I live in AZ not sure where you see the hockey scene out here… but there is not. I love hockey, im an avs fan so im pissed i cant go to avs games out here anymore. But az is definitely not a hockey town unfortunately… az sports fanbases suck in general actually. The least die hard fans in the country
I'm so sad for Yotes fans. Without that team in Arizona, who knows whether players like Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies would even be hockey players at all. - from a passionate hockey fan and a sympathetic Leafs fan.
To everyone on this site, there has been a rumor going around with a timeline of this entire Arizona franchise saga. The information is as follows: In 2021 SLC was preparing a bid for the Olympics & wanted a new arena as part of the bid. The State said fine, but you need a long-term tenant, so Smith began to have talks with the NHL about an expansion team. In 2022 the NHL told Meruelo the Coyotes needed a permanent home, so he eventually came up with the Tempe site. In May 2023 when the Tempe vote failed, the NHL told Meruelo that he had one more chance to get the franchise in order by Jan 2024. And at the same time the NHL began having more serious talks with SLC. In Jan when Meruelo failed the NHL told him that’s it and began the process to take back the franchise. However, Meruelo, flew into a rage & threatened to sue. Meruelo also burned his last bridges with the other owners, so that only 25% will accept him now. As talks progressed up to the trade deadline, Meruelo agreed not to sue if he got the rights to an expansion team. From the middle of March until recently Meruelo published renderings of what he wants the EXPANSION team’s arena to look like, but claimed it was for the current team. The rumor ends with Meruelo vowing to still go to the auction in June, win & build an arena just to spite the NHL and get an expansion team so he can try to force yet another very high purchase of everything.
To say Hockey in Arizona has failed is a fallacy. Phoenix and Tucson have had a huge growth in Fans, youth leagues and support. The ownership and management is what failed.
Fans aren't the problem, but there weren't enough of them to make the franchise work. Bad management and poor ownership are deserving of blame here. They didn't grow the sport well enough to make it work. The city voted to not build a new arena because it was a bad deal and the town overwhelming didn't care for hockey.
The yotes are the team I have supported most in my life. I grew up in Phoenix and went to tons of games at Gila River. I have a stick signed by ever single player and tons of jerseys, merch, and memorabilia. I am absolutely heartbroken about the news and what sucks more is how the team ish haddling it. They posted on instagram today they are doing everything to stay in Arizona so to hear that they have already decided they haven’t is just horrible.
As a Winnipeg fan: our team moved when I was 9. Returned when I was 24. The city lost it's team for about 15 years and eventually it returned. Even if the Yotes move there might be a new franchise someday. Cheer up there's always the hope that..... wait..... you bastards stole our franchise back in 96 and I'll never forgive Arizona for it!! What goes around comes around HAHAHAHAHA!!!!. Just playin, given the NHLs expansion rate there will be another team there aomeday just give it time
Be mad at your ownership. Meruelo wanted $1B for the team, the Smiths offered the NHL 1.5B to buy the Yotes. Meruelo got his bag and is cashing out. Worst is, to add salt to the wound reports confirmed that Meruelo hasn't paid ANY hotel fees for rooming the team while on the road at all this season. Sad for the Yotes fanbase, but this was inevitable. Alex Meruelo is NOT the guy you want as an owner, he can't even pay his damn hotel tab and now is getting called out for it. Hopefully the Smiths will run the team that the Yotes become in SLC *much* better than anything than Meruelo could offer. He saw his bag and is cashing it in. This essentially kills the land auction ordeal that was going to happen in June.
As a Minnesota fan, I feel sorry for you diehard Yotes fan that hauled ass for your team (after all, Auston Matthews emerged from your ranks)! However, if you see people gloating about it you can chalk that up to many fans' sheer hatred for Gary Buttman! Many fans (especially in Canada and the northern USA) just love to see Buttman humiliated after he gave hockey's bread and butter markets the shaft for too damn long!
I'm not surprised, but I am kind of bummed out. I'm not an Yotes fan... but hockey does belong in the desert and this is the worst way to do this all because the owner is a jerk who won't pay his bills!
Finally the LONG saga in the desert is over. Never had a decent owner, never had a decent arena, always had a so-so management. I just wish other cities had been given half as much a chance as Arizona did REPEATEDLY!
As a Georgia resident and a lifelong hockey fan, this state has felt the sting of losing an NHL team… twice! I’m very sorry to all the Arizona fans. Y’all might be rivals on ice, but we’re brothers in our love for hockey. Go Preds!
It's for this reason why I'm hopeful that, in the future, a new Arizona and Georgia team gets another shot in those two cities. Right now the Coyotes brand is extremely toxic (at least to the government and corporate investors), so a fresh start with a brand new team and brand new leadership might be exactly what both teams need to succeed.
@@slapshotjack9806 I’m not even 28 years old. Idgaf about that detail. I’m speaking from the emotions of growing up from 7-24 loving hockey before having to be forced to move to AZ due to financial crisis, being constantly looked down upon in the hockey community due to the fact I was from Arizona. Then all season long you’re gonna promise an arena solution, you give an auction date in June. Then you pull the rug out before the auction date. It hurts. It sucks. I envy the kids who got to grow up with that hockey life embedded in the community. This was all we had and it’s being ripped away. I just had my first child who will never get to go to a local professional hockey game. Idk if you know what type of emotional toll that takes and I hate that it hurts this much cause it’s stupid but it sucks man. It really fucking sucks. So yea they had 28 years but it doesn’t matter. I only got 16 of them anyways.
@@tazjoplin1733 bruh that’s nothing to get emotional over just go to a game in one of the surrounding states they never had a chance to begin with so stop blaming the nhl for giving them a million chances to only have them rejected by their entire state
Yknow, I was rooting for Arizona to get their stuff figured out, especially after the arena plans. A shame it has to end this way, I wish the players the best.
absolutely NOBODY saw the arena plans working whatsoever. Meruelo was exposed as a man that refuses to pay his bills unless he's publicly called out for it. Yotes ownership spurned the fans and team for years, and now it's come full circle
I feel bad for the players, the staff, and their fans who battled through this hell hole. Honestly, it's not that hockey can't work in Arizona, its the Coyote's that have burned many bridges in the Phoenix metro area, because of the NHL's incompetence of finding a right owner for them
I really feel for the fans, as the Coyotes never had a fair shot. Not only were they constantly changing arenas, but 30 years, and their greatest player in franchise history was Shane Doan. Not to mention how Arizona has such great Hockey programs as a result of the Coyotes.
