Could the Arizona Coyotes Move Cause A Minor League Hockey Shake Up?
April 24, 2024
Could the Arizona Coyotes Move Cause A Minor League Hockey Shake Up?
3 comments
Roadrunners should not leave Tucson before their contract is up. There are games where the crowds would not fit into Mullett. Granted, there might be a higher average attendance on the Tuesday and Wednesday night games which currently usually average under Mullett’s capacity, but I sincerely doubt many standing room only tickets would be sold for AHL games, so the attendance could be even smaller.
That is of course in addition to the fact that Meruelo would be alienating even more hockey fans, who do spend thousands to watch AHL games and buy gear, while effectively killing youth hockey in Arizona for everything south of Phoenix Metro.
An NHL franchise owner (there is no Arizona NHL team despite Meruelo’s insistence that he still has a team) should be looking out for the growth of hockey and fans throughout the state and region, not limiting gatekeeping access to a pet location.
I fully expect when Tucson’s contact is up the roadrunners will be spirited away to Reno for his benefit, let’s not have them stolen prior to that.
Move the Utah team to Mullett. Everyone has something.
This ownership group has no foresight, and cannot read the room.
1. The NHL team is relocated from the Phoenix metro area, upsetting the fans, and your next move is to relocate a team that has established itself in Tucson, upsetting more fans?
2. You move the roadrunners from Tucson to Phoenix. What happens if/when they build an arena and the Coyotes return? This town can’t/won’t be able to support two teams. Where do the Roadrunners go?
The only argument I see for moving the Roadrunners to Tempe is airport access. The Utah team will need to be able to recall players quickly if needed. The Tucson airport might not work logistically for Utah (I don’t know this to be true, just my best guess). Does Utah even want to keep the AHL affiliation with Tucson?
These guys are just leaving a trail of destruction in everything they do. It looks to me like it was never about hockey, and just about the sports book. I feel like a sucker for trying to defend this ownership group over the last five years. They are just as incompetent as the long line of owners going back to the Ellman days.
3 comments
Roadrunners should not leave Tucson before their contract is up. There are games where the crowds would not fit into Mullett. Granted, there might be a higher average attendance on the Tuesday and Wednesday night games which currently usually average under Mullett’s capacity, but I sincerely doubt many standing room only tickets would be sold for AHL games, so the attendance could be even smaller.
That is of course in addition to the fact that Meruelo would be alienating even more hockey fans, who do spend thousands to watch AHL games and buy gear, while effectively killing youth hockey in Arizona for everything south of Phoenix Metro.
An NHL franchise owner (there is no Arizona NHL team despite Meruelo’s insistence that he still has a team) should be looking out for the growth of hockey and fans throughout the state and region, not limiting gatekeeping access to a pet location.
I fully expect when Tucson’s contact is up the roadrunners will be spirited away to Reno for his benefit, let’s not have them stolen prior to that.
Move the Utah team to Mullett. Everyone has something.
This ownership group has no foresight, and cannot read the room.
1. The NHL team is relocated from the Phoenix metro area, upsetting the fans, and your next move is to relocate a team that has established itself in Tucson, upsetting more fans?
2. You move the roadrunners from Tucson to Phoenix. What happens if/when they build an arena and the Coyotes return? This town can’t/won’t be able to support two teams. Where do the Roadrunners go?
The only argument I see for moving the Roadrunners to Tempe is airport access. The Utah team will need to be able to recall players quickly if needed. The Tucson airport might not work logistically for Utah (I don’t know this to be true, just my best guess). Does Utah even want to keep the AHL affiliation with Tucson?
These guys are just leaving a trail of destruction in everything they do. It looks to me like it was never about hockey, and just about the sports book. I feel like a sucker for trying to defend this ownership group over the last five years. They are just as incompetent as the long line of owners going back to the Ellman days.