With Judge Redfield T. Baum ruling in favor of the NHL and the Phoenix Coyotes, the team’s immediate future in Glendale is secure. Just because the team is staying though doesn’t mean their work is done.

In order for the Yotes to become a viable NHL franchise they need to change the way the team is run on and off the ice. With every rebuilding project you need a blueprint and we decided to make one for the Coyotes front office. It includes six areas that the team needs to focus on to connect with its current fanbase and reach new fans.

Winning

This is easier said than done, as many know. Without a winning product on the ice, though, the Coyotes will never be able to draw the kind of fanbase needed to sustain this franchise.

If the team were a perennial playoff contender and the White Out were a staple in the Phoenix sporting calendar, fans would make the trek to Glendale regardless of what zip code they called home. If you don’t believe it, just take a look at the history of the Phoenix Suns and what a winning tradition can do.

Youth

Keep getting the kids of Phoenix involved in hockey in any way possible. Whether it’s having Wayne Gretzky hold a youth hockey camp or the team sending players out to different leagues to mingle with the kids or do ceremonial puck drops, especially in the East Valley.

If the team can build a core group of young fans that love the Coyotes and support them fully then the foundation for the future of hockey in the greater Phoenix area will be set.

On top of that they should offer discounted season tickets to all the parents of youth hockey players in the Valley. If the kids want to go and the tickets are cheap enough parents will have a tough time making excuses.

Tickets/Packages

The team needs to get creative in how to attract the attention of the none conventional hockey fans that fill this market and regain the attention of East Valley hockey fans.

Special “East Valley” ticket promotions would be a big selling point. Offering the East Valley pack that includes opening night and every Friday/Saturday game plus a $300 gas card (possibly provided by a marketing partnership with a local gas station) would help negate the “it costs too much to drive from (fill in East Valley city) to Glendale” argument and the argument that it’s just too tough to go out to Glendale during the work week for those fans.

Selling general admission tickets to weekday game would help to attract new fans and bring back old ones. For $30 fans could choose any seat in the lower bowl. First come, first serve. That could give the most rabid Coyotes fans a chance to sit on the glass and make for an interesting atmosphere in Jobing.com arena.

Promotion

Find a personality on the team and promote the heck out of him.

The Phoenix Suns managed to turn a career benchwarmer into a fan phenomenon this past season with little to know effort. They used Lou Amundson’s look and personality to make him a star in the Valley.

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