on moving forward if they win the bid. So, it might end up working out after a few years of waiting for the valley after all. "The NHL Shuffle"
True. The land belongs to the state of Arizona (ASLD) but in Phoenix city limits, not Scottsdale. But thats not the reason the Scottsdale Mayor is or has used to not cooperate with the team, who would have to rely on them because they are the closest and only current infrastructure around as well as it would be where traffic would come and go from. The team would absolutely need the Mayors help going forward which is why he has vowed he would make things very difficult for them. But making new comments like, they are unwanted here and not feasible lies with his earlier rhetoric. Scottsdale would absolutely see revenues from this deal but his stance on the water issue is firm even though critics say he is over stating the issues and the team is willing to front money for this issue. The NHL has tried to keep the team in Arizona for years. The timing has nothing to do with going to Utah impo, it’s because they finally see nobody (Government) in the Phoenix area wants them. Glendale, Phoenix, Tempe, and now Scottsdale. So why stay if they cant get support from the local Govs who they must rely on to build a future. I would also lay blame at the feet of Phoenix as well. There is absolutely no cooperation from them, even to go as for as to block the teams last plan in Tempe using an old agreement between the 2 cities with a BS excuse that was easily dunked by the team and cost Tempe Billions in revenue and jobs for both cities residents. It is clear to me Arizona doesn’t want the team or NHL there at this point, and tbh, there’s not a big enough fan base to support them if were basing on game attendance since 2009. 40-50% less than most other teams attendances before the move to Mullett where now they are 70-80% below. I dont see any reason for the NHL to go back if they do make the SLC move “official” and final. And I believe the plan to build the complex would no longer continue for the owner. Too high risk at that point unless the agreement with the NHL is stamped and locked in with no way for the NHL to pull out with excuses using lawsuits etc; I still stand the people should be upset with the Scottsdale Mayor, and the Phoenix Mayor as well for ultimately causing this to happen.
