Confirmed with Link: All-Purpose "Days of Our Meruelo" Talk

[Llewzaher]

I wonder if XG may have been fired... His name doesn't come up on the Coyotes site .. at least it was a file not found when I tried it

 

[Mosby]

Couple interesting updates from Friedman on HNIC:

- Utah values continuity so the hockey operations staff will follow the team to their new home

- Meruelo wants the AHL team in Mullett, but Friedman is unsure if there is an affiliation agreement between the AHL team and Utah (since Arizona is considered a “parked” franchise and Utah will be considered “new”). Affiliation status TBD.

- Andre Tourigny “very vocally demanded” to ownership that they update the players and not leave them in limbo.

 

[Half Clapper]

Couple interesting updates from Friedman on HNIC:

- Utah values continuity so the hockey operations staff will follow the team to their new home

- Meruelo wants the AHL team in Mullett, but Friedman is unsure if there is an affiliation agreement between the AHL team and Utah (since Arizona is considered a “parked” franchise and Utah will be considered “new”). Affiliation status TBD.

- Andre Tourigny “very vocally demanded” to ownership that they update the players and not leave them in limbo.

It looks like Utah is my new team if these reports are true.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Just dropping by to say, I’m sorry this is happening. Y’all deserved better.

 

[Mosby]

This is definitely sounding more and more like this was more so a league decision than one by AM. Backed into a corner with Mullett and the league was too embarrassed by the PA constantly bringing up the college rink issue.

 

[Tad Mikowski]

After taking some big deep breaths this morning, I'm in the acceptance phase. This has been a dumpster fire off ice (and mostly on ice too), that maybe there needs to be a reset like this. Vet a new responsible owner for expansion and give him plenty of time to get an arena built. Stable ownership is everything and it's quite clear that isn't AM. I think the NHL would have given him the time to win the land auction if they thought he was capable of owning a successful hockey franchise.

Probably pie in the sky thinking but its all i can do to not punch a wall. Continue to hope for a better future for hockey in the desert

 

[MayDayMayDay]

Interesting. And how many are interested in building an entertainment district?

 

[Jakey53]

I don’t think anyone will accept collateral from him at this point.

You can't be serious?

 

[Bondurant]

Interesting. And how many are interested in building an entertainment district?

Winnipeg Jets owners?

 

[Foggy1097]

After taking some big deep breaths this morning, I'm in the acceptance phase. This has been a dumpster fire off ice (and mostly on ice too), that maybe there needs to be a reset like this. Vet a new responsible owner for expansion and give him plenty of time to get an arena built. Stable ownership is everything and it's quite clear that isn't AM. I think the NHL would have given him the time to win the land auction if they thought he was capable of owning a successful hockey franchise.

Probably pie in the sky thinking but its all i can do to not punch a wall. Continue to hope for a better future for hockey in the desert

Yeah I have been thinking this today a little bit as well. I think @rt touched on it a while back also, about how this is just a tarnished, damaged asset and brand. Everyone other than diehards are just so tired of the Coyotes and everything that has come with them. I think it still sucks obviously, but this may end up all working out for the best. Maybe having 3-5 years off will kind of reset things for the franchise and they can rise from the ashes with a clean slate…fresh start, renewed energy from the community, and newly injected optimism and excitement. The brand would get a reset and if a relaunch is done well they could be more popular and successful than ever before. The thing is, it sounds like more than likely it will be with AM at the helm because he has right of first refusal. I guess we’ll see on that front, but I think a best case would be Ishbia somehow getting the team and making the new arena multi puropse…

 

[DaBadGuy7]

 

[SniperHF]

just a tarnished, damaged asset and brand.

I think it's actually more then that. The brand is damaged yes but it's more like the fanbase itself is damaged. Every single time something started looking like it was going right a fan on the fence got kicked in the nuts.

There's an old saying in retail/restaurants that is something like "it takes months to find a customer but seconds to lose one". This is basically what has gone in the valley since the first lockout really but it went into overdrive sometime in 2014. Everytime a rebuild started looking good someone f***ed it up. Everytime ownership looked to be settling it would blow up. Everytime the arena situation was clearing up something would come out of left field.

You've already trained, between lockouts, ownership, covid, and politics, two generations of fans into apathy. I know many hockey fans who stopped going, stopped watching, moved on to other things. These fans were already in the fold and they left. That's BAD.

 

[Doothpick]

I feel so bad for you guys. Sticking with poorly run franchise this long speaks loud about a passionate fan base. Every Coyotes fan I encountered over the years on these boards was also more often than not more knowledgeable about hockey/NHL in general than other fanbases. Anecdotal I know, but I still actually recognize many posters here and it tells something since I'm mostly on the Ducks board.

