Arizona Coyotes
| Phoenix Coyotes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Western |
| Division | Pacific |
| Founded | 1972 |
| History | Winnipeg Jets 1972–1979 (WHA) 1979–1996 (NHL) Phoenix Coyotes 1996–present (NHL) |
| Home arena | Jobing.com Arena |
| City | Glendale, Arizona |
| Team colors | Brick red, white, black, sand |
| Media | FSN Arizona KAZT (Channel 27) KGME (910 AM) |
| Owner(s) | Under Dispute |
| General manager |  Don Maloney |
| Head coach | Wayne Gretzky |
| Captain | Shane Doan |
| Minor league affiliates | San Antonio Rampage (AHL) Arizona Sundogs (CHL) |
| Stanley Cups | None |
| Conference championships | None |
| Division championships | None |
The Phoenix Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in Glendale, Arizona, just outside of Phoenix. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). They play their home games at Jobing.com Arena. They also are a mediocre team coached by NHL legend Wayne Gretzky
The Coyotes were founded in 1972 as the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association (WHA), joining the NHL in 1979 and moving to Phoenix in 1996. Their home ice was at the US Airways Center (then known as America West Arena) for seven years until 2003, when Jobing.com Arena opened.
On May 5, 2009, the Coyotes filed for bankruptcy, leaving their future in Arizona uncertain.
Franchise history
The team began play as the Winnipeg Jets, one of the founding franchises in the World Hockey Association (WHA). The Jets were the most successful team in the short-lived WHA, winning the Avco World Trophy, the league's championship trophy, three times and making the finals five out of the WHA's seven seasons. It then became one of the four teams admitted to the NHL when the rival leagues merged in 1979.
However, the club was never able to translate that success into the NHL after the merger. As part of the terms under which the former WHA teams joined the NHL, the established NHL teams were allowed to reclaim most of the players that jumped to the upstart league. The Jets lost most of their best players in the ensuing reclamation draft. As a result, they finished last in the NHL during their first two seasons, including a nine-win season in 1980–81 that is still the worst in franchise history. They recovered fairly quickly, however, making the playoffs 11 times in the next 15 seasons. However, they only won two playoff series largely due to being in the same division as the powerful Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames. Because of the way the playoffs were structured for much of their Winnipeg run, they were all but assured of having to defeat either the Oilers or the Flames (or both) to reach the Conference Finals. In 1984–85, for instance, they finished with the fifth-best record in the league, only to be bounced by the Oilers in the division finals.
The Jets ran into financial trouble when player salaries began spiraling up in the 1990s; this hit the Canadian teams particularly hard. Winnipeg was the second-smallest market in the NHL for most of the Jets' existence, and after the Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver in 1995 to become the Colorado Avalanche, it became the smallest market. In addition, the Jets' home arena, Winnipeg Arena, was one of the smallest in the league. Despite strong fan support, several attempts to keep the team in Winnipeg ultimately fell through. In the spring of 1996, Phoenix businessmen Steven Gluckstern and Richard Burke along with a local investor group bought the team with plans to move it to Phoenix for the 1996–97 season. A name-the-team contest yielded the nickname "Coyotes."
The Early Phoenix years (1996–2005)
In the summer that the move took place, the franchise saw the exit of Jets star Alexei Zhamnov, while the team added established superstar Jeremy Roenick from the Chicago Blackhawks. Roenick teamed up with power wingers Keith Tkachuk and Rick Tocchet to form a dynamic 1–2–3 offensive punch that led the Coyotes through their first years in Arizona. Also impressive were young players like Shane Doan (as of the current season the last remaining Coyote dating to the team's days in Winnipeg), Oleg Tverdovsky, and goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, whom the fans nicknamed the "Bulin Wall."
Another key addition to the squad was veteran forward Mike Gartner, who had come over from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite his experience and scoring his 700th career goal on December 15, 1997, Gartner battled injuries as 1997 became 1998, and the Coyotes did not renew his contract. He retired at the end of the season.
After arriving in Phoenix, the team posted six consecutive .500 or better seasons, making the playoffs in every year but one. The one time they didn't make the playoffs, in 2000-01, they became the first team to earn 90 points and miss the playoffs. They were tremendously popular, in part because of the large number of Northern transplants in the Phoenix area.
However, the Coyotes' home during their first eight years in Phoenix, America West Arena, was completely inadequate for hockey. Although considered a state-of-the-the-art arena when it was built for the Phoenix Suns basketball team, the floor was just barely large enough to fit a standard NHL rink. The building was hastily re-engineered to accommodate the 200 foot rink, and the configuration left a portion of one end of the upper deck hanging over the boards and ice, obscuring almost a third of the rink and one goal from several sections. As a result, listed capacity had to be cut down to just over 16,000 — the second-smallest in the league at the time — after the first season.
