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Around SBN: Despite Relocation Drama, Coyotes Overcome Adversity

Players, Fans and Supporters in Limbo Long Enough

The Coyotes mid-season slide in the standings has not helped, but the fact that we are now approaching the end of January and the All-Star break and still there has been no news of a possible offer on the purchase of the Coyotes, is extremely concerning.

This drama has gone on long enough. The fans are out there - some watching the games at jobing.com and many more watching the games on TV. Should there be more fans in the seats? Absolutely!! It's a solid team, with good coaching, in a great building, with tickets priced very competitively. Do I think the location of the new arena could have been better placed in a more appropriate location? Possibly. The Westgate Center is a fantastic development...and the location certainly hasn't had any adverse affect on the Arizona Cardinals. People will debate that....but it is what it is. Debating it is not going to help the future of the Coyotes in Arizona.

It's hard for many fans to "invest" their time, energy, money and passion in a product that may or may not be there next season. Since moving the team to Glendale the team's first problem was not getting to the playoffs, then their problem was ownership and bankruptcy issues. Hockey can be successful in Arizona, and its about time intelligent investors and fans realize that the numbers at jobing.com are an effect of a deeper cause, that can be remedied over time - starting with players, fans and supporters of the Coyotes knowing their team is here to stay!

Let's support our team as they fight towards a playoff spot during the remainder of the season. Let's get out to the games, fill up jobing.com and send a clear message that we, the fans, are here....but we need a little more "commitment" in return.

Poll
With the ownership issue resolved, and knowing the Coyotes were here to stay, would you be more likely to attend games at jobing.com?
YES
42 votes
NO
8 votes

50 votes | Poll has closed

Five for Howling is a fan community that allows members to post their own thoughts and opinions on the Phoenix Coyotes and hockey in general. These views and thoughts may not be shared by the editor(s) of Five for Howling

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I don't think it's that simple

Even if we sold out the rest of the season, we would finish with an average attendance of 14,265, which would move us from 30th in the league to 28th. 100% attendance for the entire season would place us 19th on the list, as current numbers go. Two things would have to happen in order to really make this a palatable option for an owner. First, the Coyotes ticket revenues would have to improve, and second, the TV ratings for Coyotes games would have to improve. Both are very difficult to do alone, and even tougher simultaneously, as the more expensive tickets get, the more likely you’re just going to watch the game at home. But if they don’t raise ticket prices (and they already did slightly this year), than they’re going to continue to run deep in the red, which is what I think scares off potential buyers. Hulsizer’s bid suggests exactly what I think: most investors are intrigued by the upside of the Valley, it’s how long the bridge from $25 million losses to black ink lasts that’s the problem.

Will the team move? My heart says yes, which is a shame because it’s going to vindicate all of those pompous windbags up North who prognosticate about hockey in the desert without getting off their asses and seeing it in person. If there’s a ray of sunshine to be found in any of this, it’s this: if Phoenix loses it’s NHL team, I don’t think it’s going to be gone for good. It’s too big a market with too much potential for the NHL to simply give up on.

Living proof that hockey fans CAN be born in the desert.

by AhwatukeeCoyote on Jan 23, 2012 7:19 PM MST reply actions  

Also

Welcome to the site! Sorry to write a mini-essay but I occasionally need to vent.

Living proof that hockey fans CAN be born in the desert.

by AhwatukeeCoyote on Jan 23, 2012 7:20 PM MST up reply actions  

Location

People will debate the location of the arena, but you cannot compare the Cardinals attendance to the Coyotes, simply because there is a huge difference in playing 8 games a year on Sunday afternoon, as opposed to 40 often during the work week at night. There simply is no comparison, it’s a long, rush hour impacted drive for the majority of us.

This past Sunday I drove out to the Carnival and it took me 30 minutes from North Scottsdale with zero traffic, now if I do that same trek on say a Monday during rush hour, it’s a ridiculous commute because the 101 is packed west bound. So in my opinion, there really is no debate about the location, it was a horrible idea and I think more planning should have gone into it. Having said all that, jobing.com is a great arena, just in a bad location.

With no owner news, it’s not hard to see the writing on the wall, unless something happens very quickly. However, I think the Glendale City Council should accept whatever deal they may get, as long as it doesn’t involve selling bonds or anything that would give Darcy and Clint a reason to get in the news.

by Mike245 on Jan 24, 2012 8:52 AM MST reply actions  

agreed

I have a hard time believing the CoG is going to let them leave if the lease offer avoids any legal hurdles.