Coyotes could've easily become my favorite team (I loved those jerseys so much, still the best in the league) and I always felt later on when Ducks started having success you guys were the little brother who you wished for success. That's how it was for me and I don't mean it as a slight and I'm sorry if it sounds like that. I wished better for you, and I'm truly sorry for all of you going through everything just to have an ending like this.

You guys were true fans. Idiots spouting anything else over the years are just, idiots and by god were those morons loud. I hope you guys realize how you made this team Coyotes such as much as any player on the ice did. I honestly find it strange I'm this bummed, and I can't imagine how you feel, but hope for better days ahead for each and everyone of you.

Thanks for the memories. I wish I had my SEGA Saturn so I could play a game of Coyotes vs Ducks in NHL 97, just like I did when I was a kid and thought these teams were just the coolest. I still do.

Ps. I still hate (but respect) Shane Doan. I hope that's allowed since I got to have something to hold on to.

 

[TheLegend]

Had a little more time to read the article…

Meruelo wants to meet with Mayor Gallego to convince her to help lead a movement to eventually get a theme park district established.

This avoids GPLETs and any other tax bleak that would expose it to public referendums.

The meeting is scheduled for later this month.

 

[AZDesertKnight]

This is all so-so Arizona Coyotes. lol

 

[Mosby]

A little odd that she’s been mayor since 2019 and AM has had the franchise for about the same amount of time and they wouldn’t know each other. AM needs to get more out in the community and show himself rather than write letters about the misconceptions around him.

 

[RemoAZ]

f*** him. If he lets the team go, I say to hell with him, his family and their "project". There's no way I believe he'll build it to bring a team here. He's a lying sack of shit con man.

A little odd that she’s been mayor since 2019 and AM has had the franchise for about the same amount of time and they wouldn’t know each other. AM needs to get more out in the community and show himself rather than write letters about the misconceptions around him.

More proof that this is all a farce imo.

 

[TheLegend]

A little odd that she’s been mayor since 2019 and AM has had the franchise for about the same amount of time and they wouldn’t know each other. AM needs to get more out in the community and show himself rather than write letters about the misconceptions around him.

Up until now he hasn’t had business with the City of Phoenix.

 

[rt]

Why did he not send her a letter in January? Why wait until April?

 

[Nowotny]

Had a little more time to read the article…

Meruelo wants to meet with Mayor Gallego to convince her to help lead a movement to eventually get a theme park district established.

This avoids GPLETs and any other tax bleak that would expose it to public referendums.

The meeting is scheduled for later this month.

Please.....Meruelo couldn't build a stadium when he owned NHL franchise.You think he will do it without owning one?

 

[HowlofRevel]

Speculation, but dumb enough to be believable. Separating ownership of the team from ownership of the retail/entertainment development around the arena (+ financial crisis) was the fatal blow that killed the already bad idea that was Glendale. But it would make Meruelo money while hamstringing NHL 2.0 in Arizona, so it sure sounds like an idea he would think up.

 

[RemoAZ]

Speculation, but dumb enough to be believable. Separating ownership of the team from ownership of the retail/entertainment development around the arena (+ financial crisis) was the fatal blow that killed the already bad idea that was Glendale. But it would make Meruelo money while hamstringing NHL 2.0 in Arizona, so it sure sounds like an idea he would think up.

Ok, this isn't even funny. We haven't been able to find an owner rich enough to own the team without either a subsidy or by attaching it to a huge real estate project for over 2 decades and all of a sudden one will fall out of the sky and lease Meruelo's building? Come on man...

 

[HowlofRevel]

Had a little more time to read the article…

Meruelo wants to meet with Mayor Gallego to convince her to help lead a movement to eventually get a theme park district established.

This avoids GPLETs and any other tax bleak that would expose it to public referendums.

The meeting is scheduled for later this month.

I can't think of any reason why anyone should have any patience for what Meruelo is trying to sell, at this point. Too many failures. Too many bridges burned.

 

[KG]

So did the NHL get an offer they couldn't refuse from Utah or what exactly was the catalyst of this sale? Meaning now instead of last season or after the TED failure?

 

[MIGs Dog]

So did the NHL get an offer they couldn't refuse from Utah or what exactly was the catalyst of this sale? Meaning now instead of last season or after the TED failure?

Just speculating, but the NHL was hoping that a plan B would still work under the original Mullett timeline. Once the reality of 5 seasons in a 4700 seat arena sunk in, and with pressure from the NHLPA, the league began looking for other options.

I still love Gary for all of his efforts to keep the team in AZ, but everyone has limits.