The NHL and Arizona Coyotes are preparing for possible relocation to Salt Lake City, per multiple sources. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman join the show to discuss this report and how we reached this point so late in the process with the Arizona State Land Department set for June 27.
Craig, Petey and Leah also discuss the impact this decision could have on staff members, fans and the future of hockey in Arizona.
0:00 Intro
1:30 Frank Seravalli joins the podcast
14:00 What about the move to Salt Lake City?
26:00 What makes this different than other relocation stories?
42:00 When did this franchise start to crumble?
47:00 Elliotte Friedman joins the podcast
52:15 Arizona getting a NHL Expansion franchise?
1:05:00 Was Mullett Arena the problem?
1:10:00 The Coyotes franchise means so much to so many people
1:22:40 Summarizing the NHL considering Salt Lake City
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40 Comments
Sad day for sure 😢
Move this team
The saga that’s been going on almost my whole life is FINALLY ENDING!!!!! 👏 👏 👏 👏 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯
If this goes through, what does it mean for youth hockey in the valley? My son has wanted to be a Phoenix/ Arizona Coyote when he grows up since he could speak!
Sorry for Coyote fans, I’m from Vancouver and hated when the Grizzles left
Isles fan watching from afar. This sucks for the fans! I have to believe that the owners in the nhl wanted Arizona out of mullet. Hockey related revenue
PHNX take the high road and don’t bash the St Lake City market size, etc…
So do Friedman and Seravalli get an apology now?
It is multiple reasons why they're leaving, the lack of an NHL sized arena that couldn't get built, the Meruelo ownership fumbling its way out of Glendale, Tempe saying we don't want you, Scottsdale saying don't build near us, playing in Mullet with empty seats for another 3yrs. Not enough fan support even in an under 5K seat arena. I doubt the NHL ever goes back unless another ownership group with deep pockets builds an arena in Phoenix/Scottsdale. Reality is this should have happened 20yrs ago..now you know how Winnipeg felt!
Lived in AZ for 10 years loved going to yotes games I know there are really passionate fans there
Had anyone talked about how this will drastically impact youth hockey in the state?
“Call your agent, everything FINE”… everything was not fine
I feel for you guys as I was 12 when we lost the jets to you and it sounds stupid but it was the darkest time of my young life. The last game against Detroit I could not even watch. I recorded it on a VHS and I still have it and have never watched it. Still makes me feel shitty thinking about it.
1:12:00 I just want to say well put by both Craig and Petey. Its going to be okay. Everybody around us is going to work too hard for it not to be okay. Much love!
It annoys me how people who have no idea about Utah (Petey) look up the SLC metropolitan population as if that’s all the people that would go to the games. The entire Wasatch front goes to Jazz games which includes the Provo and Davis/Weber metropolitan areas exceeding well over 2M.
I live in Sidney BC and wintered near Glendale for many years. We were season ticket holders for over 10 years, even wore our jerseys and went to a Glendale council meeting in support of the coyotes. I’m heatbroken for everyone involved. I listen all all your podcasts, thanks for everything you do.
Will a change the name from coyotes to something else that is better suited for Salt Lake??
Uniforms and color steam changes ?
Didn’t I just read like a day or two ago that they were going to build a new stadium and they got the OK and now this 🤔
Ahahaahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahaha
Good intro all around. Frank was ahead on this, it makes sense why the hometown guys were slow to believe him and fought for the hometown story.
Though it's important to note: Craig Morgan's Coyotes-centric reporting inherently limits the bubble, both from his sources and by the audience he's pandering to. Dude has always done good work in that context, but he looks like a guy whose dog just got run over by Merulo here. Gotta feel for him as a person too, if the team moves on the 18th then what is his job in a week? Deserves better, though the fact that he suddenly looks resigned to this means that what he's hearing privately has seen a cataclysmic shift.
