Coyotes fans face the end in Arizona with anger toward Salt Lake City, appreciation of hockey’s impact

Tempe, Ariz. • The fans came early to the funeral.

With three hours left before the opening faceoff of the Arizona Coyotes’ last game in the state it has called home for 27 years, fans started to arrive outside the gates of the small, 5,000-seat stadium on the campus of Arizona State University.

This funeral at Mullett Arena had a bounce castle, beer pong tables, and even a booth set up to shave mullet haircuts into the scalps of the truly dedicated — but these inanities mostly went unused.

Instead, people grieved. Some stood outside their cars in the arena’s parking garage, tailgating for the game. Some gathered at the point closest to the arena’s entrance they were allowed. Many cried. But they all told stories, sharing with others who had this passion in their lives: NHL hockey.

This week, that passion was taken away by team owner Alex Meruelo’s decision to end this Coyotes’ chapter in Arizona. The NHL has “deactivated” the Coyotes and transferred all of its players and hockey assets to Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith, who will move the team to Utah in time for next October’s season opener.

Utah’s gain is Arizona’s pain. And while our state looks to welcome NHL hockey to our area — for which Utahns are understandably thrilled — it’s worth understanding the toll it will take elsewhere.

Anger among the grieving

To be sure, the primary emotion for many Coyotes fans was anger.

“It was a big blow to a fan base who’s been super mistreated,” said Luke Warren, of the Coyotes Corner podcast. “For years, I mean, just league-wide we’ve been at the end of so many jokes, with the arena instability and our ownership. It’s just been a mess.”

Fans felt betrayed by Meruelo’s lack of transparency about the process. As recently as April 4, the team released new renderings of its proposed Phoenix-area stadium plans, leading fans to grow hope that they might have a permanent home in Arizona. Instead, just six days later, reports surfaced that the team being moved to Salt Lake City was the likely option.

That anger could be seen in signs around the arena — one, for example, said that Meruelo was “losing his religion” by moving the team. Others were befuddled that Meruelo’s stadium plan on the Phoenix and Scottsdale border wasn’t as solid as Meruelo and the franchise made it seem. When the national anthem was sung, a substantial number of fans yelled to echo “Still there!” upon the words’ recitation.

But that anger was also targeted toward Salt Lake City, the Coyotes’ new home. “Salt Lake Sucks” might have been the night’s second-most common chant behind only “Let’s Go Coyotes.” I overheard one fan complaining about peeling numbers on his jersey; he jokingly said it must be “Salt Lake City manufacturing” causing the defect.

The players, though, disagreed with the Salt Lake City-oriented negativity.

“Among the group, obviously, there’s no hate towards Salt Lake City,” winger Josh Doan said. “Because they’re welcoming us with open arms. ... The people there had nothing to do with it.”

Will Arizona’s youth hockey suffer? Will Utah’s boom?

Hockey fans in Arizona have repeated one catchphrase over and over again over the last two weeks, as their franchise’s future has been in increasing doubt: “Hockey belongs in the desert.”

It’s meant to be a knowing wink to the haters: The icy sport is obviously an awkward contrast to the blistering heat here, at least on paper. But after over a generation in Arizona, the Coyotes have built a passionate fanbase that has made hockey a cultural presence in the state.

Perhaps the shining jewel of Arizona hockey: its burgeoning youth program. Auston Matthews, the 2016 No. 1 pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs stunned observers this NHL season by scoring 69 goals — the most by any NHL player in 28 seasons. The 26-year-old is a product of the Arizona Coyotes’ presence. “I lived about five minutes from the practice rink the Coyotes used, so there were lots of options, a lot of different programs. I just picked one and got into it,” Matthews told SportsNet.

On Wednesday, the state of youth hockey was a major worry at Mullett Arena. Of the 5,000 in attendance, a significant portion were youth hockey players who wanted to see their favorite players for the last time in person, many brought signs to that effect. “I love hockey — and I’m a youth goalie” read one.

The pipeline might be the lasting legacy of the Coyotes in Arizona. If, as rumored, Meruelo retains an option to return a separate expansion franchise to Arizona, he may be able to continue that legacy in the decades to come.

But the team’s players hope to see a similar positive impact on Utah’s youth hockey scene when the team moves up north. Currently, only one Utahn is in the NHL: 37-year-old Trevor Lewis on the Los Angeles Kings. After the game, every Coyotes player interviewed expressed an interest in helping to grow Utah’s youth hockey scene when the team moves.

A mutual appreciation

It was the fans’ show of appreciation for the Coyotes players throughout the night that was most moving.

First of all, the sacrifices people made to be in Tempe were remarkable. I spoke to fans from Ohio, Florida, Massachusetts, and even New York who bought airfare in the last week to make sure they were at the Coyotes’ last NHL game in Arizona.

The game tickets were probably more expensive than the flights. Checked just before game time, the cheapest tickets — not seats, but standing-room-only tickets — were available for $723. Some were season ticket holders, including those who had been supporting the team since they moved to the area in 1996. Some spoke of getting to watch Wayne Gretzky coach the team in the mid-00s.

As players participated in pre-game warmups, signs thanking the Coyotes lined the arena’s glass. Some hoped to talk to a favorite player, or get a game-used stick or puck. Others made collages of their own memories of the team, moments that they wanted to give back.

Online, fans did the same. One prominent outlet covering the team asked fans to submit their best photos or memories of the Coyotes on Twitter, and hundreds of fans responded. They’re worth looking through.

And throughout the night, the Coyotes answered the bell. Fans were actually allowed into the arena 15 minutes ahead of the typical time on the final night. For the final two minutes of game action, fans gave the team a standing ovation. After the game ended, it took hours for fans to be ushered out — the organization allowed the time to say goodbye.

The Coyotes’ players also showed a remarkable understanding of the moment. Before the game, they signed some memorabilia as they left the ice, but postgame is where they really shined. They’d autograph a stack of hats, throw them out to the crowd, then go back to staffers to get more to throw. Fans lined up to receive players’ game-worn jerseys; sticks were thrown over the boards to be collected. Most fans who stayed left with not just one piece of memorabilia, but multiple.

“The fans were really unbelievable,” All-Star winger Clayton Keller said. “They’ve supported us through ups and downs and all the noise. They always have our backs.”

These players have won over Coyotes fans’ hearts. A perennially losing franchise, the Coyotes finally are looking up with a number of intriguing youth players getting playing time in the season’s final throes. The team has led the NHL in goals since March.

It’s for that reason that some Coyotes fans say they’ll follow the team in Utah. Warren, the podcaster, says he’s among them. “We suffered to watch these guys,” he said. “It’d be crazy not to go support them wherever they are.” Perhaps the largest sign at Mullett Arena on Wednesday offered the same sentiment: “Stay or leave — we will follow.”

As Wednesday’s funeral showed, the Coyotes have lived out their life in Arizona.

Maybe Salt Lake City can be hockey heaven.

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