Inside the Peculiar Deal Bringing the NHL to Utah

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4.6 • 3.9K Ratings

🗓️ 8 May 2024

⏱️ 26 minutes

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Summary

The Arizona Coyotes have been a struggling franchise for most of their history. They have faced turmoil both on and off the ice –– a bankruptcy in 2009 and, as of late, a years-long failure to secure a new arena. This winter, with the Coyotes in the midst of a second season in a college hockey barn, the NHL finally had enough. Enter Ryan Smith, owner of the NBA’s Utah Jazz. In an abnormal arrangement, Smith is taking over ownership and moving the team to Utah. But they won’t be called the Coyotes. Control of that brand, as well as its logos, records, and history remains in the hands of former owner Alex Meruelo, who intends to restore the Arizona club in the coming years. Today, ESPN senior NHL writer Greg Wyshynski breaks down how we got here, how this sale works, and what the future holds for hockey in both Utah and Arizona. Greg’s article is Inside the Coyotes' stunning move from Arizona to Utah. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Greg Waczynski, I'm going to ask you to do me a favor.
0:04.4	We're going to do a little exercise.
0:05.7	Okay?
0:06.7	You have to rank these five things named after Utah.
0:11.5	Number one, Johnny Utah from Point Break. Okay. Number two, the two youths from
0:17.4	my cousin Vinny. Number three, Utah Street in Baltimore, where Camden Yards is.
0:22.8	Number four, of course, the running youths of Utah,
0:25.5	the University of Utah.
0:26.3	Number five, whatever this new hockey team is going to be named,
0:30.7	how would you rank these, sir?
0:32.3	I mean, I'm a hockey guy clearly hockey shoots to a numero uno when it comes to Utah by the way I I filed my complaint here
0:40.8	I think there's a lot of good names out there for this Utah
0:44.2	team I'm a big fan of the Utah swarm that's not one of the names they're even
0:48.4	talking about you Clinton that you got the beehive state you, you swarm on defense if you're in the
0:54.7	NHL. It just seems like a real good fit, but unfortunately it's not one they're
0:59.7	even talking about yet. In all seriousness though, the last game at Mullet
1:03.8	Arena, what was it like there at that scene? It was sad, but also a little surreal.
1:18.0	It is always been a privilege and an honor to welcome you to coyotes hockey. Of course we have entered uncharted territory here.
1:20.7	The spectacle of potential relocation is real.
1:24.0	For long suffering coyote fans, this is yet another tough pill to swallow.
1:29.0	Like you've not really lived until you've seen people wearing multi-colored
1:34.8	kachina coyote's jerseys openly weeping as they play James Brown's I
	...

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