Much has been made of the Coyotes' move to Arizona State University Arena for the foreseeable future, with concerns raised by league owners, the NHLPA, and current Coyotes' players themselves. Among these concerns, there has been the expected embarrassment of playing in a 5,000 capacity arena, and the very real questions of financial viability.
The lifeblood of NHL team revenue is the fans - specifically selling game tickets, merchandise, food and other amenities in an arena. Obviously, with such a small rink the Coyotes will have trouble generating a revenue comparable to any other team in the league. One proposed solution to this was raising ticket prices and marketing an «intimate» experience in the small arena, and that seems to be the direction of the Yotes.
Above shows the unveiled pricing scheme for game tickets to the Coyotes. Notably, the ticket prices far exceed the league average of $94 a ticket. Sure, these seats may be closer, but the Coyotes will struggle to draw big money for tickets from a defeated fan base watching an easily-defeated team.
Through this move to the NHL's smallest arena, backed with the City of Tempe's apparent disdain for accepting a Coyotes arena proposal, this franchise seems dead in the water. Try as they might to market an intimate game experience, the same could be said for any minor hockey arena anywhere. It's past time to pack up the Arizona Coyotes.
