It’s sad for the fans of Arizona to see the NHL move on, but a new start in Utah is the promise of a brighter future
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Razing Arizona - Apr. 22, 2024 – Vol. 77, Issue 12 - Ryan Kennedy
WE HAD A LOT of fun with this issue, looking back with a nostalgic eye to the 1990s. But as we were wrapping up, news came down that the Arizona Coyotes would be moving to Utah. I’m torn, because I’m excited about the prospect of NHL hockey in Salt Lake City – they have fast-food spots dedicated entirely to combining soda-p
At the same time, Arizona will now be taken off the NHL map. In a strange bit of coincidence, the Coyotes arrived in the desert in the 1990s – specifically 1996, when the Winnipeg Jets left in search of a more viable financial situation. Needless to say, this was traumatic for Winnipeg fans, leaving a psychic wound that remained raw until the Atlanta Thrashers needed a new home in 2011 (boy, this turned into a downer of a rabbit hole rather quickly, didn’t it?) and the NHL returned to Manitoba in the form of Jets 2.0.
Arizona has taken a lot of flak from the hockey world over the years, and, sure, a lot of it was self-inflicted. Various owners put in various amounts of effort to make things viable, and the door is still open for a return to the area in the future. But for now, I think about the fans and the game itself. While attendance was never robust in Arizona, facilities were constantly an issue. Back in the Glendale days, most fans had to brave brutal traffic and distance to get to the rink, as the building simply wasn’t where the people lived.
With Mullett Arena, the Coyotes were tenants to the Arizona State Sun Devils and their sparkling new digs – albeit with limited seating, as awesome for college hockey but not ideal for an NHL franchise. I’m actually bummed out I never got a chance to see an NHL game at Mullett, because it did sound like an experience you had to take in at least once, but hey, I also wouldn’t mind checking out the Sun Devils there some day, so you never know…
AS FOR UTAH, I WISH THEM THE BEST. JUST THE POTENTIAL ALONE IS INTRIGUING FOR A MARKET THAT HAS HOSTED PRO HOCKEY FOR DECADES
How big could the Coyotes’ fan base have expanded with more appropriate conditions? That’s the billion-dollar question. I’ve spoken to diehards before, and they were just as invested in their team as someone who followed the Bruins or Oilers. Unfortunately, they never reached critical mass.
As for the grassroots, we’ve already seen what can grow in the desert with a little bit of sunlight. Auston Matthews will go down as one of the greatest American players of all-time – perhaps even the greatest if he keeps up his goal-scoring heroics – and he was famously raised on Coyotes hockey. Toronto Maple Leafs teammate Matthew Knies is also a local kid who made good, growing up an Arizona fan and wearing No. 89 at the University of Minnesota because his favorite player was Mikkel Boedker. Cutter Gauthier, who just signed his entry-level deal with the Anaheim Ducks, learned how to play hockey in Arizona, as did Coyotes rookie Josh Doan (though his origin story probably speaks for itself).
The hope now must be that all the great programs and youth coaches who helped these players get to the top continue to have an impact. Having an NCAA program at Arizona State certainly benefits the hockey community and gives local kids something to shoot for, while the snowbird population of the state can help, too. Coaching and volunteer work is crucial to the grassroots game, and as long as those folks (both imported and local) keep up their great contributions, the sport doesn’t have to wither.
From St. Louis to Florida, we’ve seen what an NHL franchise can mean for an area, as players retire but stick around town to coach or manage or even just to raise their phenom kids – take the Tkachuks or Jakob Chychrun, for example.
As for Utah, I wish them the best. Just the potential alone is intriguing for a market that has hosted pro hockey for decades already. Heck, they could even call themselves the Salt Lake City Eagles in honor of the old Golden Eagles, who last played in the IHL in 1993-94 (you’d have to modify it since the Knights in Vegas are Golden already). Or, and I’m not kidding here, they could call themselves the Utah Saints, which was also the name of a British DJ duo who rose to prominence in, you guessed it, the 1990s with the Kate Bush-sampled song “Something Good.” There’s your goal song right there.
