By George Fallar 
November 29, 2013
George Gosbee weighs in with a statement about Coyotes revenue. Plenty of naysayers local and distant will dismiss his statement as irrelevant, but it’s obviously not. O-b-v-i-o-u-s-l-y. Honestly, even a staunch advocate for the Coyotes eventual success (I know more than a few of those people) wouldn’t have predicted this so close to the 100 days ownership mark. Congratulations to the ownership group and all the people that work REALLY hard to kick this thing into high gear where it belongs.
@PhoenixCoyotes have a new franchise record for single game revenue for tomorrow night vs Chicago Thank you #CoyotesNation #HungrierThanEver — George Gosbee (@Goz100) November 29, 2013
Hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving! In other news, Rusty Klesla has been recalled from the Portland Pirates without playing a single game there. Plenty of fan head scratching, my guess is there was a message that needed to be sent to the team after a three game skid and waiving a valuable veteran was the way to send that message. Now (I think)
#Coyotes have broken a franchise record for single game revenue for tomorrow night vs Chicago. SRO tickets remain at just $22. 480-563-PUCK — Anthony LeBlanc (@anthonydleblanc) November 29, 2013
A record for single game revenue, you say? How in the world did THAT happen!?? Winning record, a team skating like they have some confidence in their future, interested owners enthusiastic about hockey, existing fanbase that’s savvy and rabid, innovative marketing, willingness to try things that might fail, long term contracts for TV and concessions and other things…..? It won’t be long before we won’t even mention this stuff, we’ll just watch hockey. Another of those interested, and connected to the fans, owners talked with Sarah (click here) for her Thanksgiving story and had this to say about attendance:
“I think it’s been great. We’ve been having more walk-up traffic. There isn’t the same complimentary tickets that are being handed out like in years past. So our revenue per game is actually up 50 percent, which is the number we look at. So we’re really encouraged with everything that’s going on, and I think for the Chicago game (Saturday night) I think we’ve sold out every luxury box and it’ll be the first time since the franchise is here that all 87 boxes are going to be full. It is exciting, and that will be a sellout. So we’re starting to see more people come out to the games, and we’re getting more snowbirds down so they’re starting to come to the games. So it’s exciting.”
Cool, huh? See you at the game tomorrow.
November 27, 2013
Looks like the Coyotes are headed for another sellout this Saturday for the game against the Blackhawks. Local cabbies and inanimate objects have been warned. On the same day, the “Territorial Bowl” is over in Tempe at Sun Devil Stadium, it will also be sold out. This game between Arizona State University and University of Arizona is a big deal here, as it should be. So, there will be those 71,000+ sports fans NOT buying tickets to the Coyotes game, where another 17,000+ sports fans will be enjoying tailgating, live music, good people and a great hockey game and hopefully not dodging low performance drivers in high performance cars. Oh, yeah, sports fans also NOT buying hockey tickets include all those people (potentially 18,000+) going to the Phoenix Suns game on the same night. If we used Winnipeg for an example, they could fill their government bought football stadium with roughly 40,000 people and their government bought hockey arena (the smallest in the NHL) with another 15,000 people and still not come close to filling the sold out Arizona football venue. And, still, their ridiculous “arguments” of twisted logic continue. So, for our crowdwatcher crowd north and south of the border, suck it. The Coyotes are here to stay and hungrier than ever, deal with it.
November 23, 2013
The “no losses in regulation” streak had to end sometime, too bad it was to the NHL and Pacific Division leading Ducks. Had the Coyotes managed to revive their great PK from years ago, it might have been a different story. But, the Coyotes DID win the very important hyphen battle, with OEL increasing his lead in that race.
What a hit by Ekman-Larsson on Smith-Pelly behind the Anaheim net. Hyphen on hyphen violence. #Coyotes — Luke Lapinski (@LukeLapinski) November 24, 2013
http://youtu.be/EQZ_APCXums
Hey, remember the “Coyotes are staying” victory party everybody was looking forward to but never happened? Roc and Manuch aren’t promoting it as a victory party, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t! Plus, it’s a better deal than you will get ANYWHERE.
Like beer? Like Mexican food? Like the Coyotes? Got ten bucks?
If the answer to ANY of those questions is “yes” AND you’ll be coming to watch the Coyotes school the Hurricanes on how we play hockey in the West (aka better than in the East), why not hit Calico Jack’s for Roc and Manuch’s ALL YOU CAN EAT AND DRINK “Puck Bash” from 4-6 on Saturday December 14?
It’s right across from the arena.
That is ALL YOU CAN EAT AND DRINK in two hours. Since the sponsors include Heineken and Dos Equis, it means you don’t have to drink that watery “light” stuff you’d normally get on the cheap.
So, if you’re still stinging from the lack of BEER at the last Coyotes Buck Bash, Roc and Manuch feel your pain and have your back.
DO IT, but please RSVP at this link so they’ll know how many tacos to have ready for your gluttonous self.
November 19, 2013
HEY! Everybody knows the “Sandstorm” dance, right? You know, the one the good people of Section 204 rock during the third period? If you don’t know how to do it, or don’t know about it AT ALL, you should drop by Lot J (we assume in the southwest corner closest to the arena) and learn the dance. Uberfan Miss Conduct will have the tunes and the chops to teach ANYBODY the dance, she’ll be there during the tailgating with “formal” lessons for everybody at 3:30 PM. Click here for the Facebook event, join and pass the event on to your Coyotes people.
