PuckfaceHockeyeXperiment

There is a fundamental problem with NHL hockey in Arizona, although Phoenix is a large metropolitan area.  According to the 2020 census data, the Phoenix metro area is 10th in population in the US.  However, this area is full of transplants from other NHL cities and have their own favorite teams before they arrive in AZ.  Every home game is still an away game for the Coyotes as their fanbase is small. 

So why can't the Coyotes develop a local fanbase?  The answer is quite simple.  Ever since their arrival in 1996, they have refused to support the local hockey scene in any significant manner.  Their lack of community presence is clear to me as a parent of a 10 year old travel hockey player in the area.  They have provided almost nothing of value to the local hockey community to grow their fanbase for nearly 30 years, and now they are left wondering why they can't get community support.  

As we travel to 3-5 cities every year to participate in hockey tournaments, it is clear that other franchises are providing support and have a palpable presence in the hockey communities they are in.  The Stars, for example have 7 rinks named Starcenter in the DFW area.  Whether they own them or not, their name is attached to the rinks where the kids learn to play and love the game.  This kind of grass roots effort is lacking in our hockey community.  We had 3 sheets of ice out of the 12 total around the valley that were down for nearly a month each last summer (2022) as their systems failed.  

On the flip side, the Coyotes keep expecting community support, while they have provided little to no community engagement.  Is it a surprise that the Coyotes did not receive overwhelming support from the community?  Not at all.