{coyotes} Phoenix Coyotes finally have hope, stability

Wednesday 26 March 2014

{coyotes} Phoenix Coyotes finally have hope, stability

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Phoenix Coyotes general manager Don Maloney had more than his fair share of angst Tuesday. He was fretting about how long goalie Mike Smith would be sidelined with a lower-body injury. And he was clearly agonizing over why his team hasn't been able to play as tight defensively as Phoenix teams have in recent seasons.

"We have this disturbing pattern of giving up a couple of goals and not being able to close out games," Maloney said.

But Maloney said the stress load of his team's wild-card playoff race in the Western Conference is a joyous journey compared to the anxiety he experienced over the last few years when he had to worry about how his team was playing and where the team would be located the next season.

"It's 100% different," Maloney said. "The whole black cloud that has been following us for four years is gone."

The Coyotes rank last in league attendance at a little more than 13,500 fans a game, but the first season under the new nine-person IceArizona ownership group has changed the atmosphere surrounding the franchise.

"You can feel it in and around the arena," said Erik Rasmussen, an 11-year Coyotes' season ticketholder.

The Coyotes won 3-2 in Pittsburgh on Tuesday to maintain their hold on the final wild-card spot, and six of the owners are on the three-game trip.

"Every one of the new owners seem to have made it their personal goal to get out in front of the fan base," Rasmussen said.

The Coyotes, who couldn't market properly when the franchise was owned by the league, are marketing more aggressively than before. Elementary schools are a major target. Educating youngsters about the game is a priority.

"Plastic hockey sticks, a couple of nets and a ball on a gym floor," Rasmussen said. "Then those kids ask their parents to take them to a Coyotes game."

The Coyotes have had seven sellouts this season, and five included standing-room-only fans.

"In less than a season, I'm surprised with the advances that have been made," Coyotes season ticketholder Todd Cassel said. "I was a little bit worried about whether it was going to be a success, but seeing only one poorly attended game on Halloween night made me feel a lot better."

The new ownership group has an out clause that allows it to move the franchise if it loses $50 million or more in the first five years, but Rasmussen said he is convinced the new owners can make it work in Glendale, Ariz.

One change he has noticed is that more fans appear to be wearing Coyotes jerseys and fewer fans appear to be wearing the opponent's sweaters.

Although the attendance is not significantly different from last season, the Coyotes have broken the team record for ticket revenue, which had stood since 1997-98. They raised ticket prices and charged for parking for the first time. Ticket sales have picked up as the season has worn on.

"It was really encouraging to me that we had just under 15,000 in the building on a Thursday night for a game against Florida, which is not a traditionally strong draw," co-owner and CEO Anthony LeBlanc said. "We are encouraged by how the numbers are trending."

LeBlanc said season ticket renewals have been strong.

"We are meeting our expectations, but we are a group of guys that want to do more than that," LeBlanc said.

Making the playoffs is highly important to the Coyotes. Their chances took a hit Monday when Smith was injured. He had a MRI on Tuesday in Pittsburgh, and team doctors were reviewing the images. More will be known today. For now, he's day-to-day.

The Coyotes have been scoring more goals than in the past. Antoine Vermette has been a surprise, leading the team with 23 goals. The power play ranks third in the NHL.

"But we are in the habit of giving up more as well," Maloney said. "And (coach) Dave Tippett and I aren't comfortable with that. At the end of the day, we will have success if we play better defense."

Nothing would benefit the Coyotes more from a revenue and marketing standpoint than qualifying for the playoffs and making an extended run.

"Phoenix is always going to be a town where you have to have a relevant team," Rasmussen said. "It doesn't matter whether it's hockey, football, baseball or basketball because of the transplant mentality. Phoenix is a very loyal fan base when their teams succeed. For the Coyotes to be making this surge, it absolutely generates interest."

And what will happen if the Coyotes make the playoffs?

"The building will be filled," Cassel said.

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