AHL announcement further embarrasses the Arizona Coyotes
Yesterday, the AHL publicized their annual average attendance numbers for each team, which prompted a comparison to everyone's least favourite «NHL» arena, the Arizona Coyotes.
With the team re-locating to Arizona State University to share the ice with the NCAA Arizona State Sun Devils, the arena will have the lowest capacity in the history of NHL rinks. With a current estimated capacity of only 4,700 seats, these AHL numbers prove to be more comparable to the Coyotes than any other NHL team.
The Coyotes would rank 15th among all AHL teams in attendance, if every game is a sell out. Some teams, including the Hershey Bears, Cleveland Monsters, and Grand Rapids Griffiths would nearly double the Coyotes in attendance this year if these numbers stay consistent. Not to mention many of these markets were impacted by COVID capacity restrictions.
Gary Bettman and the NHL remain committed to keeping the team in Arizona, particularly with a new arena deal in Tempe. However, with the new arena deal proving to be difficult business sell to the city of Tempe, the Coyotes may be in Arizona State University indefinitely. If that were to happen, the concerns of people at every level of the game, being players, owners, managers, and fans, would have to be answered; the team needs to move.
| POLL | ||
Should the NHL allow the Coyotes to play in such a small arena? | ||
| Yes | 35 | 12.9 % |
| No | 236 | 87.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