@@nstag8r Gary wants to prove he was right. Having a team there clearly makes zero sense or this wouldnt have happened and they wouldnt have had issues for the past 20 years.
I think what saved you and Edmonton from getting shafted the way Minnesota, Winnipeg, Quebec City and Hartford did was the fact you guys had Stanley Cup banners! There seems to be a taboo regarding moving teams with the Cup banners hanging in the rafters...
Beyond bummed. Coyotes are what got me into NHL and had a ton of good memories watching and going to their games and even made lifelong friends through the love of the team. It's sad that the constant jokes and ridicule by people online culminated into it fizzling out due to terrible ownership. Always felt like we were one star player or semi-successful playoff run from making more people interested. Also, feel like the current team is the most exciting one we've had in forever. Shane Doan's son is better than even expected, we have a lot of young talent, probably a few years from being really good, and are actually competing with good teams. Just needed to be fine tuned, but were really fun to watch this year. No ill will towards Salt Lake City, but beyond annoyed with ownership.
No one shouldn’t feel happy about this. If it happened to the Coyotes it can happen to your team, too. Remember that even traditional markets like Pittsburgh and Chicago almost relocated not too long ago.
The coyotes deserved better, the fans deserved better. I hope that they do well in Utah and that the fans will follow their team even if it’s only on tv. I was shocked when the deal fell through last year, that’s when I knew Arizona was pulling a Hartford and essentially kicking the team out. Good luck coyotes
@@Ogilla Salt Lake City is in the mountains and gets cold enough for nearby lakes to freeze, meaning there is a bit of hockey culture in the area. It will likely be easier there to get a sizeable following than in Phoenix
What made me like the yotes was the fact that they used to be the San Antonio Rampage (AHL) parent team for a bit. As a stars fan I feel for you guys. Especially because the yotes, is what got my now wife into hockey. She became a huge Mike Smith, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson fan.
One of the saddest things about this is that they honestly have the potential to be a playoff team within the next couple of years, so yotes fans will have to witness the players they grew attached to finally see success, just in another city
In defense of the 'Yotes, Utah makes a ton more sense. It's the winter sports capital of America, from skiing to ice-skating, snowboarding, bobsled, etc, and yet hockey was never really considered over there. However, if the NHL expands an additional team in the East, they HAVE to give AZ another try. Hockey has become so popular over in AZ that public high schools have hockey programs there now. That is a lot of dedication and money to keep the arenas cool in a state that is literally melting hot three seasons of the year.
@@alexwinter3272 They... deserve... a hockey team. You are going in past tense as if the next franchise is just leaving off where the last one was. When (not if) they comeback, whether in my lifetime or not, it'll be a new franchise; start from scratch.
@@bb-double-yuh No they don't deserve a team and never will deserve a team. Like I said chance after chance and the citizens of Arizona proved they don't care enough. Couldn't even sell out a 5000 seat college rink
As a kid, when the Yotes came in, I loved the look they had... the logo, the uniforms, the "Werewolves Of London" howl when Roenick scored... even though I don't watch hockey much these days, I will miss them.
As an AZ fan, home games were depressing. Either sold out by the away team fans or looking like an NFL England game with every jersey imaginable. Unfortunately, hockey is not popular here, and it's rare to find people that follow it.
From someone who grew up with the Thrashers here in Atlanta, having a team leave sucks. Especially when it is not due to the hockey market, but the ownership issues.
What didn't help was the poor drafting and developing of players 2015 - took Strome/ passed on Marner 2017 - took Hayton/ passed on Hughes Then you have incidents like the pick forfeits and drafting Mitchell Miller.
I find it unbelievably funny that the players found out in a meeting, and management said "hey, by the way you're being moved to Utah so we're gonna check out your new home on the way." That is the most Arizona management thing I've ever heard.
As a Utahn, I'm very pumped for this to happen. But relocations are always a bummer. My sincere condolences to hockey fans for Arizona. Perhaps the Coyotes can return, and maybe under better ownership and/or management.
It makes perfect sense. Mullet Arena is a 5000 seat venue and they regularly struggle to fill it. Other big NHL teams hate playing there and comment constantly on how playing in Arizona doesn't feel like the NHL. This is a business decision and Arizona was just bad business for them. Just back of the napkin figures here. Their roster costs them roughly $72M USD (including IR relief) They have a 5K seat arena that they host 41 games in. That's a break even of $351/ticket. Tickets currently cost $189/ticket on average (some posted as low as $60)
Yes and the situation would have only gotten worse. Phoenix is easily the least attractive signing destination in the NHL and I think that team was going to remain bad forever if they stayed in AZ.
It makes so much sense and long overdue for them to move. On the bright side, Bettman loves that market, they’ll build an arena and get an expansion team. They could not keep playing in that are arena.
Love the channel buddy. Confirmed means that it's offical. it's not offical yet but I do think it'll happen tho just a tad click bait. Love the channel keep up the great vids
I live in AZ but was born in Denver so Im not a yotes fan, but very sad to see them go. This was how I was able to watch Avs games without driving for hours on end. Such a shame.
Salt Lake City has two pro teams, the Jazz (NBA) and Real Salt Lake (MLS). But its still a good choice because basketball and hockey usually share arenas well and the soccer scene will likely adopt hockey easily
@@williamhrivnak7345 yeah I mean it won’t jump the jazz but MLS is still like the WNBA. It’s not going to compete with the nhl yet. I bet they have a minor league baseball team too lol
@quinten3427 I think you’re really reaching here. People who watch nfl, nba, mlb or even soccer don’t go out and play every weekend. I would argue that hockey actually has the most life long players of all those sports mentioned. Of course certain regions have different levels of interest in sports. In the south people care more about college football than the nfl. Most people aren’t tossing around a ball in the front yard but they still love the nfl. You will draw in millions of new fans from going to a city with no or little team loyalty.
