Heat check: Coyotes fans evaluate ownership, management, coaching, players, social media

Coyotes fans are a hearty lot. They’ve toured more versions of hell than Dante Alighieri, yet they keep coming back for more.

Relocation rumors have dogged this franchise since the turn of the millennium. Ownership instability has dogged this franchise since Richard Burke sold the franchise to Steve Ellman in 2001. The Coyotes have only made the playoffs four times since 2002, and they have only won three postseason series in their 28-year Valley history.

Somehow, Coyotes fans have remained upbeat and hopeful. 

When you cover a team as long as I have covered this one, you get to know the personalities of the fan base, whether it’s through one-on-one interaction, or via social media. You know who the critical ones are. You know who the eternal optimists are. You know all of the shades in between. That’s why a tweet from Yotes Trade Central really caught my eye. When it comes to ardent Coyotes support — all the way from Waterloo, Ontario — Yotes Trade Central always brings it.

This tweet was disheartening.

Of course, this came in the midst of the Coyotes’ 14-game winless streak and weeks of silence regarding the arena, but losing streaks and arena drama are nothing new. For many Coyotes fans, something feels like it has changed, so I decided to take the temperature with our Diehards through a series of open-ended, general questions posted Friday in our Discord before puck drop on a 5-3 win in Ottawa. 

The response was overwhelming — so overwhelming that I could write a 100-page book with the approximate 30,000 words in responses that I received in the eight-hour window I provided for responses before cutting it off out of sheer panic. I’m not going to write a book and I’m not going to use nearly enough of these well-conceived answers, but I can promise you that I have a Coyotes fan survey planned for the offseason at which point everybody’s full comments will be visible for all to read.

Thanks for participating. Let’s get to those questions.

How do you feel about the overall direction of the franchise? 

“I have all the confidence in the world in GMBA and his staff. I have next to zero confidence in ownership. Their plan, while it’s very solid, so far has lacked the execution that is just critical and sometimes feels like we are being catfished in a way.”

— Nicholas Badie, Phoenix

“I feel great about the hockey ops side. Feels very legitimate compared to the various circuses that have rolled through town in previous years. I have a high degree of trust in BA. Ownership is scary. I don’t trust them. I’m worried they’re frauds.”

— Trent Hess, Gilbert

“Big improvements have been made to the off-ice areas (scouting, development) that will pay dividends for years and we will soon (hopefully) be reaping the benefits of those. How I feel about ownership hinges entirely on the arena. They botched the Tempe deal so they are in prove-it mode. In terms of coaching, I like Bear and his staff, but feel his lack of structure is holding the team back; an issue that likely wasn’t one in Junior.”

— Brandon Sparks, London, England

“I have mixed feelings on the direction of the franchise. I’m 100 percent behind Bill Armstrong and crew for the rebuild efforts, 100 percent behind Tourigny as head coach and his ability to connect with and motivate players, and 100 percent behind throwing roots down in north Scottsdale. It’s tough mustering the patience needed to persevere through the rebuild process, but Armstrong is locked on his vision for the future of his team. I have faith in him, and am grateful I had a moment at one of the open practices to shake his hand and thank him for all his hard work.”

— Angela Guajardo, Peoria

“Hopeful. I feel like the Tempe vote and the current losing streak has clouded everyone’s feelings.  I am still very hopeful that if the team secures the arena, the on-ice rebuild plan is still on track to make the team competitive with the opening of the new building. 

“My feeling is people forgot how long the rebuild should take when the Coyotes came out of the gate hot to start the year.  The reality is this season is right on schedule.  We were supposed to enjoy not purposely trying to lose this year, while understanding that we probably still will! So in summary, I feel the on-ice is right on track and I love the plan. The arena gives me constant anxiety but I am hopeful. I did book one more trip to Mullet this year… just in case it’s my last chance.”

— Mike Sadowski, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

“Terrible. I’ve been a STH since 2013. I don’t think this franchise has ever even tried to win. They do just enough that you can detect a heartbeat. Year after year.”

