GLENDALE | Even though the viability of hockey in the desert has been questioned time and time again, faith still lives unwaveringly in the members of the Coyotes organization, beginning with one of the pillars of the first hour, Shane Doan.
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No one in Arizona could be more identified as “Mr. Coyotes” than Doan. Drafted in the first round of 1995 by the Jets, he only played one season in Winnipeg, before heading to Phoenix with the rest of the team.
He wore the colors of the Coyotes from 1996 until his retirement in 2017. For a little over a year, he returned to the family with the title of head of hockey development. In recent months, he has also been directly involved in the future arena project.
“There is no doubt in my mind that hockey can be successful in the desert. What we have been through since the bankruptcy in 2009 and the rumors of a move, it ends up eroding the base of supporters. We are still here, which shows their resilience there.
“If we do things the right way, not only can we be successful, but we can become one of the strong franchises in this league,” he said when he met Le Journal, during a intermission of Friday’s duel against the Washington Capitals in Glendale.
The Glendale problem
It goes without saying that Doan displays a bias, which no one can blame him for.
After all, he lived through the franchise’s early days in Arizona, when the team made the playoffs in five of the first six seasons and regularly captivated 15,000 fans in downtown Phoenix.
He says the club’s decline began slowly but surely when it moved further west to Glendale.
“I’m biased, but I have the pretension after all these years to say that I know this market more than anyone. I know what it can be here, for having experienced it. We have to make sure that going to see this team once again becomes an event in an arena closer to its fan base, in the east of the valley,” he believes.
Thinking for Canada
A Canadian of origin who has just been named general manager of the national team for the Senior World Championship, Doan understands that the Coyotes’ situation is pissing off many hockey fans in the country.
He is well aware that Quebec still wants to get a team and that the Coyotes’ adventures over the years have raised discontent.
“As Canadians, we feel this sport belongs to us more than anyone else in the world. I understand that it’s a sport that we love and that if hockey finds itself in a market that does not cherish its team as it should, the idea of repatriating this team to Canada arises.
“Hockey is a national pride and people think that if you don’t sell all your tickets, you don’t deserve training. However, I know that with the right formula, the people here in the valley will support the team as they should. »
A positive experience for Antoine Roussel
Forward Antoine Roussel does not hide the fact that the idea of playing next season in a 5,000-seat arena has raised questions in the locker room, but, all in all, he assures us that he only draws positive things from his experience with Coyotes.
When the news that the Coyotes would temporarily play at Arizona State University broke, there was a rumor that a heated argument had escalated in the NHL club’s locker room, between the players and management.
“Of course it came with a lot of questions,” replied the former Saguenéens from Chicoutimi, in the QMJHL, frankly, a few hours before Saturday’s game against the St. Louis Blues.
“We live in a world where we get informed and we want to know what we’re getting into. There are guys here who have contracts that will last another four or five years. It’s not short term. Careers are so short and you want to play in the best possible conditions,” he continued.
Satisfactory answers
Roussel assures that the discussions were not too tense and that the management explained their plan well.
“We were made to understand that the conditions will be good despite the small arena. The management wants to create an experience for amateurs. I can’t wait to see what will happen. What is certain is that the arena project must go ahead. The league will not accept this situation indefinitely if it is not built, but I remain convinced that this is a market where hockey has its place, ”assured Roussel.
Change of perception
The 32-year-old Frenchman began his career in 2012 with the Dallas Stars — before playing for the Vancouver Canucks for the past three seasons. He says since joining the Coyotes in July, his perception of the organization has changed.
“When you’re not based here, you don’t know too much about it and you do like everyone else: you read what’s being said in the media and you’re a bit oriented. When you live there, you understand better why it works less well [à Glendale] and why people are excited about where the future arena would be located in Tempe,” he said.
Upon his arrival, Roussel enrolled his three children in minor hockey in Arizona—another factor that convinced him of the liveliness of the market.
“Honestly, I was surprised at how well developed it is. That’s what leads me to say that hockey lives here, but our arena is in the wrong place. »