Here is a look at some of the financial struggles Alex Meruelo and the Coyotes dealt with.
For the Arizona Coyotes on the ice this season everything seemed normal, but behind the scenes there was a lot going on with the organization that many people might not know of.
It was clear that under the ownership of Alex Meruelo, the Coyotes weren’t exactly thriving financially as they were playing at Mullett Arena in Tempe which holds just a capacity of about 5,000 people.
The extent of how bad things reportedly got financially for Meruelo is mind boggling.
“The team's creative accounting was a constant source of concern around the league,” Emily Kaplan and Greg Wyshynski wrote in an ESPN article. “There were incidents over the years of the Coyotes skimping on money. The Coyotes would try to stay at lesser hotels than the collective bargaining agreement stipulates. Ownership tried cutting corners when they could, like removing the printer and copying machine from the coaches' room.
“Multiple sources told ESPN that the Coyotes were either late paying their hotel bills or sometimes just crossed out the total and paid a different amount. Other sources indicated local businesses would come to the team seeking payments, would be offered a fraction of what was owed and then would be negotiated down to take less than what was actually owed.”
Meruelo referenced his lengthy career in business to hint at the contrary regarding his inability to pay bills.
“Having been in business for 40 years, you wouldn't be around if you didn't pay your bills. That's all I want to say about that,” Meruelo said.
With the Coyotes relocating to Salt Lake City and Ryan Smith taking control of the franchise, the days of being pressed for money should be over.
Upon the completion of the sale to bring the Coyotes to Utah, Smith traveled to Arizona where he met members of the team for the first time and even took some of the players golfing.
Despite being forced to relocate to a totally new environment, Smith provides a sense of hope and stability for these players which is something that couldn’t be said with the previous ownership group.