They are probably going to throw a perfectly great name for team to curb while the Jazz Name stuck in Utah when they came from New Orleans, Arizona also has the Suns, And Diamondbacks, but the NFL team in AZ is a disgrace, CARDINALS, has nothing to do about desert or a tough contact sport like football, Arizona’s NFL team needs rebranding!!!! WTF
@@machinistjeff I live in Finland and i feel sorry for AZ hockey fans for losing a team because of shitty owners. Great players (Lumme, Numminen) over the years and of the best logos. Imo it should move to Quebec or Halifax, but then there is Bettman...
Sucks when management fails. I've seen Arizona hockey fans say they hate the Yotes because they're a joke and the NHL felt entitled to their fandom. It was time to move a few years back.
I feel awful for the franchise, players, and fans. This is the last thing that they deserve after everything they’ve been through and all of the effort they’ve put into keeping the team alive. I’ve always had a soft spot for the Yotes, and think that they have a bright future. So the fact that this is what it’s come down to is devastating to say the least. Of course it’s exciting to see a new team come into the league, but not in this fashion.
Current Arizona ownership sells for $1.2 billion and keep the name. The team moves to SLC and starts over as a "new" franchise. The now former owners use the 1.2 billion to build a sweet rink and restart operation in 3 to 5 years. Utah has a team and Arizona has a team. If billionaire egos don't get in the way everyone wins.
The one question that remains, is what is preventing Coyotes owner Alex Muerello from just cashing out and pocketing the 1.2 billion? Especially after losing large amounts of money every single season since taking over the team and the history of the team never making a profit since moving from Winnipeg to the Phoenix area?
This really hits me hard, the red “coyotes” team was my hockey team logo when I was a kid. I grew up a coyote and I still use the jersey when I play even now for shinny. Tough to see but I guess it happened to the thrashers and it’s just history repeating itself
I grew up playing hockey in Utah, this is going to be huge for hockey in Utah. We’re a big winter sports town, but for some reason hockey never got a lot of love. I think it’s a good fit, and everyone I know that plays or watches is so stoked. Sorry to Arizona fans, I imagine it sucks to loose a team, but we’re beyond excited to have them in SLC!
I always whined that this day would come, but now that it's pretty much here...... I feel kinda sad. Sad for the players and staff, and the loyal fans that stuck with them through thick and thin. My heart goes out to all affected
Watching the Oiler's away game right now. I'm a die hard Oiler fan, but I wouldn't be upset if AZ comes out with a win for their last home game in the locale, just for the fans.
I feel for the Coyotes fans that are in Phoenix, but it feels more like something that has been a long time coming (like over 15+ years). Like, it would have made more sense to move the Coyotes back to Winnipeg, then move the Thrashers to Quebec City or something.
Can't wait to see these players in slc. I'm a flames fan from Calgary, but moved to UT for my wife and stepdaughter. Never thought I'd see an NHL team here, and the yotes have some fantastic talented players. The jazz owner is so great and i think the yotes will have a long and stable future here.
This team needs to retain the Coyotes name as it moves to Utah, it fits just as well. No Naming contest needed! So many teams have moved and kept original names just look at the Jazz moving to SLC from NewOrleans! The Grizzlies from Vancouver to Memphis, the Rams from L.A. to St.Louis then back to L.A. Pack animals like wolves and Coyotes best names for a team. Think about it a pack is similar to a team. Take the Yotes out of Arizona, but please don’t take them out of the NHL! Any rebranding would be a mistake and downgrade, unless it replaced with Wolves.
As an Atlanta resident and Thrashers fan, I feel for Arizona fans. Same thing happened here. The Thrashers were just not run well or promoted well within the city. Hockey, in general, is a bit of a mess. I wish they had the equivalent of the NFL package where you could watch everything in one place. But NOOOO they have to let ESPN ruin the experience. The old NHL app was amazing... ah well.
People have forgotten that the AHL Tucson Roadrunners have existed BEFORE the Coyotes arrived. Not in the AHL of course but they were promoted to that league as the Coyotes farm team. As a Canucks fan this team in the Desert has always been a scrappy, fight to win together type of group that would always hunt for wins. Despite having many talented players and well coached rosters the ownership and management has always been a hindrance since they left Winnipeg. And that’s the reason everyone said “hOcKeY dOeSnT wOrK iN aRiZoNa”. On the contrary, there are fans. College hockey in Arizona has been around since the 60s. The only other western College hockey team I knew about before I was in highschool was the Arizona State Sundevils.
It makes sense to do this because another 5 years at Mullet Arena is insane. So move the Coyotes, the ownership can bud on the land in June, they win and they announce an expansion team returning in 5 years when the arena is done.
The new team could surprise a lot of folks next season, just imagine their current teams + money actually spent on real active free agents … unlike in Phoenix where they kept acquiring dead contracts to reach the floor. They weren’t that far off this season despite all the B.S new and old.
Their current full roster with reasonable pay raises for guys on expiring contracts looks to be around maybe 50-55 Million in salaries next year. If the new owner is willing to spend to the cap, they could have nearly 40M in cap space to be used for upgrades this summer. They also have ample draft picks to facilitate trades. If they play their cards correctly, there's a real chance that they could field a legit cup contender as soon as next season.
I’m convinced they’ll try it again with an expansion team and a more long term plan for the arena and location. Phoenix’s metro population is too big to officially give up on the area. There seemed to be some grassroots growth of the sport in the area (Matthews is perhaps their greatest success story). A new team will allow them to likely be competitive from the get go which will help build a longer term fanbase.
I would imagine this has come as a big shock to Coyotes fans. Yes, there has been long running problems on the ownership and facilities side, but at some point you probably tune them out as a fan because each time the team somehow hung on even when things seemed bad (heck, the franchise even survived being owned by the league for years).
As a yotes fan , I cant say Im surprised. There wasn't/isn't much love for hockey in the desert from the general public. Most are more interested in football, baseball, basketball, soccer, ect. Also, this is just my opinion, Az fans are really bandwagon-y. If you are a professional sports team in Az, you pretty much need to win every single game you play or make it to championship finals if you want a large fan base and support. Any way, I feel gutted about this but I have also felt that this was bound to happen. I hope they at least keep the name Coyotes in utah. It will make it easier to support them :). Will also hurt a bit less.