Burke bought out Gluckstern in 1998, but was unable to attract more investors to alleviate the team's financial woes (see below). Finally, in 2001, Burke sold the team to Phoenix-area developer Steve Ellman, with Wayne Gretzky as a part-owner and head of hockey operations.
To this day, however, the Coyotes have never made it out of the first round of the playoffs. The franchise has not won a playoff series since 1987, when it was still in Winnipeg. The closest that they came to advancing past the first round was during the 1999 playoffs, when they lost a heartbreaking Game 7 to the St. Louis Blues. In 2002, the Coyotes posted 95 points, one point behind their best total as an NHL team, but made a rather meek first-round exit from the playoffs, being eliminated in five games by the San Jose Sharks.
From then until the 2007–08 season, the Coyotes were barely competitive and managed to break the 80–point barrier only once during that time. Attendance levels dropped considerably, worrying many league executives. In addition, an unfavorable lease with the city of Phoenix (owner of America West Arena) had the team running massive losses[1] (as much as $40 million a year at one point [2]); the Coyotes have never really recovered from the resulting financial problems.
In 2003, the team opened Glendale Arena, now known as Jobing.com Arena, and moved there in 2003. Ellman had committed to building the new arena after numerous proposals to improve the hockey sight lines in America West Arena came to nothing. Simultaneously, the team changed its logo and uniforms, moving from the previous multi-colored kit to a more streamlined look.
In 2005, Ellman sold the Coyotes, the National Lacrosse League's Arizona Sting and the lease to Jobing.com Arena to trucking magnate Jerry Moyes, who is also a part-owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Gretzky Era (2005 – present)
On August 6, 2005, Brett Hull, son of former Jet Bobby Hull, was signed and assigned the elder Hull's retired # 9. Two days later, Gretzky named himself head coach, replacing Rick Bowness, despite the fact that he had never coached at any level of hockey. The Coyotes Ring of Honor was unveiled on October 8, inducting Gretzky and Bobby Hull. One week later, Brett Hull announced his retirement. On January 21, 2006, Jets great Thomas Steen was the third inductee to the Ring of Honor.
Also in the 2005–06 season, the Coyotes were planning to host the NHL All-Star Game, which was canceled because of the 2006 Winter Olympics.
The team returned to Winnipeg on September 17, 2006, to play a pre-season game against the Edmonton Oilers, but were shut-out 5–0 before a sellout crowd of 15,015.
On April 11, 2007, CEO Jeff Shumway announced that general manager Michael Barnett (Gretzky's agent for over 20 years), senior executive vice president of hockey operations Cliff Fletcher, and San Antonio Rampage's general manager and Coyotes' assistant general manager Laurence Gilman "have been relieved of their duties." The Coyotes finished the 2006–2007 season 31–46–5, its worst record since relocating to Phoenix.[3]
On May 29, 2007, Jeff Shumway announced that Don Maloney had agreed to a multi-year contract to become General Manager of the Coyotes. As per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.[4] However, as has been the case with all general managers since 2001, Maloney serves in an advisory role to Gretzky.
The 2007–08 season was something of a resurgence for the Coyotes. After their disastrous 2006–07 campaign, the Coyotes looked to rebuild the team by relying on their drafted talent such as Peter Mueller and Martin Hanzal to make the team successful as opposed to using free agency. The Coyotes also acquired Radim Vrbata from the Chicago Blackhawks for Kevyn Adams in an effort to provide the team with more offense. The team signed both Alex Auld and David Aebischer to compete for the starting goaltender position with Mikael Tellqvist acting as the backup goaltender. Neither Auld or Aebischer were able to hold on to the starting position, leaving the Coyotes to turn to the waiver wire for assistance. On November 17, 2007, the Coyotes were able to claim Ilya Bryzgalov off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks. Bryzgalov responded by not only starting in goal the day he was acquired, but posing a shutout in his Coyotes debut against the Los Angeles Kings. Bryzgalov was soon given a 3–year contract extension because of his high level of play. Despite predictions of another disastrous season, the Coyotes played competitive hockey for most of the season. However, they finished eight points short of the last playoff spot, with 83 points.
