The Arizona Coyotes’ prolonged search for a new arena has raised some questions on whether the desert is even the right place for a professional hockey team. Could Arizona be a strong hockey market in the future? @DAL Postgame_Bear Despite the Coyotes’ arena situation not going exactly the way the NHL would have maybe hoped for, Commissioner Gary Bettman still believes hockey will thrive in the Valley. “We would have preferred to be in a new arena by now,” Bettman said. [https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/32-thoughts-whats-next-for-the-arizona-coyotes/] “We would have preferred the referendum in Tempe went the other way, but it didn’t. So we deal with what we can deal with. Having said that, we believe that Arizona, particularly the greater Phoenix area, is a good NHL market.” Sports Business Journal also recently ranked Phoenix as the ninth best sports city for hosting events which just shows the potential the Coyotes could have if they just remain in Arizona. It’s easy to point fingers on why the Coyotes have had somewhat of a rocky tenure thus far in Arizona since moving to the Valley in 1996, but there is one simple solution that will fix everything. Winning cures all problems and the Coyotes haven't done a whole lot of that recently as they have only made the playoffs once since 2013. Competing for the playoffs will cause a domino effect. The team will start winning, there will be more media attention, fans will begin to take notice and hop on the bandwagon, which will create a healthy environment, causing Arizona to be a desirable destination for players. The Coyotes are looking to pursue land in north Phoenix through an auction that will likely take place in June. Securing a new arena will spark a fresh era for a Coyotes team that is already beginning to grow with all the young talent general manager Bill Armstrong has acquired through the past few years of their rebuild. Arizona has the potential to be a fantastic hockey market, but the team must become competitive in order for anything to actually change.