Spot on, transplant state so if AZ team isn't winning people just jump back on the bandwagon of whatever state they moved from. AZ will never be able to build a loyal hockey fan base.
Congrats,Utah,well deserved. Sad to see (again) fans losing your team that support for years,as a Jets fan,goodbye.... But,welcome SLC to the league!!!
Can't say I'm surprised. If you've ever watched a Coyotes game, it seemed like they only existed to attract the fans of away teams to the games. The ratio of Coyotes jerseys to away teams is easily the most ridiculous in the NHL.
I feel bad for all the employees who are losing their jobs. I think i read that hockey employees(players, coaches and trainers) are gonna get to keep their jobs, but basically anybody else is gonna lose their jobs
Thinking back many years, I'm surprised by how everyone's reacting to this news. At least before Winnipeg got a team back, Canadian hockey fans seemed mostly bitter about hockey in Arizona. Everyone joked about hockey in the desert and mocked the empty arenas. They claimed that it was just Bettman trying to force hockey into an untapped market. Now it seems like everyone is sad and saying the exact opposite things about how hockey belongs in the desert. Why has there been such a complete change of heart around it? The shift from mockery to sadness seems kind of sudden.
Pretty sure the arrangements for those sorts of things are pretty loose and flexible. Even without relocation, you can't guarantee a player taking on a local sponsorship bit won't get traded mid-season or retire early.
For everyone saying Arizona shouldn't be given another team think to yourself of why the Jets left Winnipeg in the first place. No matter where this team was to be located the management always found someway to screw people over. This team could've played in Hamilton, Ontario for that matter and still would've had to relocate because anyone who has ever owned this team knew nothing about the sport and never made decisions and deals that didn't leave the city chasing them out of town. Every single place this team has ever called home has chased them out so this is a unique to the team issue, not the state.
Ownership and management has completely let down this team and the fans. With how badly Bettman has wanted his Arizona pet project to work out, it's frankly baffling how consistently mishandled this franchise it has been.
Sad for AZ fans, they deserve better than this. There’s a hockey scene in AZ for sure but the ownership threw it away.
Maybe they should move to Oakland.....
There’s no AZ fans, that’s the problem.
@@shoresy4084Theirs no arena, thats the issue. If they had a stable home no chance this team leaves
@@shoresy4084 Yep. If they had enough fans the arena would have followed.
I live in AZ not sure where you see the hockey scene out here… but there is not. I love hockey, im an avs fan so im pissed i cant go to avs games out here anymore. But az is definitely not a hockey town unfortunately… az sports fanbases suck in general actually. The least die hard fans in the country
I'm so sad for Yotes fans. Without that team in Arizona, who knows whether players like Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies would even be hockey players at all.
- from a passionate hockey fan and a sympathetic Leafs fan.
As an az fan I appreciate it man.
This is good news for Leafs fans - means Matthews cant leave to play for his hometown.
So now good players come from SLC
I think people will still play sports if there isn't a tram in their city
To everyone on this site, there has been a rumor going around with a timeline of this entire Arizona franchise saga. The information is as follows:
In 2021 SLC was preparing a bid for the Olympics & wanted a new arena as part of the bid. The State said fine, but you need a long-term tenant, so Smith began to have talks with the NHL about an expansion team. In 2022 the NHL told Meruelo the Coyotes needed a permanent home, so he eventually came up with the Tempe site. In May 2023 when the Tempe vote failed, the NHL told Meruelo that he had one more chance to get the franchise in order by Jan 2024. And at the same time the NHL began having more serious talks with SLC. In Jan when Meruelo failed the NHL told him that’s it and began the process to take back the franchise. However, Meruelo, flew into a rage & threatened to sue. Meruelo also burned his last bridges with the other owners, so that only 25% will accept him now. As talks progressed up to the trade deadline, Meruelo agreed not to sue if he got the rights to an expansion team. From the middle of March until recently Meruelo published renderings of what he wants the EXPANSION team’s arena to look like, but claimed it was for the current team. The rumor ends with Meruelo vowing to still go to the auction in June, win & build an arena just to spite the NHL and get an expansion team so he can try to force yet another very high purchase of everything.
To say Hockey in Arizona has failed is a fallacy. Phoenix and Tucson have had a huge growth in Fans, youth leagues and support. The ownership and management is what failed.
There are public high schools in AZ that have hockey programs now. The fans are not the problem.
The issue is not that hockey can’t succeed in Arizona. The problem was always the ownership.
If there were enough fans they would have been able to get an arena and stay
Pretty sure it was Tempe voters that voted no even when Coyotes were going to front the money. They rather have a landfill than a Coyotes stadium.
Fans aren't the problem, but there weren't enough of them to make the franchise work. Bad management and poor ownership are deserving of blame here. They didn't grow the sport well enough to make it work. The city voted to not build a new arena because it was a bad deal and the town overwhelming didn't care for hockey.
The yotes are the team I have supported most in my life. I grew up in Phoenix and went to tons of games at Gila River. I have a stick signed by ever single player and tons of jerseys, merch, and memorabilia. I am absolutely heartbroken about the news and what sucks more is how the team ish haddling it. They posted on instagram today they are doing everything to stay in Arizona so to hear that they have already decided they haven’t is just horrible.
As a Winnipeg fan: our team moved when I was 9. Returned when I was 24. The city lost it's team for about 15 years and eventually it returned. Even if the Yotes move there might be a new franchise someday. Cheer up there's always the hope that..... wait..... you bastards stole our franchise back in 96 and I'll never forgive Arizona for it!! What goes around comes around HAHAHAHAHA!!!!. Just playin, given the NHLs expansion rate there will be another team there aomeday just give it time
Sorry to hear that my man, I just start Watch hockey and supporting my Kraken playing. Hope you will get a new team in a future
Be mad at your ownership.