On December 23, the Toronto Globe and Mail reported that the Coyotes were receiving financial assistance from the league in the form of advances on league revenues. The Coyotes pledged all of their assets to New York company SOF Investments LP to cover an estimated debt of $80 million. The team had lost an estimated $200 million since 2001 and in recent years posted impressive losses, including $41.6 million in 2006-07, $37.3 million during the 2007-08 season, and $54 million in 2008-09.[5] One of the team's owners, Jerry Moyes' principal source of revenue, Swift Transportation was also in financial difficulty.[6] ESPN reported that the league has become involved with the operations of the Coyotes and their revenues. The NHL apparently wanted to work with the city of Glendale which owns the arena and receives revenues from the team. ESPN also reported that Moyes was interested in selling his share of the team. Hollywood Producer Jerry Bruckheimer was cited as a possible investor.[7]
2009 Bankruptcy Filing
On May 5, the Coyotes' holding company, Dewey Ranch Hockey LLC, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In a statement, Moyes announced that he had agreed in principle to sell the team to PSE Sports and Entertainment, headed by Research in Motion co-CEO Jim Balsillie, for $212.5 million.[8]. As part of the deal, Balsillie intends to move the Coyotes to Hamilton, Ontario.[9] Although initial reports said that Balsillie was considering Waterloo as well,[10] Hamilton already has an NHL-sized arena in place, Copps Coliseum, and Balsillie is already in talks with city officials to secure a lease for the arena if he is allowed to buy the Coyotes.[9]
Anyone who wanted to make a counteroffer had to exceed Balsillie's bid by at least $5 million. [8]. At Moyes' request, Balsillie has also agreed to post debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing of $17 million.[11] Balsillie's efforts also including the creation of a large public relations effort, purportedly to curry favor among public opinion for the upcoming bankruptcy hearing.[12]
The announcement came as a surprise to the NHL and even to Coyotes staffers. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman had helped broker a deal that would have seen the Coyotes sold to Chicago Bulls and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf. The Reinsdorf deal would have seen the Coyotes stay in Arizona. Terms of the Reinsdorf deal were not disclosed, but The Sports Network's Bob McKenzie speculated that it was almost certainly less than the Balsillie offer.[13]
The NHL responded by stripping Moyes of virtually all of his ownership authority (though he still owns the team on paper).[14] Bettman said that Moyes may not have had the authority to file the bankruptcy petition, and may not have even been in full control of the team by virtue of the massive financial assistance he'd received.[13] Although it has been widely speculated that southern Ontario is big enough to support a second NHL team alongside the Toronto Maple Leafs, Bettman suggested that it was not likely the league would approve any plan to move the Coyotes to Canada, and accused Moyes and Balsillie of attempting to "circumvent" league rules. He also reiterated that the NHL was committed to the Phoenix area.
The bankruptcy hearing was scheduled for May 7, 2009.[10] Court documents submitted by Moyes cite 30 creditors, including Moyes himself for an amount in excess of $103 million USD.[15] TSN's Bob McKenzie said that Moyes was very receptive to Balsillie's offer because, as the team's largest unsecured creditor, the best chance of getting most of his money back was to persuade someone to buy the team out of bankruptcy.[13]
At the bankruptcy hearing, the NHL argued that it had been in control of the team since November by virtue of a proxy agreement with Moyes. The NHL claimed this agreement, and several others signed by Moyes, specifically barred Moyes from filing for bankruptcy. Moyes claimed that the agreement only gave the league voting rights, not outright control. Bankruptcy court judge Redfield Baum scheduled a second hearing for May 19 to determine who actually controls the team.[16][9] However, deputy commissioner Bill Daly said that regardless of how the judge rules, the league owners will have the final say in whether to allow the Coyotes to move. Daly repeated Bettman's doubts that Balsillie's bid would be successful, saying Balsillie was acting "in total disregard" for NHL rules.[17]
While Bettman has let it be known that he wants to keep the team in Phoenix he has previously allowed the Winnipeg Jets to move south for Phoenix, after a combined effort from grassroots supporters and businessed failed to raise the requisite $111 million operating capital pool[18]. Bettman's motivations, although hotly contested among Canadian media circles and fans[19][20], appear to be the growth of the NHL's business in American and European markets[21]. Despite the controversy, Bettman has been consistent in promoting his business model. His efforts have yielded some success[22], but have prompted a significant portion of the Canadian fan base to antagonize the Commissioner[23].
