Arizona Coyotes players apparently told team moving to Salt Lake

[elsmere241]

This is the only non-Utah source I could find: https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/2891550

[LilianaUwU]

There's a city with a $400M arena waiting for them over here. Why go to the Mormons?

[KeithE4Phx]

This is the only non-Utah source I could find: https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/2891550

Here's a Phoenix source:  https://arizonasports.com/story/3539412/arizona-coyotes-moving-utah-relocation-salt-lake-city-nhl/

KMVP-FM's John Gambadoro first broke the news last week.  As usual, he was right.  It's also not in any way surprising. 

The Coyotes have gone from one incompetent owner to another since they arrived from Winnipeg in 1996.  Lame-duck owner Alex Meruelo has been blowing smoke ever since they got kicked out of Glendale about building a new arena.  Trouble is, he wants to be in or near the north Snobsdale/Paradise Valley area, where 90% of the Phoenix metro's wealth is.  Snobsdale made it clear 25 years ago that "that element" (less wealthy, blue collar hockey fans) will never be welcome in their city.  They said so again with this new proposal.  The land is inside the Phoenix city limits, but it butts up with Snobsdale.  Not allowed.

Glendale was never the right home, but the owner at the time, Steve Ellman, owned land there, brought the Cardinals into the project, and it's been successful for everything other than hockey.  Glendale and the west valley are also too poor and either too Hispanic (west Phoenix) or too old (Sun Cities) to support hockey.

Mesa is where the hockey fans are, but not only are most of my fellow Mesa residents not wealthy enough for the most part, but no public money would be available.  We believe that billionaires should build their own facilities.  Tempe said the same thing in a public vote last year.

So the Coyotes are headed for Utah.

Now, if Alex Meruelo thinks he'll get an expansion franchise here, he's delusional.  His credibility is now completely shot.  He has to win an auction for the land on June 27, and I can see a lot of rich folks getting together to make sure that doesn't happen.  That is, even if he just doesn't quietly drop the idea, take his $1.2B from the Utah Jazz owners, and high-tail it out of town.  Preferably tomorrow.

Maybe someone will attempt to secure an expansion franchise and a decent site for an arena, but I seriously doubt it'll be Meruelo.

[KeithE4Phx]

There's a city with a $400M arena waiting for them over here. Why go to the Mormons?

Quebec City metro population:  Under a million.
SLC/Ogden/Provo metro population:  Close to 3 million.

Do the math.

[LilianaUwU]

There's a city with a $400M arena waiting for them over here. Why go to the Mormons?

Quebec City metro population:  Under a million.
SLC/Ogden/Provo metro population:  Close to 3 million.

Do the math.

Considering Atlanta has 6 million and couldn't keep a team, I don't think it matters.

[KeithE4Phx]

There's a city with a $400M arena waiting for them over here. Why go to the Mormons?

Quebec City metro population:  Under a million.
SLC/Ogden/Provo metro population:  Close to 3 million.

Do the math.

Considering Atlanta has 6 million and couldn't keep a team, I don't think it matters.

They couldn't keep two teams.  Atlanta is just not a hockey market.  Phoenix can be, if done right.  Lots of residents and winter visitors who came here from not only the US midwest, but western Canada.  Hockey country.  In 28 years of inept owners, they never did it right.

[Henry]

There's a city with a $400M arena waiting for them over here. Why go to the Mormons?

Quebec City metro population:  Under a million.
SLC/Ogden/Provo metro population:  Close to 3 million.

Do the math.

Considering Atlanta has 6 million and couldn't keep a team, I don't think it matters.

They couldn't keep two teams.  Atlanta is just not a hockey market.  Phoenix can be, if done right.  Lots of residents and winter visitors who came here from not only the US midwest, but western Canada.  Hockey country.  In 28 years of inept owners, they never did it right.

You know what the crazy part is? The Utah (name to be determined later) will be the new next-door neighbors to the team formerly known as the Quebec Nordiques. Plus, the new Winnipeg Jets started out as the Atlanta Thrashers, so there you go.

[LilianaUwU]

They couldn't keep two teams.  Atlanta is just not a hockey market.  Phoenix can be, if done right.  Lots of residents and winter visitors who came here from not only the US midwest, but western Canada.  Hockey country.  In 28 years of inept owners, they never did it right.

The snowbirds won't go to Salt Lake City, that's for sure.

[jeffandnicole]

They couldn't keep two teams.  Atlanta is just not a hockey market.  Phoenix can be, if done right.  Lots of residents and winter visitors who came here from not only the US midwest, but western Canada.  Hockey country.  In 28 years of inept owners, they never did it right.

The snowbirds won't go to Salt Lake City, that's for sure.

Salt Lake City Snowbirds sounds like a good team name.

Especially since the Jazz is already taken.

[LilianaUwU]

Salt Lake City Snowbirds sounds like a good team name.

I won't accept any name for that team other than this and the Latter-Day Saints.

[epzik8]

They couldn't keep two teams.  Atlanta is just not a hockey market.  Phoenix can be, if done right.  Lots of residents and winter visitors who came here from not only the US midwest, but western Canada.  Hockey country.  In 28 years of inept owners, they never did it right.

From what I've observed over the past decade, it almost seems as if Phoenix officials themselves were trying to sabotage the team.

[SEWIGuy]

There's a city with a $400M arena waiting for them over here. Why go to the Mormons?