Living proof that hockey fans CAN be born in the desert.

by AhwatukeeCoyote on Jan 24, 2012 11:31 AM MST via Android app up reply actions  

Here's my problem with this argument

I grew up in rural long island over an hour outside of Manhattan by train. If we wanted to go to a Rangers game, it was an hour and twenty minutes by train each way. The drive would easily have taken an hour and a half or more plus finding parking and everything else. But people still went and went often to games.
I think folks here are a bit spoiled by the apparent convenience of the downtown stadiums. There is certainly rush hour traffic that is bad (and I maintain that moving weeknight start times to 7:30 would alleviate this considerably), but it’s just an excuse for some folks that don’t want to go.
I lived in Ahwatukee for three years with season tickets and we made the drive every game. We would generally take backstreets from my office in the arts district and get to the game in 30-40 minutes. Any arena location would inconvenience some people. But fans will show up from Gilbert or Chandler or Apache Junction if they really want to go. The problem is that for most folks they just don’t really want to go and we need to change that mentality. Because honestly an hour drive to an arena with free parking and great amenities isn’t really that bad.

Support Coyotes Hockey - Five For Howling
(Oh, and go Philly teams as well!)

by Jordan Ellel on Jan 25, 2012 8:23 PM MST via iPhone app up reply actions  

True, but

I also think the Rangers have had more time to cultivate a loyal fanbase than the Coyotes have. Will the diehards like you and me (I currently live in Ahwatukee so I know what that commute is like) go? Absolutely. Will the people who are just getting into hockey, or who are casual/bandwagon fans go? Not if they don’t believe the team has a legitimate chance of winning every night, especially when they can just watch the game from home on an HDTV. Given time and with more success people will show up: we saw that at the end of the 09-10 season and the 10-11 season. Unfortunately we may not have enough time to right the ship before the NHL or whoever owns the franchise has to pull the plug.

Living proof that hockey fans CAN be born in the desert.

by AhwatukeeCoyote on Jan 26, 2012 8:34 AM MST up reply actions  

I agree completely. They need stability and a few years of sustained success and a playoff round victory.

But my point is more that it wouldn’t matter if the stadium was in Mesa, Scottsdale, Ahwatukee or downtown – folks will find excuses not to go if they don’t want to. With the way Phoenix is laid out, it’s always going to inconvenience some people. Glendale isn’t ideal maybe, but it’s blown way out of proportion how much of a problem the location is.

Support Coyotes Hockey - Five For Howling
(Oh, and go Philly teams as well!)

by Jordan Ellel on Jan 26, 2012 7:24 PM MST via iPhone app up reply actions  

I live in Tucson,

so my opportunities to get to jobing.com are few and far between. That said, it makes no difference to me. If it was unresolved and the were relocating, I would still show up if I could

I still maintain COG and GWI let our best, and maybe only reliable chance leave last year.

I talked to a friend in Portland and he said the Blazers owner does not want to share his arena so that rules out that city at least… I am not jumping ship.

Per Mare, Per Terras

by justin1985 on Jan 25, 2012 11:37 AM MST reply actions  

True

But, did you read about the Hulsizer deal with St. Louis that fell through. Apparently he had trouble coming up with his share of the cash down payment, which was about 35 million, while his partner had no trouble coming up his 35 million. So the NHL pulled the deal and offerred the sale instead to the existing minority owner of the team.

by Mike245 on Jan 25, 2012 4:15 PM MST up reply actions  

That was what I expected to happen with Hulsizer. Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s a very passionate hockey fan and a good businessman, but I suspected that his bid wasn’t very sound, especially with how much money in municipal bonds he was asking the COG to put up.

Living proof that hockey fans CAN be born in the desert.

by AhwatukeeCoyote on Jan 25, 2012 5:17 PM MST up reply actions  

If fans are using the excuse that Glendale is too far out to attend games then thats a joke. If my wife and I can travel down from Canada 4 times a year and attend at least 2 games each time then certainly a true fan shouldn’t have a problem making a 45-90 minute drive. We make that drive from East Mesa as well and its well worth it. Free parking is unheard of at pro sports venues and the restaurants are great. We’re doing our part from up here attending about 25% of the games so lets do what we can to fill those seats.

by bcyotesfan on Jan 28, 2012 1:53 PM MST reply actions  

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