Mullett Arena was packed with vibes like few other times in the two years since the Arizona Coyotes moved there, and fans were encouraged to have one last hurrah in the desert.
For 60 minutes, they had one last chance to see the team they loved before the franchise, just as they know it no longer exists.
The Coyotes will move to Salt Lake City in a deal that could be signed less than 24 hours after Wednesday night’s 5-2 win over Edmonton. Hockey could return, perhaps within five years, but the stark reality is that this is the end for the foreseeable future.
“It’s sad, it’s upsetting,” said Ryan Travis, a Coyotes season-ticket holder since 2001. “I can’t believe this is finally over. “I can’t believe this is going to end like this.”
Coyotes fans dreaded this moment, hoping it would never happen.
They remained loyal through multiple ownership changes. They followed the team to three different arenas. They ignored the almost constant rumors of relocation.
Reality hit this week.
There will be a new owner. Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith is expected to purchase the franchise from current owner Alex Meruelo in a $1.2 billion deal through the NHL as soon as Thursday.
The team is moving. The deal, once signed and approved by the NHL Board of Governors, will hand over the franchise’s hockey operations to Smith, who intends to move them to Salt Lake City.
There could be a new scenario… eventually. Meruelo had been looking for land in north Phoenix to build it. When delays pushed the land auction back to June, the NHL and the players’ association balked at continuing to play at Mullett Arena, the loud but music-box-sized venue shared with Arizona State University.
Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm (14) skates with the puck against Arizona Coyotes right wing Clayton Keller (9) during the third period of an NHL hockey game on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 in Tempe, Arizona. The Coyotes won 5-2. (Ross D. Franklin / AP Photo)
Meruelo was adamant about not selling the team despite constant offers since he bought it in 2019, but he also didn’t want the players to be stuck playing in a 5,000-seat arena, by far the smallest in the NHL, which did not It was up to league standards.
With no guarantee of an arena and no other options, Meruelo agreed to sell the franchise.
The caveat: Arizona will get an expansion team if a new arena is built within five years.
A small light at the end of what will probably be a very long tunnel, but with much more darkness than hope.
“It’s been a tough 20 to 25 years, not knowing where home is going to be,” said Coyotes rookie Josh Doan, who grew up in the Valley during his father Shane’s long tenure as Coyotes captain. “It’s one of those things where you want to send them off on the right note and get them the win tonight.”
The Coyotes gave that to their fans with the win over the Oilers.
As the players celebrated, the hockey staff jumped onto the ice to join them in the celebrations and take a team photo. Some players threw their sticks over the glass at the fans and everyone hugged each other as the fans began chanting “We love you, Coy-otes!”
“It was a little different this morning,” Coyotes forward Clayton Keller said. “Even after the first few turns, it felt strange. Being last was a little difficult, but we were able to adapt and go from there.”
It will be a bitter farewell for the fans.
Arizona Coyotes season ticket holders console each other as time runs out in the team’s NHL hockey game against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 in Tempe, Ariz. (Ross D. Franklin / AP Photo)
They bounced back when the Coyotes unexpectedly reached the 2012 Western Conference Finals, but the desert has been dry outside of a trip to the NHL’s 2020 postseason bubble.
Thanks to the moves of general manager Bill Armstrong, the Coyotes appear to be heading back in the right direction. He blew up the team, jettisoning veterans for a series of draft picks who became the core of a young, talented team.
With the move, Coyotes fans will now have to watch the rebuilding progress from afar instead of from their own backyard.
“Hopefully hockey will come back,” Travis said. “Hockey belongs in the desert. It’s thriving right now with youth hockey, so let’s hope this is just a pause, not a real end.”
Break or end, Coyotes fans treated the final game at the Mullett with a big party, even if it was a wake.