Quebec City metro population:  Under a million.
SLC/Ogden/Provo metro population:  Close to 3 million.

Do the math.

Considering Atlanta has 6 million and couldn't keep a team, I don't think it matters.

They couldn't keep two teams.  Atlanta is just not a hockey market.  Phoenix can be, if done right.  Lots of residents and winter visitors who came here from not only the US midwest, but western Canada.  Hockey country.  In 28 years of inept owners, they never did it right.

You know what the crazy part is? The Utah (name to be determined later) will be the new next-door neighbors to the team formerly known as the Quebec Nordiques. Plus, the new Winnipeg Jets started out as the Atlanta Thrashers, so there you go.

Isn't there a lot of concern over the long term viability of the Jets in Winnipeg?

[Road Hog]

Utah's total state population is barely 3 million. I think they just passed Arkansas, Kansas and Iowa and got passed themselves by Nevada. But they already have the Jazz so they've been a major league state for years.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Salt Lake City was the one who committed to it, so that's why they're getting the Coyotes. Kansas City, Houston, Atlanta, wherever didn't show the same level of interest/commitment. Just being larger doesn't matter if you're not committed to it.

[brad2971]

This is the only non-Utah source I could find: https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/2891550

Here's a Phoenix source:  https://arizonasports.com/story/3539412/arizona-coyotes-moving-utah-relocation-salt-lake-city-nhl/

KMVP-FM's John Gambadoro first broke the news last week.  As usual, he was right.  It's also not in any way surprising. 

The Coyotes have gone from one incompetent owner to another since they arrived from Winnipeg in 1996.  Lame-duck owner Alex Meruelo has been blowing smoke ever since they got kicked out of Glendale about building a new arena.  Trouble is, he wants to be in or near the north Snobsdale/Paradise Valley area, where 90% of the Phoenix metro's wealth is.  Snobsdale made it clear 25 years ago that "that element" (less wealthy, blue collar hockey fans) will never be welcome in their city.  They said so again with this new proposal.  The land is inside the Phoenix city limits, but it butts up with Snobsdale.  Not allowed.

Glendale was never the right home, but the owner at the time, Steve Ellman, owned land there, brought the Cardinals into the project, and it's been successful for everything other than hockey.  Glendale and the west valley are also too poor and either too Hispanic (west Phoenix) or too old (Sun Cities) to support hockey.

Mesa is where the hockey fans are, but not only are most of my fellow Mesa residents not wealthy enough for the most part, but no public money would be available.  We believe that billionaires should build their own facilities.  Tempe said the same thing in a public vote last year.

So the Coyotes are headed for Utah.

Now, if Alex Meruelo thinks he'll get an expansion franchise here, he's delusional.  His credibility is now completely shot.  He has to win an auction for the land on June 27, and I can see a lot of rich folks getting together to make sure that doesn't happen.  That is, even if he just doesn't quietly drop the idea, take his $1.2B from the Utah Jazz owners, and high-tail it out of town.  Preferably tomorrow.

Maybe someone will attempt to secure an expansion franchise and a decent site for an arena, but I seriously doubt it'll be Meruelo.

It says quite a bit about the NHL and how they mismanaged the Phoenix market that the West Valley, which was able to support (in its own way) the Arizona Cardinals, a downtown district around Desert Diamond Arena, and the new Desert Diamond Casino, was more unwilling than unable to support the Arizona Coyotes. It says even more about the NHL that, despite their current financial success, they're willing to let a team move to a metro area where there is very little guarantee that the taxpayers will finance a replacement Delta Center just so that it can support hockey as well as basketball, especially when there is already a place that can seat 10000 for hockey (Maverik Center, in West Valley City).

[SectorZ]

Utah Skinwalkers for a name, please.

[mgk920]

The Stingers playing in the Beehive?



Mike

[Road Hog]

https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordfinder/classic/ends/all/-1/zz/1

[1995hoo]

Utah Youths. (With apologies to Mr. Gambini.)

[epzik8]

https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordfinder/classic/ends/all/-1/zz/1

Utah Rizz

[Henry]

Here's a new twist in the planned move: The Coyotes' property (name, logo, colors, etc.) will remain in Arizona, as the Utah team will have a new identity in place. In addition, it will be reused for an expansion team in the future, given how much the state has embraced the sport ever since the old Jets arrived from Winnipeg back in 1996. I think a 34th franchise will be established at the same time (mainly because the league won't want an odd number of teams again), but we'll see if it comes to pass in five years.

[JayhawkCO]

Re: population of Utah and other things:

Manitoba has a population of 1.4 million.

[formulanone]

Gonna be disappointed if it's not the Utah Saints.

[Hunty2022]

https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordfinder/classic/ends/all/-1/zz/1

How bout the Utah Razzmatazz?

[thspfc]

Gonna be disappointed if it's not the Utah Saints.

I think you'll get your wish eventually, but in the form of an NFL team instead. The Louisiana Superdome's years are numbered and I just don't see the Saints wanting to, or even being able to, build a new stadium in New Orleans. If hockey succeeds in Salt Lake, well, we saw what happened in Vegas. The Golden Knights did well, the Raiders and A's followed them.

Utah Skinwalkers for a name, please.

The Stingers playing in the Beehive?



Mike

I love both of these.

Hopefully it's not something stupid like Kraken.