NEW: Bussin' With the Boys Dad Merch CollectionSHOP NOW

Advertisement

First Look At The Coyotes Home At Arizona State's 5000 Seat Rink Is Even Worse Than It Sounded

I feel bad for the real hockey fans in Arizona, of which there are probably 7. I am embarrassed for the NHL. What are we doing here? It's an absolute joke that the best the NHL could do in this situation is borrow a college rink for a few years as the Coyotes try to find a new home after being evicted from their arena in Glendale. 

I don't even really blame the fans or the lack of fans for this. The Coyotes have been mismanaged the entire time they've been in Arizona which is going on almost THIRTY YEARS now. A seemingly endless carousel of owners, teams consistently in the bottom of the league, and no true stars since they had Keith Tkachuk and Jeremy Roenick at the start of their run in Arizona in the late 90s. How are you supposed to foster a loyal fan base under those circumstances? You can't. I feel bad for the fans that are loyal, but the greater hockey world and the NHLPA deserve to have one of the 32 franchises in a place where it's possible to draw better than 5000 per night. That rink legitimately looks like Fox Valley Ice Arena in Geneva, IL where the Chicago Steel play in the USHL. I bet there are literally 12 cities that would have more fans and would be a better home than what the Coyotes have had in Arizona. 

Advertisement

This proposed stadium and entertainment center in Tempe looks sweet

But the Coyotes have tried the "if you build it they will come" approach in Arizona before and it hasn't worked. The Coyotes have lost an estimated $200M in the last 15 years. How long can the NHL and Bettman subsidize one of their 32 teams before someone steps in and says enough is enough? It's time to give some other city a chance. Quebec, Houston, Kansas City, Salt Lake, Portland, or fucking Saskatoon...I don't care. It's just time to give a hockey team a hockey stadium and hockey fans.