On April 28th, 1996 The Winnipeg Jets played their final NHL game losing to the Detroit Red Wings in the 1st round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by a score of 4-1. Later that year the franchise would move to Phoenix & become the Coyotes.
The Coyotes had some moderate success right away qualifying for the playoffs in five of their first six seasons in the desert before a playoff drought hit that finally ended last season.
After a slow start in October the Coyotes won seven straight games in November to get back in the playoff picture. as of right now they are two points out of 1st place in the Pacific division.
Unfortunately success on the ice doesn't lead to success off the ice.
Plagued by ownership issues since filing for bankruptcy in 2008 the Coyotes face a December 31st deadline to resolve this once and for all. If the ownership situation isn't resolved by then rumor has it they might return to Winnipeg.
Which begs the question, why have the Coyotes failed in the Sun Belt when other teams have succeeded? I have a couple theories.
1. Lack of playoff success
While the Coyotes did qualify five of their 1st six years in Phoenix they have never won a playoff series. In fact you have to go back to 1987 to find the last time the franchise won a playoff series. Here is how they have fared in each of their playoff series in Phoenix.
1997: Lost to Anaheim in seven games
1998: Lost to Detroit in six games
1999: Lost to St. Louis in seven games
2000: Lost to Colorado in five games
2002: lost to San Jose in five games
2010: lost to Detroit in seven games
I won't hold it the playoff losses to Detroit & Colorado against the Coyotes as those teams were one of the best in the NHL when they played them.
The loss to Anaheim in 1997 the Coyotes had a 3-2 lead before losing Game six in overtime at home. They would be shutout two nights later in Anaheim and lose the series.
In 1999 the Coyotes had a 3-1 series lead over St. Louis before the Blues rallied to win three in a row to take the series. The worst part about that series was Phoenix lost both games five & seven in overtime on home ice.
In Canada the fans will stand by a team despite a lack of success in the playoffs. (see Toronto) In a Sun Belt market you had better win if you want to stay relevant.
2. Arena Problems
When the Coyotes moved to Phoenix they played their 1st seven season at the America West Arena in downtown Phoenix. The arena was built for the Phoenix Suns in 1993 and was four years old when the Coyotes started playing there.
Unlike most multipurpose arenas, the sight lines were not designed for hockey. While its tight seating configuration suits basketball very well, it made it difficult to fit a standard NHL rink onto the floor. The lower level had to be sheared in half to fit the rink and create retractable seating.
A section of seats in the upper level actually hung over the boards, obstructing the view from over 3,000 seats. In those areas, a good chunk of the view from beyond the top of the face-off circle was cut off.
The problem was so serious that after the team's first season in Phoenix, the team had to curtain off some seats in the areas where the view was particularly obstructed, cutting listed capacity from over 18,000 seats to just over 16,000.
In 2004 the Coyotes moved into a new arena in the suburb of Glendale, Arizona. While the arena is better suited for hockey than the U.S. Airways Center (formerly the America West Arena) the location has not been ideal.
It is about a 35 minute drive in traffic from Downtown Phoenix to Glendale. When you get to Glendale there aren't the same options around the arena like their is in downtown Phoenix before & after the game.
If you aren't winning it is difficult to attract fans to drive all the way out there on a Tuesday night to watch the team play a team like Florida.
3. Lack of fan support
I'm not saying Arizona fans are apathetic like fans are in Atlanta or Miami who only care when their teams are winning. What I am saying is that when a sport like hockey moves to a non-traditional market like Phoenix you had better win right away to capture the fans attention like they did in Denver & Dallas.The Coyotes failed to do this.
One problem is the location of the arena. Another thing to factor in is who the opponent is. When a team like Detroit or Chicago come to town the game is usually a sellout. When a team like Florida or Nashville come to town you aren't going to sell those games out unless you have a really great team.
Earlier this season the Coyotes drew 6,706 fans for a game against Los Angeles. Theses two teams were both in the playoffs last year and the Kings are talked about as a possible Stanley Cup contender There are teams in the AHL that draw more fans than that game did.
You could make a case and say the economy has something to do with it but in a good hockey market there is no way that game draws under 7,000 fans. The transplants from the North can only do so much. Eventually you need to win over the market and that is something the Coyotes haven't been able to do.
4. Ownership issues
The black cloud surrounding ownership of the team has not helped the franchise and their attendance issues. Some fans probable are reluctant to spend their money on a team that may or may not be there next year. When you factor in a tough economy I can't find fault with the fans.
One of the main issues with ownership is the lease with the arena in Glendale makes it impossible for an owner to make any money on the franchise. Any sale of the franchise involves renegotiating a new lease with the City of Glendale.
Since the Coyotes were taken over by the NHL they have see three potential sales to a buyer fall through. The latest name to be linked to ownership of the team is Matthew Hulsizer who is the Chicago chief executive of options-trading firm PEAK6 Investments.
If that deal falls through The chairman of Thomson Reuters, David Thomson, is rumored to be standing by ready to purchase the team and move them back to Winnipeg.
So what will happen with the Coyotes? At this point we don't know. What we do know is that the desert has not embraced the NHL like other markets have in the Sun Belt. The recent success of the franchise doesn't look like it will change how the fans feel.
I understand Gary Bettman's approach to try and grow the game in non-traditional markets. But sometimes it isn't going to work out the way you hoped it would.
The Coyotes would be better off being in a place like Winnipeg where the fans appreciate the game of hockey than in the Phoenix Metro Area which has a population of 4,281,899, most of whom could care less whether the team wins or loses.
Nice article, Craig. I agree with you on all points here, particularly in that in order for a team to draw attention in the Sun Belt, they have to win, whereas in Canada they'll root for you even if you lose. Heck, in regards to Winnipeg, they root for the team even though they're gone!
ReplyDeletePersonally I will never fully understand why the game has been moving south as it has. I have a lot of family in Winnipeg who would love to see the Jets return and are heartened by the recent chatter that the town might just get a team again. I'm cautiously optimistic, but would love nothing more than to see that happen!