The Phoenix Coyotes are a professional hockey team that is actually based in Glendale Arizona, just outside of Phoenix. They began playing in 1972 as part of the World Hockey League and were located in Winnipeg. In 1979 the team changed leagues, becoming part of the National Hockey League, and in 1996, the team moved to Phoenix. They have since filed for bankruptcy and are now owned by the NHL rather than a private owner.
The Coyotes are one of few teams that have not yet managed to make it to a Stanley Cup win. They have never been in any Cup games, however the team has managed to make it to the Conference Quarter Finals five times. To date, the team has no championship titles at all.
Home of the Phoenix Coyotes is the Jobing.com Arena. The arena was completed in 2003 and cost 180 million dollars to build. There is seating for 17,125 fans with 3,075 club seats and 88 luxury suites. Before moving into their current home, they played their home games at the US Airways Center, which was then known as the America West Arena. Unfortunately, the arena was primarily built to house the local basketball team and was just barely large enough to fit a hockey rink, giving several thousand fans severely obstructed views.
In 2008, word leaked to the press that the NHL was funding the team because of severe losses the last few years. The owner of the team had planned to sell to a billionaire who wanted to move the team to a new city. Their plans were blocked unfortunately when a judge ruled that the team could not use the bankruptcy as a way around the NHL’s rules against this sort of thing. The judge also denied the bid from the NHL for the team but left room for them to negotiate a new bid, earning them the deal in the end. So far, the NHL has not done anything about selling the team to a new owner, but there have been other offers and a deal is not far off.
Out in their community, the Phoenix Coyotes are active in fighting for children in need. They have instituted programs and participate in fundraising events to encourage better education and healthier futures and there are hockey programs designed to encourage active lifestyles. The Coyotes are also concerned about the environment, doing their part to go green.
They may not be the most accomplished team in the league, but the Phoenix Coyotes are loved by their fans, and play their best at every game. Games are fascinating and exciting and off the ice the players are just as active.
2009-10 Phoenix Coyotes
Team owner Jerry Moyes moved to put the Phoenix franchise into bankruptcy with the thought of selling the team to Canadian Jim Balsillie. The NHL had no intentions of moving the team out of Phoenix and the NHL placed a bid on the franchise. Eventually, the NHL won ownership of the franchise and the NHL then hired former Dallas Star Head Coach Dave Tippett as the new Head Coach.
The offseason was quiet on the personnel front as the Coyotes used their first round draft pick Oliver Ekman Larsson with the sixth overall pick in the draft and signed a number of free agents most notably former Nashville Predator Vernon Fidler and Jason LaBarbera formerly of the Vancouver Canucks.
The team is currently situated in 4th place in the Western Conference with a record of 36-19-5.
Previous Seasons
It's all about a new approach this season for Phoenix – maybe even a bit of a rebuild? They have let go all of their over-the-hill players, including goaltender Curtis Joseph. They can only hope for a good draft to strengthen their roster – as it stands, training camp will have David Aebischer, Alex Auld, and Mikael Tellqvist fighting for the spots available in the club. For '07-08 The Coyotes are developing, and fans are aware of this fact – they will have to be very patient waiting for the team to climb out of the bottom of the Conference.
Phoenix Coyote tickets have big shoes to fill. As the team led by world-renown hockey legend, Wayne Gretzky, the Phoenix Coyotes have a lot to live up to. Their history reveals them to be hardworking, constant playoff contenders despite staff changes, forced trades and geographic upheaval.
The team began as the Winnipeg Jets, led by Bobby Hull, they went on to win three WHA championships in 1976, 1978 and 1979. It was following the '79 season that the Jets joined the NHL. After a slow start in NHL hockey, center Dale Hawerchuck joined the team in 1981 and in the '81-'82 season, the team made their first showing in the NHL playoffs after winning 33 games.
In the 1984-85 season the Jets came in second in their division as Hawerchuk built up 130 points, making a name for himself by carrying the third-highest total in the league. The Jets made it to the playoffs consistently in 1988, 1990, 1992 and 1993, but were always eliminated in the first round, despite impressive players. Leading the 1992-93 team was right wing Teemu Selanne, later named NHL rookie of the year after setting a new league record with 76 goals and 132 points scored.
The end of the 1995-96 season brought about the biggest change the Jets had yet to see. The franchise was sold and moved from Winnipeg to Phoenix and renamed the Coyotes. In the midst of the change, the team gained Jeremy Roenick from the Chicago Blackhawks who teamed up with left wing Keith Tkachuk to bring the Coyotes to the playoffs for their first three seasons in Phoenix.
The 1999-00 season brought about major staff changes, as Coach Jim Schoenfeld was fired and replaced by Coach Bobby Francis, yet the Coyotes were in for an even bigger headlining staff change. Following the season, they were sold to Wayne Gretzky and in the interim were forced to trade away their star captain, Tkcahuk to the St. Louis Blues. Without him to lead them, the Coyotes failed to make the playoffs in the 2000-01 season.
With Gretzky now firmly at the helm, the Coyotes were cleared for a new arena to be built in Glendale, a nearby suburb of Phoenix, yet more speed bumps were on their way. In the 2002-03 season, the Coyotes gained what would prove to be one of the biggest free agent disasters, Tony Amonte. In the same season, they lost goalie Sean Bruke to injuries and as a reflection of their personnel upsets, they suffered through their worst season since moving to Phoenix, finishing in 4th place.
Yet the Coyotes rushed into the 2003-04 season ready for a new beginning, taking the ice at their new arena in new uniforms in December of that year. A new star began to show himself as the season continued, goalie Brian Boucher made NHL history by not allowing a goal for five straight games and setting a new record streak of 332:01 minutes.
Still, more upheaval was on the horizon as Coach Bobby Francis was fired and Rick Bowness leading the team. They finished in last place with a record of 22-36-18-6.
Phoenix Coyote tickets give NHL fans the chance to see Wayne Gretsky in action again. Only this time it's from behind the bench and not on the ice. Despite the ups and downs, the Phoenix Coyotes have always been battlers, and with Gretsky sharing the ice, Phoenix Coyote tickets are one of the most unique NHL tickets around.