Meruelo wanted $1B for the team, the Smiths offered the NHL 1.5B to buy the Yotes. Meruelo got his bag and is cashing out. Worst is, to add salt to the wound reports confirmed that Meruelo hasn't paid ANY hotel fees for rooming the team while on the road at all this season. Sad for the Yotes fanbase, but this was inevitable.
Alex Meruelo is NOT the guy you want as an owner, he can't even pay his damn hotel tab and now is getting called out for it. Hopefully the Smiths will run the team that the Yotes become in SLC *much* better than anything than Meruelo could offer. He saw his bag and is cashing it in. This essentially kills the land auction ordeal that was going to happen in June.
Sorry for your loss.
As a Minnesota fan, I feel sorry for you diehard Yotes fan that hauled ass for your team (after all, Auston Matthews emerged from your ranks)! However, if you see people gloating about it you can chalk that up to many fans' sheer hatred for Gary Buttman! Many fans (especially in Canada and the northern USA) just love to see Buttman humiliated after he gave hockey's bread and butter markets the shaft for too damn long!
I'm not surprised, but I am kind of bummed out. I'm not an Yotes fan... but hockey does belong in the desert and this is the worst way to do this all because the owner is a jerk who won't pay his bills!
The problem is not hockey in Arizona, it’s the Coyotes.
can't pay their bills, but they have money to bid at a state land auction.
It’s ownership. Government there doesn’t seem to trust them or wish to do business with them.
@@HarrisonHollersAnd, considering the past 25 years, can you blame them? 😳
THE REAL ECK IS BACK
Finally the LONG saga in the desert is over. Never had a decent owner, never had a decent arena, always had a so-so management. I just wish other cities had been given half as much a chance as Arizona did REPEATEDLY!
The Arizona Coyotes are the reason I play ice hockey. I grew up in Phoenix, AZ and started playing ice hockey when I was 15 years old.
What position do you play?
I play forward as a winger. Not sure what team I’m going to cheer for next year.
@@beckerlegjames Come to Oil Country my man, or follow them to Arizona. I wonder what’s gonna happen to the Scottsdale practice rink though
@@beckerlegjames Cali never does you wrong,always one good team there no matter what
@@beckerlegjames Leafs, we've been paying for your team to exist for the last 20 years, your welcome.
0:20 Doug Armstrong is the GM of the St. Louis Blues. The Coyotes GM is Bill Armstrong.
As a Georgia resident and a lifelong hockey fan, this state has felt the sting of losing an NHL team… twice! I’m very sorry to all the Arizona fans. Y’all might be rivals on ice, but we’re brothers in our love for hockey. Go Preds!
It's for this reason why I'm hopeful that, in the future, a new Arizona and Georgia team gets another shot in those two cities. Right now the Coyotes brand is extremely toxic (at least to the government and corporate investors), so a fresh start with a brand new team and brand new leadership might be exactly what both teams need to succeed.
Salt Lake City is a fitting choice for a hockey team, considering their history of Winter sports. I have best wishes for them moving forward!
As a Winnipeg Jets fan, trust us, we know how you feel
Damn straight. That was a sad time.
Atlanta went through it twice 😭
I’m heartbroken. I feel lied to. I feel gaslit, and just emotionally manipulated. Never thought this would actually bring tears but here we are.
Bruh they had 28 YEARS
@@slapshotjack9806 I’m not even 28 years old. Idgaf about that detail. I’m speaking from the emotions of growing up from 7-24 loving hockey before having to be forced to move to AZ due to financial crisis, being constantly looked down upon in the hockey community due to the fact I was from Arizona. Then all season long you’re gonna promise an arena solution, you give an auction date in June. Then you pull the rug out before the auction date. It hurts. It sucks. I envy the kids who got to grow up with that hockey life embedded in the community. This was all we had and it’s being ripped away. I just had my first child who will never get to go to a local professional hockey game. Idk if you know what type of emotional toll that takes and I hate that it hurts this much cause it’s stupid but it sucks man. It really fucking sucks. So yea they had 28 years but it doesn’t matter. I only got 16 of them anyways.
@@tazjoplin1733well put. I’m sorry for you brother
@@lancemilliken9078 thank you
@@tazjoplin1733 bruh that’s nothing to get emotional over just go to a game in one of the surrounding states they never had a chance to begin with so stop blaming the nhl for giving them a million chances to only have them rejected by their entire state
Yknow, I was rooting for Arizona to get their stuff figured out, especially after the arena plans. A shame it has to end this way, I wish the players the best.
absolutely NOBODY saw the arena plans working whatsoever. Meruelo was exposed as a man that refuses to pay his bills unless he's publicly called out for it. Yotes ownership spurned the fans and team for years, and now it's come full circle
I feel bad for the players, the staff, and their fans who battled through this hell hole. Honestly, it's not that hockey can't work in Arizona, its the Coyote's that have burned many bridges in the Phoenix metro area, because of the NHL's incompetence of finding a right owner for them
Just crazy to hear this, gotta feel for yotes fans…
Both of them?
@@JB0i hahah was just gonna say this… what fans?
As an az fan I am sad
As a Connecticut resident when the Whalers got moved it was such a huge loose to the state and fans. Sorry to Arizona fans it’s a bummer.
The AZ jerseys literally got me into hockey
The dorks in charge of design will probably create some boring minimalist garbage like the Kraken jerseys
Its a sad day for drip that is for sure.
Lets hope they keep them
I really feel for the fans, as the Coyotes never had a fair shot. Not only were they constantly changing arenas, but 30 years, and their greatest player in franchise history was Shane Doan.
Not to mention how Arizona has such great Hockey programs as a result of the Coyotes.
They were given a morce chances than any club in NHL history, else they would have been gone 20 years ago
@@TheEpicNewmanbecause having a team there make sense. And the nhl still wants a team there.
@@nstag8r Gary wants to prove he was right. Having a team there clearly makes zero sense or this wouldnt have happened and they wouldnt have had issues for the past 20 years.
From a Flames fan, I really feel for you Yotes fans. Seeing the team relocating like this leaves a sunken feeling in me.
