Coyotes Moving to ASU's Mullett Arena for 2022-23 Season

[MTH]

I wasn't aware that the NHL Phoenix Coyotes are leaving their current arena at the end of this season and moving to the new hockey rink on the ASU campus. What the heck?

The ASU Arena looks nice. But an NHL team playing in a 5,000 seat college rink?

Is this real life? Personally, I'm for it. The NHL needs to figure out what it's doing. They're being ran like K-Mart. Commissioner Batman must have read Eddie Lempert's book and liked what he read. Maybe they need to fall apart and rebuild the league.

This is embarrassing for the NHL.

As someone who loved the NHL since I was a kid in the 80s; it's unreal to think that the league is now spiraling down like this today. The league grew so much in the 90s and 2000s. Everyone was loving it. New cities, new teams... to this?

Maybe this is what is needed. 

If anything, the players are basically college age in the NHL anyway. Being on campus will be cool for them. 

Coyotes could start a frat house on campus. You thought the movie Old School was funny? This is better. Millionaire 20 year olds living the life on campus. And not some northern college with crappy weather...

Can't wait to see how this goes.

Edited September 20, 2022 by MTH

[insertnamehere]

Not only are they playing in a college arena, I believe they will have to take a backseat when it comes to scheduling priority because it's not their facility. 

I agree that for a young, single player this would be amazing. You get a sort of college experience while making tons of money. Don't forget the condoms 

[WillyGrips13]

That franchise has been mismanaged for a while. All too often these owners use these teams as a piece in a larger real estate deal that is their pet project. I think that’s how this franchise ended up in Glendale. And it was a disaster. Would have been interesting to see if this franchise would have had financial success in a building built in Phoenix or at least near it. I don’t understand the vetting process for owners, but it needs to improve. 

Edited April 29, 2022 by WillyGrips13

[Snowman30]

It's completely stupid how desperate the NHL with Gary Bettman has become with the Coyotes, the team isn't working move them to market that wants a team. I can tell you Bettman was pissed off royally when the Thrashers blew up in his face and were sold and moved back to Winnipeg. Made him look bad, let alone add another team back in Canada. That's was one of his bright ideas to put a team in Atlanta and it blew up on his face the same way ever year the Coyotes are doing. They have had more owners, and been kicked out of more Arenas/City's then any other team in the league but Bettman keeps saving them cause he doesn't want another one of his mistakes to blow up again and make him look bad. Honestly how long till the owners of the league who seem to be supporting this idea of his say enough, we aren't funding this team anymore.

Edited April 29, 2022 by Snowman30

[coopaloop1234]

You guys want another good laugh? Check out these ticket prices for their games. 

The Coyotes are running the risk of not even being able to sell out a 5,000 capacity arena while the NCAA team will have no issues. 

Time to give up Bettman. 

[motowngoalie]

This whole thing is just....incomprehensible. The 'Yotes won't even be able to have their logo at center ice because of NCAA restrictions. From what I've read elsewhere, their ownership has a sportsbook (along with their casino biz) so they don't anticipate a dropoff in revenue. Can't say I understand it all, but it's a pretty big black eye for the league, IMO.

All that aside, their new arena plans in Scottsdale haven't even been approved yet, so who knows how long this goes on. Man, what a shitshow.

[MTH]

Read that they could only approve a 3 year run there. But they can add more years.

YEARS?

Since it's NCAA - no betting at the rink (for now). 

[MTH]

36 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

You guys want another good laugh? Check out these ticket prices for their games. 

The Coyotes are running the risk of not even being able to sell out a 5,000 capacity arena while the NCAA team will have no issues. 

Time to give up Bettman. 

Are they even planning to offer single game tickets? No NHL team should be able to with a rink of just 5000 seats. But this isn't the Rangers here.

[mr_shifty1982]

I knew of this change but didn't want to believe it, I was thinking at that time WHAT, a 5,000 thousand capacity sitting arena? hmmmm must be a joke right?

Tell me it's a joke?

They need another team in Canada, I think it's time for a move.  How can this even last? Is it manageable? I think not.

[MTH]

When the Lightning first started playing, they played for one year at Expo Hall on the fairgrounds. It was way too small and looked so odd with NHL teams in it..

Was twice the size of the ASU rink.

The Cow Palace:

Even bigger than Expo Hall.

The ASU rink has to be the smallest facility to host regular season NHL games since the telephone was invented.

[bunnyman666]

The plug needs to be pulled on Arizona. Put them in KC or in Quebec City or even Saskatoon. 

[johncho]

3 hours ago, motowngoalie said:

This whole thing is just....incomprehensible. The 'Yotes won't even be able to have their logo at center ice because of NCAA restrictions. From what I've read elsewhere, their ownership has a sportsbook (along with their casino biz) so they don't anticipate a dropoff in revenue. Can't say I understand it all, but it's a pretty big black eye for the league, IMO.

How the f is it not considered a conflict of interest to own both a sports team and a gambling business that makes money on the very outcome of that sports team?

It could have been so easy to sell tickets, have them do like a 10+10 promotion where you get 10 NHL tickets and 10 ASU tickets as a package promotion or something similar to absolutely pack the place and get people to come hang outside and tailgate. Show the fans a good time and then make the money off the concession and beer. 

