There is a personal side to relocation and it impacts so many people's lives.
It was reported on Wednesday that the Arizona Coyotes are preparing for the possibility of a move to Salt Lake, Utah as soon as April 18 and that there has been significant and meaningful progress on the relocation to Salt Lake City.
It’s easy to look at the business side of things, but what’s being overlooked is how this move impacts the players and everyone who works for the Coyotes organization.
Coach André Tourigny opened up on the emotions involved with relocation out of Arizona and into Salt Lake City.
“There is a lot of impact because our players love to play in Phoenix. They love to play for each other. That has a huge impact,” Tourigny told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Thursday.
“I’ll tell you where it has the most impact, we have 31 staff members who don’t have a contract for next year. Those guys have families, some have kids in Phoenix and are divorced, some have a wife or a partner who has a job who will now have to make a decision if the team is moving. … Those kinds of things are real, that’s emotion, that’s real life. That’s what we are in.”
The entirety of the Coyotes team heard these shocking rumors while on their five-game road trip.
Despite coming away with a 4-3 victory on Wednesday night against the Vancouver Canucks, imagine how difficult it must be to find out about the likely relocation of the team they represent and also having to worry about how that will affect their families lives.
“We learned the (rumor) in the morning, we addressed it as a team. The guys love each other. They love our group. They love to play for each other,” Tourigny said. “We had a chip on our shoulder … and fortunately for us, we bounced back. I think the boys did a fabulous job to support the people around them and push for each other. The vibe on the bench was phenomenal.
“The guys did not want to quit, they did not want to let anything go. They pushed for each other. That was one of the greatest days in three years, the way the players responded and pushed for each other and really held together. That was great to see that character in our room and that bunch of guys that care for each other.”
Relocation is not a happy thing for many. Players, coaches, other members of the organization and journalists who cover the team all are impacted in major ways.
Some will have to move to Salt Lake City, completely uprooting their life while others will be out of a job.
Nothing is officially set in stone yet, but it’s so sad to see everyone involved with the Coyotes left in the dark as their lives are set to completely change because of a simple business decision.
When reflecting on this whole situation, just remember there is a personal side to all of this and it’s not all sunshine and roses.