It is absolutely a done deal. No question in my mind.
Per multiple sources, the Coyotes have been informed that relocation to Salt Lake City is real.
— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) April 13, 2024
Now hearing it could actually be announced on April 17; the date of the Coyotes’ final game at home vs. Edmonton.
It’s going to be quite an atmosphere that night at Mullett Arena.
Craig Morgan, Elliot Friedman, and a couple of other insiders and members of 'Yotes media reported the Coyotes' possible move to Salt Lake City is a done deal. The Coyotes will be sold to Ryan Smith, the current owner of the NBA's Utah Jazz, and they will begin playing out of Delta Arena starting next season. So, as I watched YouTube video after YouTube video early in the wee hours of Saturday morning, and comment after comment on X, Facebook, and Instagram about the 'Yotes move to Utah, why does this interest me so much, and why do I feel so depressed for a team I never cheered for?
Because I really feel for a fanbase who never really got a chance to feel their team was always going to be there. This franchise was never put into the best arena situation EVER in the years they've been here. They were never allowed to grow into a building or have a real place they could call home. It didn't matter if they were at Mullett Arena, Gila River Arena, or even the Footprint Center. They never really had a place that felt like "home" the way I feel every time I go to the American Airlines Center.
But, honestly, I feel for the Arizona Coyote loyalists whether they just recently started being hardcore fans or if they've been hardcore fans since the team moved to Phoenix from Winnipeg. There is going to be that one child in Arizona who is a huge Coyotes fan who is going to wake up this morning to the news that his favorite team is moving. Honestly, for those of us that are hardcore Stars' fans, how would you feel if this news came out that the Stars' were moving to Kansas City or wherever? I would be completely devasted! There is literally nothing you can do. What about those parents whose children ADORE the Coyotes and get excited for each and every game day? Those parents are about to break their kids' hearts...
For nearly 30 years in Arizona, the Coyotes were mismanaged by numerous owners. It was only untenable because they allowed it to become that way.
— Mike Beauvais (@MikeBeauvais) April 13, 2024
You can say it was time to pull the chute, but at the end of the day some kid is losing their favourite team and that sucks. pic.twitter.com/rndqqRKcXP
Some are going to say, "Coyotes don't have any fans!" and laugh and joke about all of this, but honestly, there are a lot of the same pundits who say the same things about the Stars' fanbase. We may be a smaller fanbase compared to almost all of the other 31 fanbases across the NHL, but I know that there are people here, like myself, who care so much about the Stars and love the sport of hockey. I am sure the fanbase of the Coyotes is the same way, and maybe that's why I care so much about this relocation.
Tonight, I feel like I lost a family member. I feel like I lost a best friend. The pain is going to compound every time I watch a hockey game, all summer watching the Draft, watching teams sign players, it will grow and grow and eventually callous over. I might come back and…
— Yotes Trade Central (@yotestradecen) April 13, 2024
It just really sucks. Coyote fans, I am so, SO sorry. I hope that if and/or when they return that you will be rewarded for all of the time you spent loving your team.