Lol they didn't deserve a team
@@alexwinter3272Then there wouldn't be any Auston Mathews
I think what saved you and Edmonton from getting shafted the way Minnesota, Winnipeg, Quebec City and Hartford did was the fact you guys had Stanley Cup banners! There seems to be a taboo regarding moving teams with the Cup banners hanging in the rafters...
@@mrconfusion87 Good point, those Stanley Cups also created hardcore fan bases which let the teams get cemented in Calgary and Edmonton
I just want someone to love me like Bettman loves the Coyotes. Best running joke ever 😂
I would be shocked if he isn't trying to hold back tears when he makes the inevitable announcement! 🤣🤣🤣
As a fan not even from AZ I'm pissed
Same here from the UK
What a weird situation for the team, staff, and their families.
Beyond bummed. Coyotes are what got me into NHL and had a ton of good memories watching and going to their games and even made lifelong friends through the love of the team. It's sad that the constant jokes and ridicule by people online culminated into it fizzling out due to terrible ownership. Always felt like we were one star player or semi-successful playoff run from making more people interested. Also, feel like the current team is the most exciting one we've had in forever. Shane Doan's son is better than even expected, we have a lot of young talent, probably a few years from being really good, and are actually competing with good teams. Just needed to be fine tuned, but were really fun to watch this year. No ill will towards Salt Lake City, but beyond annoyed with ownership.
No one shouldn’t feel happy about this. If it happened to the Coyotes it can happen to your team, too. Remember that even traditional markets like Pittsburgh and Chicago almost relocated not too long ago.
I mean you have to feel for doan fought so hard to keep them there and as soon as he retires everything collapsed 😢
it's good to know you're feeling better. the voice really does change when sick but you keep on making videos
As a Winnipeger, i feel your pain.
The coyotes deserved better, the fans deserved better. I hope that they do well in Utah and that the fans will follow their team even if it’s only on tv. I was shocked when the deal fell through last year, that’s when I knew Arizona was pulling a Hartford and essentially kicking the team out.
Good luck coyotes
So what you're saying is that Austin Matthews will retire as a Leaf.
Not if the Leafs are smart.
Matthews needs to be traded. Chasing personal goals is hurting the team and he's only about himself
This team should've been in Quebec years ago
I’d like to congratulate Utah and Salt Lake City for this new adventure
« Hockey doesn’t work in the desert so we’re going to move it to another type of desert, but this one’s got Mormons » xD
@@Ogilla Salt Lake City is in the mountains and gets cold enough for nearby lakes to freeze, meaning there is a bit of hockey culture in the area. It will likely be easier there to get a sizeable following than in Phoenix
This situation persisted for years, until Utah emerged with a blank cheque and plans for a new rink. Suddenly, a solution was found swiftly.
What made me like the yotes was the fact that they used to be the San Antonio Rampage (AHL) parent team for a bit. As a stars fan I feel for you guys. Especially because the yotes, is what got my now wife into hockey. She became a huge Mike Smith, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson fan.
One of the saddest things about this is that they honestly have the potential to be a playoff team within the next couple of years, so yotes fans will have to witness the players they grew attached to finally see success, just in another city
My boys who grew up watching the yotes
👇
In defense of the 'Yotes, Utah makes a ton more sense. It's the winter sports capital of America, from skiing to ice-skating, snowboarding, bobsled, etc, and yet hockey was never really considered over there. However, if the NHL expands an additional team in the East, they HAVE to give AZ another try. Hockey has become so popular over in AZ that public high schools have hockey programs there now. That is a lot of dedication and money to keep the arenas cool in a state that is literally melting hot three seasons of the year.
Absolutely not. Arizona had 28 years to figure things out, chance after chance. Constantly bailed out. They don't deserve anything
@@alexwinter3272 They... deserve... a hockey team. You are going in past tense as if the next franchise is just leaving off where the last one was. When (not if) they comeback, whether in my lifetime or not, it'll be a new franchise; start from scratch.
@@bb-double-yuh No they don't deserve a team and never will deserve a team. Like I said chance after chance and the citizens of Arizona proved they don't care enough. Couldn't even sell out a 5000 seat college rink
As a kid, when the Yotes came in, I loved the look they had... the logo, the uniforms, the "Werewolves Of London" howl when Roenick scored... even though I don't watch hockey much these days, I will miss them.
Dang. Tough for Arizona. Welcome to the league SLC!
Correction: BILL Armstrong.
Doug is St. Louis' GM for the Blues
Don't hate SLC as a hockey town, but they should be going to Quebec City which already has a state of the art arena ready for them.
Then someone is Quebec should have bought them
@@JadedJetConnecticut tried to buy them.
@@chickpeabaconchickpeabacon80 what does that have to do with Quebec
I had a coyote problem in my yard. I hung up a DETROIT RED WINGS flag and haven't seen a coyote since.
As an AZ fan, home games were depressing. Either sold out by the away team fans or looking like an NFL England game with every jersey imaginable.
Unfortunately, hockey is not popular here, and it's rare to find people that follow it.
From someone who grew up with the Thrashers here in Atlanta, having a team leave sucks. Especially when it is not due to the hockey market, but the ownership issues.
The market want great either, they failed to get votes on their arena and that spoke volumes
What didn't help was the poor drafting and developing of players
2015 - took Strome/ passed on Marner
2017 - took Hayton/ passed on Hughes
Then you have incidents like the pick forfeits and drafting Mitchell Miller.
I find it unbelievably funny that the players found out in a meeting, and management said "hey, by the way you're being moved to Utah so we're gonna check out your new home on the way." That is the most Arizona management thing I've ever heard.
As a Utahn, I'm very pumped for this to happen. But relocations are always a bummer. My sincere condolences to hockey fans for Arizona. Perhaps the Coyotes can return, and maybe under better ownership and/or management.
It makes perfect sense. Mullet Arena is a 5000 seat venue and they regularly struggle to fill it. Other big NHL teams hate playing there and comment constantly on how playing in Arizona doesn't feel like the NHL. This is a business decision and Arizona was just bad business for them.
Just back of the napkin figures here. Their roster costs them roughly $72M USD (including IR relief) They have a 5K seat arena that they host 41 games in. That's a break even of $351/ticket. Tickets currently cost $189/ticket on average (some posted as low as $60)
Yes and the situation would have only gotten worse. Phoenix is easily the least attractive signing destination in the NHL and I think that team was going to remain bad forever if they stayed in AZ.
