On the heals of a great Stanley Cup playoff, it has become apparent that Phoenix is indeed a hockey town. More and more people are interested in hockey in Phoenix each year.
I have lived in a couple of great hockey towns - Detroit and Denver - and though Phoenix isn't quite yet in their caliber in terms of fan base, that will come with both time, and an owner who knows what he's doing.
The Coyotes have had difficulty in Phoenix due mostly to poor ownership decisions. One major mistake was putting the arena in Glendale, far from the sports center of the metro area.
Having the arena in Glendale cut our attendance in half, not so much because of the distance but because of the fact my kids are young and we couldn't watch a complete game AND drive home in any kind of reasonable time on a school night. Though the arena will stay in Glendale, my kids will not stay young. They watched the Red Wings lose last night, unfortunately, but were glued to the TV with interest in the game. Up until the bankruptcy issue came about, we were already planning to attend more games next year.
Phoenix is the 5th largest city in the US, and can easily sustain a profitable hockey team given smart decisions from the owners. We have lacked that heretofore.
I really hope the bankruptcy judge, and the NHL, will give Phoenix fans another chance to prove themselves, in Phoenix, under new ownership. (Perhaps we need to do a white-out at the courthouse!?!?!) In any case, we deserve a second chance, and so do the Coyotes!!!!!!
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