In what came as a shock to most of the hockey world just a few days ago, the Glendale City Council voted to cancel their lease with IceArizona, putting an end to the their 15-year, $225 million deal. While the mess is awaiting resolution and what is likely to become a legal battle, handled by dozens of lawyers, many are having their voices heard. From the fans that had a say at the Council, to the players and management of the Arizona Coyotes, it seems like everyone is upset about the ordeal.
Yesterday, during an radio call to Arizona Sports 98.7FM, captain Shane Doan was not afraid to voice his own opinions on the matter and how it reflects on the franchise. “The Mayor has gone out of his way to say hi and shake my hand and make sure he is my friend and then to do this.”
John Gambadoro, one of the co-hosts of the Burns and Gambo show, also tweeted out that Doan has lost respect for Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers and that he finds him two-faced, answering with “Absolutely” to both questions. It’s hard to blame Doan, who has been a part of the Coyotes franchise for 19 years and has plans on returning to the organization, according to an article posted by Sportsnet. For a team struggling to stay afloat and an arena that is half empty, thanks in part to a poor arena location and away from the large fanbase in Phoenix, the team possibly losing their arena and having their future in Glendale in doubt certainly doesn’t aid in having those naysayers pipe down about relocation talk.
“I guess for me, what really bothers me the most is I want to win, and doing this makes it that much harder,” Doan told said, during his radio interview. “You talk to a free agent — you talk to guys, I get texts from five or six guys already that aren’t on my team, but are playing in the league. They’re like, ‘Oh, that sucks. What’s going on again?'”
And Doan has a point. He’s been loyal for nearly two decades despite the team going through tough times. In the early 2000’s, up until the 2009-10 season, the Coyotes missed the playoffs for six consecutive seasons. Currently, they haven’t made the post-season in three consecutive seasons and yet the 38-year-old forward is standing tall with the team, like a pirate on a sinking ship.
“It’s hard enough to convince people to play for your team when you’re a team that had the year that we had last year, but now you do this and obviously those damages are done self-inflicted by supposedly a partner of yours? That’s when you’re like, ‘Wow, that doesn’t really make sense.'”
It doesn’t make sense.
The sad part is, Doan’s statement is about as accurate as they come. In the last three off-seasons, the Coyotes biggest signing was Mike Ribeiro and his 4-year, $22 million deal, one that ended horribly for both himself and the team. Yet another negative story that fell upon the Coyotes, and one that was unfortunately out of their control.
Yet it’s not all doom and gloom. The organization as a whole has a certain level of promise to it. Goaltender Mike Smith had a terrible season last year, but there is the believability that he turns things around and plays like the old Smith. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, one of the best defenseman in the league right now, backs a defensive core that is up-and-coming and full of talent (not to mention, they’ll have the potential of adding prospect Noah Hanifin at this year’s draft). Their prospect pool is already loaded with talent, and they just added Anthony Duclair into the mix, making things even more interesting.
It’s not hard to see that the future is bright, but how long it will take to see the light is hard to determine. With that uncertainty and the fact that players don’t know where they’ll end up in 3-5 years from now, depending on the Coyotes remaining in Arizona, Doan has a point to feeling worried about this new situation unfolding.
Entering his 20th season next year with the organization that drafted him, Doan would certainly like to end a run spanning over two decades with a playoff run and a Stanley Cup ring.
“If you have an unbelievable offer, two matching offers, then maybe it changes where in the past we might be able to get somebody because we have two matching offers but you have a chance to live in Arizona and play for Tipp and you have a team that’s competitive, then you get those guys. But now it’s obviously going to make it a little bit more difficult, and that’s hard.”
As for right now, Co-Owner Anthony Leblanc told Sportsnet during an interview that he is focused on improving his team going forward and making sure the Coyotes are a competitive one for next season, knowing things will be tough but he is more than ready to take on that task.
“We know we’ve got to make some moves,” LeBlanc told Sportsnet recently. “We’ve got to pick up a player or two, we’ve got to add some veteran depth, and that’s going to cost some money. … Look at what Ottawa and Calgary were able to accomplish this year, that’s exactly the model we’re looking at. How do we add those couple of pieces and continue to have that really good prospect pool and young players?”
And if you thought that Leblanc’s threats of lawsuit, Doan’s harsh words towards the Council and even NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman showing disapproval and disgust towards the decision, how about Ronda Pearson, a season ticket holder of the Arizona Coyotes.
If you thought it was the loyalty of fans that was the problem, perhaps this young woman can help change your mind. During a special city council meeting, Pearson took to the floor and delivered one of the most honest, shrill and gut-busting speeches you’ll ever hear. A fan that is so passionate about hockey, so passionate about her team, that she took on the council with her Coyotes jersey on, and proceeded to tear the entire board a new one, ripping them to absolute nothingness.
The video of her words was brought to the public’s attention by Uproxx’s Pete Blackburn, blasting the Mayor for not caring about any sports, taking hand-outs and never fully supporting anything.
Here is the transcript of the speech:
“Mainly this is directed at you, Mayor Weiers. I’m curious, because I go to all Coyotes games because I’ve been a season-ticket holder for several years now—full season, not a half season, not a partial season, full season. I’ve seen you at games, so many games…sporting a jersey that looks just like this one with “Mayor” on the back and the number one on the back. How much did you pay for your jersey? How much did you pay for your tickets for those games? Because I know I paid a hell of a lot more than you did.
I support this team. You don’t. You don’t show up to games and pay for your tickets. None of you [the city council] do. Why were you at the Super Bowl? Because you didn’t buy a ticket. Someone gave you tickets. What happened to all the events that comes with the Super Bowl? The NFL moved them to Scottsdale because of you. … I hauled butt to get here so I can speak my mind, because I support this team. It’s you that doesn’t support any sport in this city. Not football and certainly not hockey.
What you’re doing is childish, it’s pathetic and it’s just disrespectful to the citizens who voted you in office and for all of us that spent so much time and energy supporting this team when you never did.”
While the vote may still have been in favor of canceling the lease, the Arizona Coyotes team rallies around the words of a captain who has had enough, the Coyotes fan-base rallies around the strong words of a die-hard, season ticket holding fan, and the hockey world watches on as the future of the Coyotes in Glendale hangs in the balance of a legal battle and many other factors.