As a Jets fan, this franchise has been cursed after passing on Gretzky... Hope that can change...
It makes so much sense and long overdue for them to move. On the bright side, Bettman loves that market, they’ll build an arena and get an expansion team. They could not keep playing in that are arena.
Love the channel buddy. Confirmed means that it's offical. it's not offical yet but I do think it'll happen tho just a tad click bait. Love the channel keep up the great vids
Just when it looked like they were turning it around. Sad knowing that they still had so much left to build around
Kinda like how the Nords were just turning the corner on the ice when they left for Denver back in 1995!
I live in AZ but was born in Denver so Im not a yotes fan, but very sad to see them go. This was how I was able to watch Avs games without driving for hours on end. Such a shame.
Kinda sad I wish the yotes would stay in the desert
This is the best way to grow the game. Go to a big city with one or no pro teams.
Vegas was the best move the nhl has done in a long time.
Salt Lake City has two pro teams, the Jazz (NBA) and Real Salt Lake (MLS). But its still a good choice because basketball and hockey usually share arenas well and the soccer scene will likely adopt hockey easily
@@williamhrivnak7345yeah so they’ll instantly be the #1 team in the city
@@williamhrivnak7345 yeah I mean it won’t jump the jazz but MLS is still like the WNBA. It’s not going to compete with the nhl yet.
I bet they have a minor league baseball team too lol
@quinten3427 nfl is huge and most of the audience never played
@quinten3427 I think you’re really reaching here. People who watch nfl, nba, mlb or even soccer don’t go out and play every weekend. I would argue that hockey actually has the most life long players of all those sports mentioned.
Of course certain regions have different levels of interest in sports. In the south people care more about college football than the nfl. Most people aren’t tossing around a ball in the front yard but they still love the nfl.
You will draw in millions of new fans from going to a city with no or little team loyalty.
Lifelong Yotes fan and AZ native here, which team should I bandwagon? I sure as hell ain’t rooting for Utah 😂
Come join the Oil.
They are probably going to throw a perfectly great name for team to curb while the Jazz Name stuck in Utah when they came from New Orleans, Arizona also has the Suns, And Diamondbacks, but the NFL team in AZ is a disgrace, CARDINALS, has nothing to do about desert or a tough contact sport like football, Arizona’s NFL team needs rebranding!!!! WTF
@@scottcarevic5701you do realize we have Cardinals in the desert right?
Coyotes are one of my ride or die teams and to lose them is heartbreaking.
Edit: Coyotes won in ot against Oilers at least so a little victory
As a Jets fan I went through all that for it too not work?
Technically it’ll work, just in a different location lol…
wow, sorry to all the coyotes fans out there
You literally can drive out here to AZ and tell all 4 of them that you feel bad for them if you want
@@machinistjeff I live in Finland and i feel sorry for AZ hockey fans for losing a team because of shitty owners. Great players (Lumme, Numminen) over the years and of the best logos. Imo it should move to Quebec or Halifax, but then there is Bettman...
@@machinistjeffdude just shut up
@@imulippo5245 yeah quebec would be sweet
Don't feel too sorry for them.
Coyotes were going to privately fund the stadium in Tempe and voters still said no we rather have a landfill
Imagine doing a video on the Yotes relocating right after you relocate. Deep man. Deep.
Sucks when management fails. I've seen Arizona hockey fans say they hate the Yotes because they're a joke and the NHL felt entitled to their fandom. It was time to move a few years back.
I feel awful for the franchise, players, and fans. This is the last thing that they deserve after everything they’ve been through and all of the effort they’ve put into keeping the team alive. I’ve always had a soft spot for the Yotes, and think that they have a bright future. So the fact that this is what it’s come down to is devastating to say the least. Of course it’s exciting to see a new team come into the league, but not in this fashion.
About time.
It’s unfortunate that the fans & players suffer for ownership & management’s mistakes.
Current Arizona ownership sells for $1.2 billion and keep the name. The team moves to SLC and starts over as a "new" franchise. The now former owners use the 1.2 billion to build a sweet rink and restart operation in 3 to 5 years. Utah has a team and Arizona has a team. If billionaire egos don't get in the way everyone wins.
The one question that remains, is what is preventing Coyotes owner Alex Muerello from just cashing out and pocketing the 1.2 billion? Especially after losing large amounts of money every single season since taking over the team and the history of the team never making a profit since moving from Winnipeg to the Phoenix area?
This really hits me hard, the red “coyotes” team was my hockey team logo when I was a kid. I grew up a coyote and I still use the jersey when I play even now for shinny. Tough to see but I guess it happened to the thrashers and it’s just history repeating itself
I grew up playing hockey in Utah, this is going to be huge for hockey in Utah. We’re a big winter sports town, but for some reason hockey never got a lot of love. I think it’s a good fit, and everyone I know that plays or watches is so stoked. Sorry to Arizona fans, I imagine it sucks to loose a team, but we’re beyond excited to have them in SLC!
I always whined that this day would come, but now that it's pretty much here...... I feel kinda sad. Sad for the players and staff, and the loyal fans that stuck with them through thick and thin. My heart goes out to all affected
From Arizona to Utah?
Watching the Oiler's away game right now. I'm a die hard Oiler fan, but I wouldn't be upset if AZ comes out with a win for their last home game in the locale, just for the fans.
I feel for the Coyotes fans that are in Phoenix, but it feels more like something that has been a long time coming (like over 15+ years). Like, it would have made more sense to move the Coyotes back to Winnipeg, then move the Thrashers to Quebec City or something.
I’m surprised it’s Utah over Houston considering the market size between the two
As a Jets fan I Couldn’t be any madder at the stupid coyotes franchise
Can't wait to see these players in slc. I'm a flames fan from Calgary, but moved to UT for my wife and stepdaughter. Never thought I'd see an NHL team here, and the yotes have some fantastic talented players. The jazz owner is so great and i think the yotes will have a long and stable future here.
This team needs to retain the Coyotes name as it moves to Utah, it fits just as well.
