Phoenix Coyotes: Does Gretzky Deserve the Blame for a Dying Franchise?

Finding a scapegoat for the Phoenix Coyotes' woes is a difficult task. The list of potential candidates is too long to narrow down to a single culprit.

But we'll consider the candidates, beginning with the first domino that triggered the toppling of the franchise.

Hockey in the Arizona desert is a gamble in which success is dependent on one thing—transient residents. Arizona natives didn’t have much exposure to hockey before the Coyotes came. 

The next thing killing the Coyotes is the city itself. Phoenix is an urban sprawl that even with the housing bust, is still creeping out in all directions. When the Coyotes were centrally located at the America West Arena (currently U.S. Airways Center) in central Phoenix, it was more accessible for the entire metro area. The Coyotes moved to the outer fringes of the west valley in Glendale, thereby cutting their market in half.

For those living on the east side of the Phoenix metro area, attending Coyotes games became largely out of the question. The weeknight games now required a two to three hour drive through traffic. Add that to the time of the game, then the parking lot traffic and the ride home—you have people getting to bed after midnight when they have work the next day.

For many valley residents it became unreasonable. While many are fans of the Coyotes, their job is their first priority and because they don’t want to risk arriving home so late, they limit their support on weekday matches.

A quick snapshot of the Coyotes seasonal history from hockeydb.com highlights who is responsible for the last major factor behind their decline.

The Coyotes made playoff appearances in each of the first four years following their arrival in Phoenix. In 2000, Steve Ellman and Wayne Gretzky bought the franchise and since,  the Coyotes have made just one playoff appearance. It's evident the new ownership has no ability to lead.

In an attempt to remedy the situation, “The Great One” himself became the head coach and in doing so, scuttled any chance of reviving the struggling franchise. They repeatedly lost under Gretzky, losing all hope for making the playoffs. Gretzky finally stepped aside after the franchise filed for chapter 11—potential owners wanted him nowhere near the ice.

Dave Tippet stepped in and with a nearly identical roster, has taken the Coyotes to two consecutive postseasons.

These winning seasons however, may not be enough to revive hockey in the desert.