Per Friedman: Coyotes players told team moving to Utah starting next season (Mod warning post #50)

[cptjeff]

The real issue is the season overlap. You're double dipping on available dollars with NHL and NBA in a way that you don't with MLB (different time of year) and NFL (less than 10 weeks, and only once in any individual week). This is going to be an interesting experience to watch. I've said before that NHL and NBA might work in a smaller city than Denver if there were some x factor. Vegas is going to be fine because they have the x factor of being an entertainment oriented city to begin with. SLC might have an x factor with their love of winter sports. I don't think it's guaranteed that this will work, but there's reasons to believe it will for sure.

It'll be interesting to watch, but in the case of SLC, I suspect it will be the NBA team that suffers much more than the NHL team if there just aren't enough dollars to go around. Just a much more hockey-ish fanbase demographically speaking.

 

[Llewzaher]

How low can this go

Come on. why would Frank S report this now? I bet this is blown way out of proportion. Or as Legend said Infowar

 

[Llewzaher]

It's wild it ever got to this point. Shoutout to Seravalli for breaking this whole thing open. He's taken a ton of shit for his reporting on this because some Coyotes fans are taking the idea of the team leaving so personal which I totally get but it's been really solid so far

I am holding off giving him any credit until it proves to be true… AM has a habit of being silent.. until him XG or the NHL confirms anything I need to see the final result before I give that guy credit . He has been wrong on most things with the Yotes

I am not saying he is but .. listening to Keller today they say they are hearing mostly stuff that is not true

 

[Tawnos]

If you were a season ticket holder going 3 hours for a game is probably too far, if you are a corporate ticket holder you aren't going to use an arena 3 hours away to entertain. Maybe I'm just used to the density of the northeast corridor of the US but they seem pretty distinct markets to me at the ticket purchase level. Maybe the same TV markets.

In the context of the conversation we were having, the distance for people coming to games is really not at all the point.

 

[Gordy Elbows]

how about Utah Blades (or Blade)

Or, to honour their history and roots, why not the Hobos?
Until the owner(s) demonstrate they are able to tend a house plant or a pet, let’s not get too attached.

how about Utah Blades (or Blade)

Or, to honour their history and roots, why not the Hobos?
Until the owner(s) demonstrate they are able to tend a house plant or a pet, let’s not get too attached.

 

[UncleBlackie]

I don't think this is remotely like the Cleveland Browns getting moved to Baltimore, but ... OK.

In the context of the Coyotes name and history being recognized as remaining in Arizona.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

In the context of the Coyotes name and history being recognized as remaining in Arizona.

OK, in that respect ... sure. If that happens.

I'm not sure 28 years of largely losing hockey, unstable ownership and resulting lackluster attendance is something hockey fans in and around Phoenix have wispy-eyed memories of and want to keep going forever in a new franchise like Browns fans had with almost 50 years of competitive football and packing Memorial Stadium, even with later years near-Super Bowl appearances, but ... to each their own.

 

[potatowejj]

Don't really understand the people saying that SLC is a bad place for an NHL team. The place is a winter sports haven and generally has tons of outdoor things to do nearby. The Wasatch Front has a very fast growing population and already has enough people to support a team. The 2002 Winter Olympics were a great success for the area. Don't see any reason why it can't work out if they renovate the Delta Center or get a new arena.

 

[joelef]

Looks like the Canadian media isn’t coping well with this

 

[Oilslick941611]

Looks like the Canadian media isn’t coping well with this

TSn hasn't had a good take on anything in a decade or more.

 

[ItWasJustified]

There really aren't many potential expansion cities that fit the idea of a "hockey town" better than Salt Lake City.

 

[joelef]

TSn hasn't had a good take on anything in a decade or more.

My favorite thing about this take when he said that they had no sports outside the jazz . Slc has real salt lake mls team , Utah utes football and basketball and hosted the 2002 Olympics . Totally unprofessional of them.

 

[King Woodballs]

Good god I hope the pin finally gets pulled on this crap tomorrow.

 

[SjMilhouse]

Salt Lake City is a winter sports wonderland. Have you ever been?

No one bad mouthing SLC, Utah, a potential fanbase, etc has likely ever been to the state let alone knows anything about it besides "Utah = Mormons" which is essentially just religious bigotry anyways. The amount of factually incorrect information I read about this state across the internet is wild. It's why I understand if a players initial reaction to moving here is negative, because I had these uninformed opinions before moving here a few years ago.

I'm not saying it's a perfect place by any means and I'm shocked by how much I've felt the need to defend it because I complain about little stuff all the time living here. With that said, for everything I miss about being in the SF Bay Area, there is something I love more about being here.

Come visit before you talk shit. Or don't and keep the cost of living down.

Hey I've never been to Saskatoon, but I know for sure that it can't support an NHL team.

Might have something to do with the population being less than 500k in the metro area though.

Hey look another person who doesn't know anything about the metro area. It's ~2m+ people within 30-45 minutes of Delta center. Next

By the end of this saga I'm going to end up throwing away 25+ years of Sharks fandom to support SLC just to spite everyone who said Utah sucks and it will never work. Dear lord

 

[NotASheep]

Come one.. why would Frank S report this now? I bet this is blown way out of proportion. Or as Legend said Infowar

Oilers forgot to pay a bill and this place lost its shit for a few days

 

[archangel2]

Oilers forgot to pay a bill and this place lost its shit for a few days

The abuse FS has taken these week on line has caused him to drop the gloves and he is going to report how cash poor Arizona is.

 

[joestevens29]

Come one.. why would Frank S report this now? I bet this is blown way out of proportion. Or as Legend said Infowar

Probably getting leaks from the nhl to try force am too sell

 

[Koivu11]

 

[redwings8831]

 

[Tuggy]

 

[LeProspector]

What a bombshell.

 

[JABEE]

It's joever

 

[Old Boys Club]

It's joever.

 

[SniperOnTheWing]

How do they possibly rebrand a team and get set up in a brand new city between now and the start of next season? Will they just play as the Yotes for next year then reveal the actual SLC team for 2025-26?

 

[Megustaelhockey]

More hockey careers ruined by a Mullett, I guess. So sorry to the fans. No one should ever be happy to see any fan of the game lose their team.