I have decided to focus on the positive and promoting the Coyotes. It has become quite apparent that you can’t use logic on the anti-Coyotes people or even some supposed Coyotes “fans“. It’s absolutely ridiculous the things that come out of their mouths (or rather they type on their keyboard). They have no sources and just pull whatever number sounds good to them to support their opinion. Nothing is based on facts, just all opinion and made up numbers. So I have decided to no longer deal with them. I am going to just continue my campaign to support the Coyotes by remaining positive.
I would also like to say how surprised I am at how some people have been so supportive and told us how much they want the Coyotes to stay in Phoenix. Fans of other teams, fans of hockey in general, both American and Canadian. This is what hockey should be about, bringing people together for the love of the game, not tearing them apart. I really appreciate those that are supporting the Coyotes. They see the potential and know that we will make it work here.
We are all hockey fans. Some may be old fans, some new but regardless we all share the same love. Being from one part of the world doesn’t make you a better/worse fan. We are all equal. Rivalries are great but let’s leave them for the players on the ice.
So the following are some great things I found on savethecoyotes.com. I wanted to share them with you. I only have a couple as I just decided to do this today!
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I imagine you’d be surprised at the number of people who will watch that game (and many of the other playoff games) in the Phoenix area.
Nobody has claimed that there aren’t a lot of hockey fans in Canada, that isn’t the point anybody has tried to make and isn’t worth debating. Does Ontario deserve another team? Probably, but the Balsillie technique is not the way to get one. It didn’t work the past two times.
Which brings up a good point. The Penguins were one of the prior target teams. By the end of that failed deal, Lemiuex decided to just keep the ‘deposit’ made on the team (he had to give it back eventually) because of the angst. So the Pens were in serious trouble just a few years ago. Now try and buy a ticket with a winning team. It takes time and effort to build that team.
I’m sure you’re not aware of much of the history of the Coyotes here in the valley (prior bankruptcy involvements, where will the new arena be located, etc.). If you were, your appreciation for the quality if not the quantity of hockey fans here is on par with more traditional markets.
Why should we keep a team? Well, minimally, the Coyotes organization and the NHL have made commitments to the City of Glendale and the local fan base for the foreseeable future. Because of those commitments, significant investments in infrastructure, employment and good will have been made. The Coyotes and Moyes have already accepted concessions from both the NHL and the City of Glendale. So now their obligations should be honored regardless of the financial issues of the majority stakeholder. As a hockey fan, I’m sure you appreciate the honor of the game. Shouldn’t the hockey business be conducted in the same fashion?
Will a rally or any other demonstration of fan support influence the US Bankruptcy Court? Who knows? The judge is human and nobody can tell what will influence his decisions as the hearings progress.
The next hearing is in seven days, so we’ll know more at that time.
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When the Jets decided to move to Phoenix, my friends and I, fresh out of college, were thrilled to have our own team.
We picked out our upper deck seats that first day, and plunked down a ridiculous percentage of our disposable income on season tickets together and celebrated afterward. It could not have been more worth it, and we had an absolute blast. The WhiteOut memories are some of the best times I’ve had since living here.
My wife and I had two kids of our own since then, and we could not get to as many games as we used to. But there is no team in any sport we follow as passionately as the Coyotes. They’re always on TV or the radio whenever there’s a game on, and we still got to our fair share of games, even enjoying the opening night at the new arena.
Now that my son is seven, he’s playing in the Mite leagues over at the Ice Den with the kids of some current and former players, and they are, to a person, as down to earth and as nice as any other hockey parents.
We also re-upped our season tickets, getting a partial season four rows off the glass, and my son and I have had some great times going to games together. This January, his team had a chance to play between periods, and we had all the relatives there to watch a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It was a special night, and we all have special memories of it.
The fact that all this might get pulled away in a backroom deal makes me sick to my stomach. I know when my son heard that the team might leave, he was in tears and wondered why they had to move our only team so Toronto could have another one.
I understand all the economic reasons why this is happening, and I know how hockey-mad Southern Ontario is. But “sunbelt” teams do work — look at your last four Cup champions — and traditional markets do not guarantee success. Ottawa and Pittsburgh both were as close to leaving as the Coyotes are, and both fought back, fielded good teams, and the attendance followed.
Chicago (my hometown) is a great example of how quickly things can move from red to black once the on-ice product is competitive and exciting.
In addition, most people in the state are not natives but come from somewhere else, usually a more “traditional market” where they grew up with hockey. Just like the Cardinals, the fans will show up en masse as soon as the team experiences some success.
And today’s young fan going to his or her first game is tomorrow’s die-hard season ticket holder, so let’s do all we can to give the next generation a chance to cheer for this team where they belong — right here in Arizona.
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If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. 🙂
There are people who like the Coyotes and look forward to attending more games in the future. If you aren’t one of those people, go read and comment on another article. If being negative on a message board makes you feel better about yourself then maybe you need to get off the computer and find some friends to hang out with.
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We have driven or flow out several times from California to see the Coyotes play and its makes for a great weekend! We’ve managed to combine a Saturday night game at Jobing arena with the the Cardinals the next morning.
Not do we only enjoy the teams but truly enjoy the friendly cities of Phoenix and Glendale. The people there are absolutely amazing and friendly, and they love their Coyotes! To us 10 times better than hitting Vegas.
I hope that Arizona will know that with the right owners and an effective coach behind the Phoenix Coyotes, they could not only have another great team in the desert, but also the Stanley Cup visit the desert! You already have some of the best players in the NHL and one of the best goalies! Please save the Coyotes!
Go Coyotes!
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And support from another fan with a team at risk:
No fan deserves a team more than another fan. This Canadian nationalism and bullying by Balsillie/fans/media north of the border should not be tolerated. As a fan of another Sunbelt team that is a target, we all need to stand together and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that there are dedicated hockey fans in the South (east and west). Go PHOENIX Yotes!
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There were many, many more great comments I have read but I just couldn’t include everything here. Please check out the petition for yourself. Another good place for positive thoughts is at the NHL Arena. There is a whole thread on the Coyotes page for fans to show their support, both Coyotes fans and fans of other teams.
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