At the May 19 hearing, Baum ordered the NHL and Moyes to settle the ownership question through mediation, while expressing skepticism for the NHL's argument that the proxy agreements gave it control of the team. He said that he needed to decide whether to allow the move to Hamilton before the franchise was sold. However, the NHL claims there was no way it could reach a decision on whether to allow the move in time for the 2009-10 season. [24][25] The day after the hearing, Balsillie spokesman Rich Rodier told Arizona Republic Coyotes beat writer Jim Gintonio that Balsillie is willing to keep the team in Phoenix for the 2009-10 season if he is allowed to buy the team, provided that the NHL fund any losses.[26] The deal could also flounder since Balsillie does not intend to compensate the Maple Leafs or Buffalo Sabres, although the legality of such payments is suspect[27]. Hamilton falls within the protected markets of both teams.[28]
The other three major North American sports organizations have filed amicus curiae briefs supporting the NHL position. They argued that if Baum forced the league to move the Coyotes, it would "disrupt the business" of professional sports. New York's two Senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, also wrote Baum to oppose the move on the grounds that a Hamilton-based team would do severe economic harm to the Sabres.[28]
Team information
Jerseys
The Coyotes updated their jerseys for the 2007–08 season, along with all NHL teams, as part of the switchover to Rbk Edge jerseys. The changes made were adding an NHL crest just below the neck opening, removing the stripes that were previously just above the lower hem, and moving the "PHX" patch from the right to the left shoulder. The white jersey also gained red shoulder coloring and laces at the collar.
The Coyotes also added a third jersey for the 2008-2009 season. It is primarily black and features a new alternate coyote logo on the front, with the primary logo (coyote head) patch on the left shoulder, and the "Official Seel" on the right.[29]
Mascot
Howler is the coyote-suited mascot of the Phoenix Coyotes. He was introduced on October 15, 2005. Howler has his own website dedicated to his Kids Club - [4].
Season-by-season record
This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Coyotes. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Phoenix Coyotes seasons
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Records as of April 13, 2009.[30]
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Playoffs | |
| 2004–05 | Season cancelled due to 2004–05 NHL lockout | ||||||||||
| 2005–06 | 82 | 38 | 39 | 5 | 81 | 246 | 271 | 1493 | 5th, Pacific | Did not qualify | |
| 2006–07 | 82 | 31 | 46 | 5 | 67 | 216 | 284 | 1417 | 5th, Pacific | Did not qualify | |
| 2007–08 | 82 | 38 | 37 | 7 | 83 | 214 | 231 | 1175 | 4th, Pacific | Did not qualify | |
| 2008–09 | 82 | 36 | 39 | 7 | 79 | 208 | 252 | 1056 | 4th, Pacific | Did not qualify | |
Notable players
Current roster
Updated January 5, 2025.[31][32]
Team captains
Note: This list does not include captains from the Winnipeg Jets (NHL & WHA).
- Keith Tkachuk, 1996–2001
- Teppo Numminen, 2001–03
- Shane Doan, 2003– present
- Bobby Hull, LW, 1972-1980, inducted 1983
- Dale Hawerchuk, C, 1981-1990, inducted 2001
- Mike Gartner, RW, 1996–98, inducted 2001
Retired numbers
- 9 Bobby Hull, LW, 1972–80, number retired by Winnipeg on February 19, 1989; Hull's #9 was unretired briefly upon his request at the beginning of the 2005–06 season for his son, Brett, before he retired five games into the season.
- 10 Dale Hawerchuk, C, 1981–90, number retired by Phoenix on April 5, 2007.
- 25 Thomas Steen, RW, 1981–95, number retired by Winnipeg on May 6, 1995.
- 99 Wayne Gretzky, number retired league-wide February 6, 2000.
The Coyotes continue to honor the retired numbers of the Winnipeg Jets franchise, and are the only relocated WHA team to do so; the banners for Hull and Steen at Jobing.com Arena are in the Jets' blue, white and red. Furthermore, Hawerchuk played for the Jets well before the move to Arizona.
First-round draft picks
Note: This list does not include selections of the Winnipeg Jets.
- 1996: Dan Focht (11th overall) & Danny Briere (24th overall)*
- 1997: None
- 1998: Patrick DesRochers (14th overall)
- 1999: Scott Kelman (15th overall) & Kirill Safronov (19th overall)
- 2000: Krystofer Kolanos (19th overall)
- 2001: Fredrik Sjostrom (11th overall)
- 2002: Jakub Koreis (19th overall) & Ben Eager (23rd overall)
- 2003: None
- 2004: Blake Wheeler (fifth overall)
- 2005: Martin Hanzal (17th overall)
- 2006: Peter Mueller (8th overall) & Chris Summers (29th overall)
- 2007: Kyle Turris (third overall) & Nick Ross (30th overall)
- 2008: Mikkel Bodker (eighth overall) & Viktor Tikhonov (28th Overall)
*The 1996 NHL Draft took place on June 22, and the Jets did not become the Coyotes until July 1, making Focht and Briere the two final first round selections of the Winnipeg Jets.