[MTH]

On 4/29/2022 at 1:17 PM, bunnyman666 said:

The plug needs to be pulled on Arizona. Put them in KC or in Quebec City or even Saskatoon. 

So odd that the league is maintaining this team like this - adding new teams in other markets... yet Quebec is still not good enough?

[insertnamehere]

15 minutes ago, MTH said:

So odd that the league is maintaining this team like this - adding new teams in other markets... yet Quebec is still not good enough?

Too many degens from upcountry out that way. 

[Naz]

1 hour ago, insertnamehere said:

Too many degens from upcountry out that way. 

but there's good fishin' in Kee-Beck.

[bunnyman666]

1 hour ago, MTH said:

So odd that the league is maintaining this team like this - adding new teams in other markets... yet Quebec is still not good enough?

Auston Matthews grew up a bit in Arizona, and Bettman uses that to justify this coddling of this franchise.

[mr_shifty1982]

2 hours ago, bunnyman666 said:

Auston Matthews grew up a bit in Arizona, and Bettman uses that to justify this coddling of this franchise.

Batman needs to get an idea.

[ilyazhito]

36 minutes ago, mr_shifty1982 said:

Batman needs to get an idea.

#DumpButtman

Perhaps Batman as commissioner won't be a bad idea, compared to this clown. 

[MTH]

19 minutes ago, ilyazhito said:

#DumpButtman

Perhaps Batman as commissioner won't be a bad idea, compared to this clown. 

The news don't cover all the Biden things he says. But our President, while nicely hosting the NHL and the Lightning at the White House last week, called Bettman "Commissioner Gary Batman" during the presentation and didn't realize what he did when everyone was laughing at him. It was funny.

[MTH]

Back in the day, the WHA had teams that moved around. The New York Golden Blades had to come south and play games at the Cherry Hill Arena in South Jersey just outside Philly. This arena was so small, that they lacked locker rooms for the teams to use and the players had to get dressed at their hotel and bus to the game. 

This place was located just down the road from where the Flyers currently practice in Vorhees, NJ.

Quote

The Cherry Hill Arena was an indoor arena located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, built in 1959.[1] It was originally known as the Ice House and renamed the Delaware Valley Gardens before assuming its most familiar name. The arena, which seated 4,416, was the home of the short-lived Jersey Larks of the Eastern Hockey League in 1960-61 and hosted occasional home games of the NBA Philadelphia Warriors. In 1964 EHL hockey returned to the arena in the form of the Jersey Devils, who would be the arena's longest-lasting tenants, surviving until the EHL folded in 1973. Early in the 1973–1974 hockey season, the New York Golden Blades of the World Hockey Association moved to the arena and played there as the New Jersey Knights for the rest of the season.[2] Sports Illustrated later described Cherry Hill Arena as "perhaps the worst facility" used by any WHA team, noting that it lacked showers in the dressing room for visiting teams, who had to dress at a Holiday Inn two miles away, and that the arena's ice surface was not even level, giving the home team a distinct home advantage as the visitors would have to skate uphill to the opponent's goal.[3]

By 1978 the arena had been renamed The Centrum.[1] The Jersey Aces of the Northeastern Hockey League began the 1978-79 season as tenants at the Centrum, but moved to Hampton, Virginia, after a handful of home games.

The Cherry Hill Arena was demolished in the 1980s and replaced by a shopping center, the main tenant of which was – at different times – a Kmart and three grocery stores, a Super G, Stop & Shop, and lastly a Hung Vuong Food Market (Former Shoprite). Another shopping center, called the Centrum Shops, uses the arena's final name but is located across Brace Road from the arena site. The Arena was owned by David Baird IV, CEO of Haddonfield Lumber.

This is where the NHL is heading with the Yotes.

[A.YOUNGoalie13]

The league has so much money but refuse to help a struggling franchise. But then they complain that they are struggling? Use your millions maybe?

[MTH]

10 minutes ago, A.YOUNGoalie13 said:

The league has so much money but refuse to help a struggling franchise. But then they complain that they are struggling? Use your millions maybe?

The NHL is a non-profit.

[bunnyman666]

21 minutes ago, A.YOUNGoalie13 said:

The league has so much money but refuse to help a struggling franchise. But then they complain that they are struggling? Use your millions maybe?

The NHL is embarrassing at this point with the ‘yotes. Sure, they weren’t doing wonderful as the Jets, but it appears that the Thrasherjets are getting plenty of bums in seats. And I have heard more than one grumble of getting ANOTHER team in Atlanta. Wow. 
 
Oddly- the OG ‘yotes/Winnipeg Jets WERE a WHA team @MTH, so this would be par for the course.

Edited May 4, 2022 by bunnyman666

[The Teal Terror]

I can’t say much on the topic as an Englishman, but I reckon give it time and if the coyotes don’t make up the numbers, they’ll get moved and rebranded. I think an extra Canadian team is overdue.

[coopaloop1234]

13 minutes ago, The Teal Terror said:

I can’t say much on the topic as an Englishman, but I reckon give it time and if the coyotes don’t make up the numbers, they’ll get moved and rebranded. I think an extra Canadian team is overdue.

Coyotes haven't had numbers their entire existence. 

It's why everyone is dumbfounded at the notion of them still existing. Bettman and Co. are so hellbent on making this work they're willing to have them be a second fiddle to a NCAA team. 

It's crazy.