No Naming contest needed! So many teams have moved and kept original names just look at the Jazz moving to SLC from NewOrleans! The Grizzlies from Vancouver to Memphis, the Rams from L.A. to St.Louis then back to L.A. Pack animals like wolves and Coyotes best names for a team.
Think about it a pack is similar to a team. Take the Yotes out of Arizona, but please don’t take them out of the NHL! Any rebranding would be a mistake and downgrade, unless it replaced with Wolves.
HES BACKKK
heartbroken
Hey, we have desert here in Utah. Look up St. George or any other southern Utah city.
Damn that is rough for a 20+ year franchise.
As an Atlanta resident and Thrashers fan, I feel for Arizona fans. Same thing happened here. The Thrashers were just not run well or promoted well within the city. Hockey, in general, is a bit of a mess. I wish they had the equivalent of the NFL package where you could watch everything in one place. But NOOOO they have to let ESPN ruin the experience. The old NHL app was amazing... ah well.
People have forgotten that the AHL Tucson Roadrunners have existed BEFORE the Coyotes arrived. Not in the AHL of course but they were promoted to that league as the Coyotes farm team.
As a Canucks fan this team in the Desert has always been a scrappy, fight to win together type of group that would always hunt for wins. Despite having many talented players and well coached rosters the ownership and management has always been a hindrance since they left Winnipeg. And that’s the reason everyone said “hOcKeY dOeSnT wOrK iN aRiZoNa”. On the contrary, there are fans. College hockey in Arizona has been around since the 60s. The only other western College hockey team I knew about before I was in highschool was the Arizona State Sundevils.
With that thumbnail I was expecting a Coyotes Pitch Meeting…super easy, barely an inconvenience.
It makes sense to do this because another 5 years at Mullet Arena is insane. So move the Coyotes, the ownership can bud on the land in June, they win and they announce an expansion team returning in 5 years when the arena is done.
Good for them the state of Arizona been playing games with a new arena for years
The new team could surprise a lot of folks next season, just imagine their current teams + money actually spent on real active free agents … unlike in Phoenix where they kept acquiring dead contracts to reach the floor.
They weren’t that far off this season despite all the B.S new and old.
Their current full roster with reasonable pay raises for guys on expiring contracts looks to be around maybe 50-55 Million in salaries next year. If the new owner is willing to spend to the cap, they could have nearly 40M in cap space to be used for upgrades this summer. They also have ample draft picks to facilitate trades. If they play their cards correctly, there's a real chance that they could field a legit cup contender as soon as next season.
I’m convinced they’ll try it again with an expansion team and a more long term plan for the arena and location. Phoenix’s metro population is too big to officially give up on the area. There seemed to be some grassroots growth of the sport in the area (Matthews is perhaps their greatest success story).
A new team will allow them to likely be competitive from the get go which will help build a longer term fanbase.
Title: CONFIRMED
First words: Well, it’s not quite official
I would imagine this has come as a big shock to Coyotes fans. Yes, there has been long running problems on the ownership and facilities side, but at some point you probably tune them out as a fan because each time the team somehow hung on even when things seemed bad (heck, the franchise even survived being owned by the league for years).
As a yotes fan , I cant say Im surprised. There wasn't/isn't much love for hockey in the desert from the general public. Most are more interested in football, baseball, basketball, soccer, ect. Also, this is just my opinion, Az fans are really bandwagon-y. If you are a professional sports team in Az, you pretty much need to win every single game you play or make it to championship finals if you want a large fan base and support. Any way, I feel gutted about this but I have also felt that this was bound to happen. I hope they at least keep the name Coyotes in utah. It will make it easier to support them :). Will also hurt a bit less.
Spot on, transplant state so if AZ team isn't winning people just jump back on the bandwagon of whatever state they moved from.
AZ will never be able to build a loyal hockey fan base.
Congrats,Utah,well deserved.
Sad to see (again) fans losing your team that support for years,as a Jets fan,goodbye....
But,welcome SLC to the league!!!
Can't say I'm surprised. If you've ever watched a Coyotes game, it seemed like they only existed to attract the fans of away teams to the games. The ratio of Coyotes jerseys to away teams is easily the most ridiculous in the NHL.
I believe the players submit a fresh no trade list at the start of each new season.
I feel bad for all the employees who are losing their jobs. I think i read that hockey employees(players, coaches and trainers) are gonna get to keep their jobs, but basically anybody else is gonna lose their jobs
“I’d like to cancel the order Jerry, and I’ve got a few items I’d like to sell…skate sharpener, the jacuzzi, the massage table, our bus…”
Thinking back many years, I'm surprised by how everyone's reacting to this news. At least before Winnipeg got a team back, Canadian hockey fans seemed mostly bitter about hockey in Arizona. Everyone joked about hockey in the desert and mocked the empty arenas. They claimed that it was just Bettman trying to force hockey into an untapped market. Now it seems like everyone is sad and saying the exact opposite things about how hockey belongs in the desert. Why has there been such a complete change of heart around it? The shift from mockery to sadness seems kind of sudden.
I was today years old when I learned about the NHLs newest team the Salt Lake Sister Wives
In a couple of years, we’re going to look back at this fiasco and wonder why they didn’t pull the plug on such an obvious failure sooner.
What about player contracts with local business for promotions? All null now ?
Pretty sure the arrangements for those sorts of things are pretty loose and flexible. Even without relocation, you can't guarantee a player taking on a local sponsorship bit won't get traded mid-season or retire early.
For everyone saying Arizona shouldn't be given another team think to yourself of why the Jets left Winnipeg in the first place. No matter where this team was to be located the management always found someway to screw people over. This team could've played in Hamilton, Ontario for that matter and still would've had to relocate because anyone who has ever owned this team knew nothing about the sport and never made decisions and deals that didn't leave the city chasing them out of town. Every single place this team has ever called home has chased them out so this is a unique to the team issue, not the state.
End of an era I worked at the arena at 15 only 4 years ago 😂😢
Ownership and management has completely let down this team and the fans. With how badly Bettman has wanted his Arizona pet project to work out, it's frankly baffling how consistently mishandled this franchise it has been.