If you were wondering where Ken Jones (the famous curmudgeonly anti-Coyotes guy) has been, apparently the good people at “The Walking Dead” were also concerned. Happily, Ken appears to have survived the zombie apocalypse. Unfortunately, we hear the Goldwater Institute has also survived.
November 11, 2013
Fox and the Coyotes finally announce what we all figured was coming. GREAT news and a TWELVE YEAR deal at that. More salt in the wounds of the five (or even THREE!) year disappearance crowd. Click here for the story from Fox and click here for the Coyotes release.
For the first time in franchise history, all 82 Coyotes games will be televised in our market on FOX Sports AZ, KTVK and NBC Sports Network
— Anthony LeBlanc (@anthonydleblanc) November 11, 2013
Hockey business quiz: What’s a GREAT way to sell more tickets? Win at home! The team is doing their part (click here for my take) by LEADING THE NHL in home wins with an 8-0-1 record.
Who is in second place? The Blackhawks, who currently are borrowing the Stanley Cup and coincidentally had an abysmal attendance record not that many years ago despite being an original six team in a traditional hockey market with nearly NINETY years of history.
If you doubt Coyotes matters are changing for the better, remember the self- anointed “Coyote slayer” has left the building like Elvis and even Puck Daddy noticed the Coyotes and their Captain. Click here.
Mad respect for Yotes. Two goals to tie game with about 4 left in regulation, then killed 4 on 3 for full 2 min in OT vs Caps
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) November 10, 2013
November 8, 2013
Ovi is in town and the barn will likely be sold out tomorrow. BE THERE or you will miss something extraordinary.
Let’s all wave goodbye to Paul Giblin, who has wrapped up his stint in Glendale with mixed success. He’s off to other things, I assume there are people that will miss his pompous attitude. In a last, super classy move by some undertalented AZ Rep cookie decorator, they provided Goblin (as he’s less than affectionately known by some Coyotes and Glendale fans) with a cookie at a huge going away party for him. I assume my invitation is waiting in the mailbox.
You can see from the tweet below that Paul is headed to the “new federal best downtown”. Let me take this opportunity to once again correct an error from an AZ Rep writer (not a speller) and clarify that she probably meant “beat”, not “best”. The AZ Rep doesn’t have a best. (Sorry, Sarah and Paola, just a joke).
The poorly worded and executed icing “inscription” reads:
“Area man slays last Coyote, Glendale rebuilds”
That’s ironic. Why?
Giblin is the one leaving, the Coyotes are staying and thriving along with the rest of Glendale. Giblin’s consistently negative leanings did NOT have an impact on anything in Glendale other than eroding the bottom line of the company he works for. Is that “big cookie” worthy?
But, you go ahead and think that way, AZ Rep cookie decorating and eating people. Think that your pal Giblin was some sort of ersatz roadrunner, defeating Coyotes with painted on railroad tunnels and flying anvils. He isn’t that. Not even close.
Knock yourself out patting each other on the back for your complete failure to “slay” any Coyotes. What the heck, take credit for the discovery of fire while you’re at it. Feel free to continue your tradition of alienating people with your hubris and misinformation.
I see from the photograph that mini muffins were provided to the throngs of revelers wishing Goblin well in his future endeavors. Or are those actually cupcakes?
In the tradition of Nebulous Verbosity, I say goodbye with the phrase: “Get Bent, Giblin”.
November 6, 2013
The announced attendance for last night’s Coyotes game against the Canucks is 13,459. I was there, though, and it was a great crowd and the place looked more full than that. There were plenty of Canucks fans, but not enough to get a cheer going that wasn’t easily drowned out by Coyotes folks. At least one of the owners was pretty happy about the crowd, and anyone who attended knows the atmosphere was amazing. Only a doofus or a diehard naysayer troll type would be able to ignore the positive trend for the Coyotes on and off the ice. Let them enjoy their little hobby while we watch the TOP of the NHL standings instead of the bottom.
Looking for an unbiased source for Coyotes attendance disputes? Actually a source that WANTS the Coyotes numbers to be horrible so maybe they could get themselves a great team? Look no further than this NHL To Seattle blog entry.
George Gosbee talks to Sarah about attendance and other things.
Craig Morgan reminds us the Coyotes (scarily) live and die on the performance of Smitty.
November 5, 2013
Coyotes goalie coach, assistant to GM Don Maloney and member of Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence management group Sean Burke has some strong opinions on Flyers goalie Ray Emery beatdown of the Caps Braden Holtby on Friday. Lots of people have strong opinions on the subject (“Goonsadelphia” is mine), but most of the hockey community other than the usual bloggy suspects are keeping those opinions to themselves.
Not Burkie. He spoke with Fox Sports AZ’s Craig Morgan yesterday about Emery and he pulled no punches. If your definition of “a man” is someone like Burke who is standing up to be counted regardless of what I assume will be some blowback from his peers versus applauding a goon goalie, read Craig’s story and pass it around.
November 1, 2013
Another great, heart attack style game from the Coyotes last night. LOTS of fun, people stepping up all over the place to fill the gaps left by wounded and suspended players. Now, if we could NOT spot the other team a three game lead…
The guy below, featured in the second of our “NHL goalies separated at birth” series, tightened it up and made some really gnar saves.
