A tale of two desert teams, the Vegas Golden Knights and Arizona Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes had another misstep for their hopes of bringing hockey back to Phoenix. How did the Vegas Golden Knights make desert hockey work?
The Vegas Golden Knights have built themselves as the modern model of consistency. They've won a Stanley Cup and made two Stanley Cup Finals appearances in their seven-year history. They have the best winning percentage in playoff history (.600) and have acquired the NHL's best players. That's led to an outpouring of support from Las Vegas, with the city embracing them as their first professional team from the four major leagues. Thank you, Bill Foley!
Compare that to the Arizona Coyotes, whose dreams of a new arena were shattered when the Arizona State Land Management canceled their land auction for June 27. Based in north Phoenix, the land would've given the now-defunct franchise the first step needed to re-enter the NHL.
Multiple sources tell ESPN that the Arizona land auction issue is related to the kind of hockey arena that Alex Meruelo could build there.
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) June 21, 2024
Coyotes said the land was already zoned for an indoor hockey arena, except that was for youth hockey -- not a 17,000-seat NHL arena.
It's one of many missteps from the former NHL team, who've had numerous issues with running their operations. That included bankruptcy, violating conflict of interest laws in their arena lease, and scaling their zoned land wrong. Hey, they can try producing the next Matthew Tkachuk or Auston Matthews, right?
It's as if hockey in the desert is a cursed project. There's no way a freezing-cold game can succeed in an arid temperature. At least, that's what traditional minds want you to believe. The success of the Vegas Golden Knights has blown these same minds. So what made the Golden Knights successful compared to the Arizona Coyotes? How is it that the Coyotes can't do anything right?
The Vegas Golden Knights got the arena right
For one, they had the second-highest crowd capacity in the NHL this regular season (103.6, only behind the Minnesota Wild). Being a wildly successful team will draw a crowd wherever you go, whether it's Las Vegas or Boston. Win big hockey games and the fans will come in droves.
While Arizona can say the same thing, they were in a college hockey arena that seated 4,600 from 2022 to 2024. It's like moving Manchester United to a high school soccer (or football, for all you Europeans) stadium that seats 800 people. It's easy to make such a claim when your middling franchise plays in a bandbox.
So what did Bill Foley and Vegas do? First, they got the arena right on the first try. They got it privately funded and set up on the Las Vegas Strip. Here, it would also be the new de facto home for the UFC, with numerous pay-per-views coming to the place. Even Foley went out of his way to say that tax money was better spent on public services and not stadiums (hear that, John Fisher?).
What about the Arizona Coyotes, who moved from Winnipeg to a stadium with obstructing views? They went to Glendale where they violated conflict of interest laws and got kicked out. Then, Alex Meruelo and company went on to the college hockey arena before selling the team and leaving the scraps. Building a good rapport starts with getting the arena right. That way, ownership isn't scrambling to find a new home every decade. Speaking of ownership...
The Arizona Coyotes had careless ownership
Bill Foley has made a strong commitment to making the Vegas Golden Knights successful. It went beyond the basic promise of a Stanley Cup in six seasons. It was also the charity work done by the team, giving back to the community that embraced them since their inaugural season.
The latest development proves the Alex Meruelo and the Arizona Coyotes didn't think out their zoning properly, killing the bid from the start. Of course, there's also temporarily moving the team to an NCAA hockey arena that doesn't inspire much confidence.
Granted, Arizona's problems stemmed long before Meruelo even stepped foot in the facility. There was the bankruptcy controversy and Wayne Gretzky's short-lived term, which set the team back years. The arena debacles also came long before the former NHL owner bought the team.
Winning franchises always start at the top, with the right ownership steering the ship. That goes for many sports franchises, including the Rooney family (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Joe Lacob (Golden State Warriors). Good owners take big swings and hit home runs for their franchises. That includes...
Getting the right players and coaches matter
A major part of why the Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup last season was due to a great core of players. They had a three-headed monster in Jonathan Marchessault, Mark Stone, and Jack Eichel that contributed much of Vegas's scoring. Add in a good coach in Bruce Cassidy and the team's set for success.
These players came from different avenues, including trades, the NHL Expansion Draft, and free agency signings. It doesn't matter if it was signing Alex Pietrangelo or trading for Stone. The Golden Knights have made a living from making tough decisions and nailing most of them. That's what makes Bill Foley better than most.
Look at the Edmonton Oilers right now. They're on the comeback trail in the Stanley Cup Final and have the Florida Panthers on the ropes. Why? It's because Kris Knoblauch came in on an interim basis and instilled a new psyche in the team. Now, they have Connor McDavid surging towards a Conn Smythe trophy and his first Stanley Cup.
The Arizona Coyotes have continually misused talent or failed to supplement them with superstars. Players like Max Domi and Anthony Duclair never got the chance to flourish with an All-Star leading the way. While Alex Meruelo tried to fix that with Clayton Keller and company, it was too little, too late for the franchise as they moved to Utah.
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