Coyotes saga is finally over

[Guest]

It has only taken four years but finally (FINALLY!) the Coyotes have a new owner signed, sealed and delivered.

On Monday the NHL announced that it has sold the Coyotes franchise to the IceArizona/Renaissance Sports and Entertainment group that negotiated a new arena lease with the city of Glendale, a prerequisuite to purchase the team.

"The National Hockey League believes in Arizona as an NHL market and that these new owners can provide the Coyotes the opportunity to secure a stable, long-term future in Glendale," Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "We thank Mike Nealy, Don Maloney, Dave Tippett, team captain Shane Doan and all the players and staff for consistently going 'above and beyond' on behalf of the franchise during this long and complex process. We thank the Coyotes' devoted fans for their patient, perseverant support. We are extremely pleased that a positive resolution has been achieved for the fans, the city, the Coyotes and the League."

"We are extremely pleased to have finalized the transaction with the NHL and to take ownership of the Coyotes franchise," said George Gosbee, Chairman and Governor of the Coyotes. "We extend our sincere gratitude to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly for their hard work and commitment to the Coyotes franchise and our great fans here in Arizona. We also thank the City Council members and residents of the City of Glendale for their tremendous support. Finally, to our fans and partners in the Valley, thank you for your continued loyalty, commitment and patience for the Coyotes. The future looks bright for our franchise."

There you have it, the Coyotes are in the desert to stay and are no longer owned by the league. It's been a long time since we could say both of those things with certainty but now we can and it's not a moment too soon.

The new ownership group is made up of 10 people, most famously led by Gosbee and Anthony LeBlanc. They are joined by Avik Dey, Gary J. Drummond, W. David Duckett, W.R. Dutton, Daryl Jones, Robert Gwin, Scott Saxberg, Craig Stewart and Richard Walter.

"We are thrilled to be taking over a team led by one of the NHL's best general managers in Don Maloney, one of the best coaches in Dave Tippett, and the league's longest serving and most respected Captain in Shane Doan," LeBlanc, the pending CEO, said. "The Coyotes are here to stay and we will continue to work hard on and off the ice and have a strong presence in our community. Our ultimate goal is to bring a Stanley Cup championship to our tremendously resilient, passionate and dedicated fan base here in the Valley. We have a lot of work to do and we can't wait to get started."

Now the fans in Arizona will be able to enjoy a sense of stability as the team tries to move forward from this drawn-out saga which has surely beaten down the fans in the desert. The storm clouds hovered over their heads as if they were in a cartoon, the rain pouring down on only them.

Frankly, what the Coyotes have done on the ice during this unstable time has been remarkable. They made it to the Western Conference finals two seasons ago, losing to the champion Kings. They've been very competitive despite a low budget but now that will pick up. Already we've seen the payroll go up as the Coyotes landed one of the biggest free agents in Mike Ribeiro.

Of course there will be talk about the out clause built into the arena lease with the city of Glendale but please, let's leave that conversation alone for a little while, like at least a year. If nothing else, the hockey fans in Arizona deserve a break from all of this to go back to just enjoying hockey.

http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/blog/ey...nally-complete

They have a really good team, hopefully ownership can put some people in the seats. I do have my doubts, but with the way the team played, that's why they are still there in my mind.

[Ravin]

Hold on now, let's not get cared away calling them a good team. They missed the playoffs last year, and still have no real legit forward that is still on the upslide. They just keep getting veteran players and sure, they had some success, but as shown last year, they need some fresh faces. They have a very solid prospect core for defence, but their forwards (outside Max Domi, and even then) is not amazing at all.

People won't support this team. They need a face to that team that isn't Doan. They need someone to put butts in the seats and for fans to buy jerseys for. People were not going when they were a good team, I can't see them still going if the team is losing.

[killgod]

I think they just want more years in Phoenix but long term they simply can't stay there.


Rebranding the Arizona Coyotes will not fix this.

[Ravin]

17 years hasn't worked yet for the team, 4 of which was under league control...



But another five should get it done.

[dave]

Phoenix is simply not a hockey market. Like Atlanta, they'll have a small loyal following, but it's not enough for long-term sustainability. With the new NHL Western Conference two teams short, it's going to be interesting the next few years how new cities are chosen. Clearly, Seattle is in ... but what other U.S. Western Conference market is legit? Kansas City? Las Vegas? The NHL has to even out the conferences, or simply re-do them completely, before we see another Toronto team and Quebec City.

[Ravin]

They will redo them before adding a 2nd new western team. Portland is another city I could see holding an NHL team, but other than that, Western teams are coming up short.