Franchise scoring leaders
These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise (Winnipeg and Phoenix) history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; * = current Coyotes player
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | P/G |
| Dale Hawerchuk | C | 713 | 379 | 550 | 929 | 1.30 |
| Thomas Steen | RW | 950 | 264 | 553 | 817 | .86 |
| Keith Tkachuk | LW | 640 | 323 | 300 | 623 | .97 |
| Shane Doan* | RW | 883 | 227 | 323 | 550 | .63 |
| Teppo Numminen | D | 1098 | 108 | 426 | 534 | .49 |
| Paul MacLean | RW | 527 | 248 | 270 | 518 | .98 |
| Doug Smail | LW | 691 | 189 | 208 | 397 | .58 |
| Laurie Boschman | LW | 526 | 152 | 227 | 379 | .72 |
| Jeremy Roenick | C | 384 | 141 | 210 | 351 | .91 |
| Morris Lukowich | LW | 431 | 168 | 177 | 345 | .80 |
NHL awards and trophies
Franchise records
Individual
- Most goals in a season: Teemu Selanne, 76 (1992–93).
- Most assists in a season: Phil Housley, 79 (1992–93).
- Most points in a season: Teemu Selanne, 132 (1992–93).
- Most penalty minutes in a season: Tie Domi, 347 (1993–94).
- Most points in a season, defenseman: Phil Housley, 97 (1992–93).
- Most points in a season, rookie: Teemu Selanne, 132 (1992–93).
- Most wins in a season: Brian Hayward; Bob Essensa; Sean Burke, 33 (1984–85; 1992–93; 2001–02).
- Fastest goal making his NHL debut: Yanick Lehoux, 1:05 (November 8, 2005).
Team
References
- ^ Duhatschek, Eric; et al. (2001). Hockey Chronicles. New York City: Checkmark Books. ISBN 0816046972.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help); Explicit use of et al. in:|first=(help) - ^ Burnside, Scott. Balsillie again takes wrong approach. ESPN, 2009-05-06.
- ^ "General Manager Michael Barnett & Staff Relieved of Duties".
- ^ "Former Rangers' Assistant GM Agrees To Multi-Year Contract".
- ^ Waldie, Paul (May 16, 2009). "globesports.com: Bettman preferred Coyotes move to Winnipeg". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
- ^ Shoalts, David (December 23, 2008). "globesports.com: Coyotes' financial situation got uglier". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
- ^ Burnside, Scott (December 23, 2008). "ESPN - NHL helping Phoenix Coyotes find investors or new owners because of financial problems". ESPN . Retrieved 2008-12-24.
- ^ a b Phoenix Coyotes File for Bankruptcy [1]
- ^ a b c http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=4150580
- ^ a b Balsillie offers $212.5M to bring Coyotes to Ontario
- ^ [2]
- ^ On air speculation of legal advisors, and sports broadcasters, the Fan 590, CJCL
- ^ a b c McKenzie, Bob. Situation with Coyotes will be messy. The Sports Network, 2009-05-06.
- ^ NHL statement regarding takeover of Coyotes
- ^ (http://multimedia.thestar.com/acrobat/3b/84/e09a770545ccb7ea273c5a61a788.pdf)
- ^ http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyotes/articles/2009/05/07/20090507spt-coyoteshearing.html
- ^ http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=277920
- ^ Helyar, John (April 26, 1996). "Latest Example of an NHL Trend Is the Flight of the Winnipeg Jets". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved 2009-05-22.
- ^ "The Little Bettman That Cried Wolf".
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Jamie (May 10, 2009). "Why Canada Hates Bettman". About.Com. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "Bettman Looking to Expand NHL to Europe". September 26, 2007. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
- ^ "NHL Enjoys Record Season...In America". Retrieved 2009-05-22.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Jamie (May 10, 2009). "Why Canada Hates Bettman". About.Com. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyotes/articles/2009/05/19/20090519yotesmediation.html
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=4180789
- ^ http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/JimGintonio/53724
- ^ [3]
- ^ a b http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/sports/hockey/24slapshot.html
- ^ http://www.gameworn.net/cgi-bin/GW/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=019048
- ^ "Phoenix Coyotes season statistics and records". Hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
- ^ "Utah Hockey Club Roster". National Hockey League. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
- ^ "Utah Hockey Club Transactions". The Sports Network. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
See also
External links
- The Official website of the Phoenix Coyotes
- Website of the official Booster Club for the Phoenix Coyotes
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