The NHL has decided to exercise the option they had to take $25million from the city of Glendale, Arizona, in order to cover losses accrued over the season by the Phoenix Coyotes. This money was placed in escrow by the city after the NHL insisted they do so, in the event that they were unable to sell the team after purchasing it in 2009.
When the NHL purchased the Coyotes, the team was bankrupt. The plan was to find ownership that would keep the team in Arizona. However, the NHL is ignoring one vital problem here, namely that no one in Arizona cares about hockey. This past season, the Coyotes ranked next to last in attendance, just ahead of the New York Islanders - a team so terrible that the odor of New Jersey was preferable. Keep in mind, this season the Coyotes finished with 99 points and a playoff berth.
The NHL needs to get it's collective head out of the sand and realize that the Coyotes need to be moved. Ironically, the best place to put the team is where they moved from - Winnipeg. The fans in Winnipeg desperately wanted to keep the team in Canada, and several attempts to sell the team to local entities failed.
The then Winnipeg Jets originally moved to Glendale because of financial issues. Ironic that the Coyotes may move back there for the same reason.
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