I live in the Midwest, but 3 of my teams are in Arizona. Suns fan since 1993 (Johnson/Marjerle/Barkley, though they always been #2 behind Orlando, as I became a lifelong fanatical Magic fan as well in 1993), Cardinals fan since 1998 (The playoff run, Plummer, and by extension of the Suns), Snakes since 1998 (Always been fascinated by Expansion Teams, and also by extension), and the Mutts since 2013 (Didn't start watching hockey until then, but again went with them as with the exception of the Suns, my #1 Pro teams are all in AZ. My fanatical hockey friend and I refer to them as the "Desert Mutts").
I'm trying to be optimistic about everything.
But at the same time, I am very suspicious. Why would they announce this after the new arena render?
Bah…. I almost feel like this has been a done deal for awhile, and the new arena renderings were actually a promo for the "New" Coyotes "Expansion Team" that will be arriving in 2027 after the "Old" Coyotes team moves to SLC.
Whatever. A small part of me just doesn't care at this point.
Regardless….
GO MUTTS!!!!!
NHL is done with Phoenix and Atlanta
I feel so bad for everyone affected by this!! It's such a tough time with how the world is right now and to put this on all the employees of uncertainty is truly terrible! Just keep pushing forward it will all work out in the end!
As local in SLC, your silly comments on population is sour grapes. We all know the size of PHX metro is greater than SLC. BUT your numbers are county of SLCo of 1.2 million while a larger population (the wasatch front) is much greater and not a long commute for most areas. Stop making what's happening look like a story of city vs. city numbers rather than what is actually is. Not a good look on your part.
So sorry from Winnipeg
This is heartbreaking. From an Avalanche fan, here’s hoping a miracle happens. You are an incredible fan base and I have always experienced tremendous hospitality at Yotes’ games. Shoutout to the Arizona hockey community.
Also, shoutout to the folks on the PHNX Coyotes’ beat. You are great hockey writers and even if the team leaves, there are lots of hockey fans who will continue to want to read your work and listen to your thoughts.
I'm OK with the Coyotes leaving but they have to take the Cardinals with them
Being a fan since the 1996-97 season if the team leaves and we get an expansion team… I will not be a fan of that team.. i will still love my hockey and follow others BUT NOT AN EXPANSION TEAM
To lose Josh Doan is terrible. This ownership group did az dirty.
I am sorry this won't work. If I could amend the Constitution of Canada though, I would change it so that no level of government can give money to a for-profit company without a public referendum by the affected voters. I bet there are a lot of people in Alberta who are aghast at the 700 million dollars being given to the Calgary Flames, but there was no referendum. Arizona has way stronger protection for taxpayers, and there is no chance Phoenix voters vote for ANY public funds being used to help this arena along.
It is not just Gary Bettman, if enough owners said enough, he has to do it, he works for the 32 owners, not the players, not the fans, just those guys.
Salt Lake City is a terrible market for hockey. I have no clue what the NHL is thinking. Give it five years and that statism will be EMPTY. Mormons don’t play hockey.
Back to the 9-5 y’all
My coyote season ticket agent was replaced today and the new one called to introduce themselves to me. Interesting.
Hearing you 3 pouting and crying how horrible it is if y'all lose the coyotes…. i bet none of you cared about ripping this team away from the Winnipeg fans who had their hearts torn out when Jets moved to Phoenix. This is how the Winnipeg fans, players, and employees felt in 1996, so quit acting like this is so much worse. Enjoy the karma and be thankful your team lasted as long as it did in a very unsuccessful and failed market that should have moved away decades ago. I live in Houston and wished the team moved here instead of SLC.
Long term this is the best for both the Coyotes AND Arizona.
Emotional podcast guys, I hope we can get something done. Much love from a life long Coyotes fan from the United Kingdom.
This whole charade went on way too long.
An embarrassment for over 20 years.
Pack the boxes and move.
😢
THEN BUILD A G-D ARENA!!!
Not trolling at all. I WANT the Coyotes to stay in AZ. I BELIEVE hockey can succeed in AZ. BUT YOU HAVE NO ARENA!!!
That’s it. I’m blaming the Eclipse. Somebody looked at the eclipse without glasses and it scrambled their minds. I guess we will have to do what Coyotes fans always do, sit around and wait for the bomb to actually drop.