— Robert Lee, Mesa

“I believe this is the best front office and scouting we have had by a long shot. I truly trust in GMBA. Ownership isn’t great at communicating but other ownership groups have promised and talked and got us nowhere so I’m cautiously optimistic. I like what we showed in the fall; this streak sucks. I’ve always viewed the season in quarters but we have almost lost a whole quarter. It definitely slants how I feel now but it’s the same organization I was thrilled about in November so I’m still confident we are headed in the right direction.”

— Matt Smith, Gilbert

“I accidentally became a fan in 17-18, so I missed a lot of the older drama about the team. I have all the confidence in the world in the hockey side of things. I think Armstrong has a vision, has the right people around him to execute it, and despite the current losing streak, I think Tourigny is the right coach for this team. I have way less confidence about the business side of things. They don’t seem to have a direction, they don’t seem to know how to run a sports franchise, they don’t understand local politics/culture, and they seem like a disorganized mess.”

— Sheryl Zeis, Pittsburgh, PA

---

How do you feel about the Meruelo ownership group? 

“I think the direction of the franchise clearly points towards relocation. Meruelo and Gutierrez seem to think they’re great at what they do, but fail at every obstacle. If we just look at on-ice performance, obviously what’s going on right now isn’t ideal but we have the building blocks to make a big step and it will happen soon. The ownership group sucks. A trash bag would be a better owner than the Meruelo family. Gutierrez should’ve been sacked after the Tempe fiasco.”

— Owen Tiedemann, Arlington, Virginia

“This depends on the day, and subject. Before Xavier Gutierrez’s interview the other week I was mostly convinced they were completely in over their heads with the arena situation, I’m now somewhat more optimistic.”

— Sean Digua, Phoenix

“I appreciate them, they are trying to make things happen in a positive way, but think a lot of past ownership issues have made the majority of Arizona (not just fans) just question everything they do that doesn’t quite pan out.”

— Kenny Dietz, Mesa

“Very meh.  They seem to be utterly clueless and naive on political/PR realities — having avoidable payment issues while at Glendale and horrendous execution and under-funding of Tempe Arena vote that was not nearly the slam dunk they seemed to think it was, even with EVERY past Tempe Mayor – Republican and Democrat – being hugely in favor of it. Utterly moronic approach to social media on Twitter with Junior leading the way.  Overemphasis on things that do not really matter to team success — clothing/fashion lines, etc. — again led by Junior.  Team often comes across as a play-toy for Junior.  To their credit, they have funded hockey operations very well and have self-funded the needed Mullett improvements.  But NONE of it matters without a successful arena project.”

— Chris, Phoenix

“I have mixed feelings on ownership. They certainly deserve credit for the hiring of Bill Armstrong and giving him resources to build an excellent staff. They have invested in drafting and player development. Ownership isn’t trying to sell to the highest bidder in another market. However, this team is now nearing the end of the second full season at Mullett Arena with no permanent solution. Many problems pre-existed this ownership group, but eventually it’s on them. The Tempe vote was a disaster and I’m not certain they did enough research on other arena referendums. In the pursuit of a new home, it seems the arena is a distant priority and it’s more about a real estate deal than anything else. I’m not sure they realize how loyal fans of the team have been and continue to be. No fan base should have to put up with what Coyotes fans have.”

— Luke Anthony

“As mentioned above, the ownership group is the reason this franchise feels like it is spinning its tires and going nowhere. Can you blame this current group for the last 20 years of issues? No, but [you can for] everything this group has brought with it. Laying the expectation of the arena being the number one priority and it being years later with no actionable steps taken. The absolutely dumpster fire of a plan from the organization in regards to building up support for the Tempe vote. The lack of communication from the top. Whether completely true or not or somewhere in the middle, the reports of toxic working environments that employees have had to deal with, to include the reports of employees not having heard from Alex in regards to the plan going forward with the arena. 

“These are people’s lives and livelihoods that surround this team and yet we have an owner who doesn’t take two seconds to ensure employees or fans get communication on anything. Not even asking for much, but the silence from the top is the loudest noise in the room right now and is a reflection on the failure of leadership on the ownership group level. At this point, I have zero faith in the ownership group on anything they say they are doing or when they try to dispute reports. Think it’s just so toxic it’s bled into the rest of the team to include the players and us as a fanbase. I am so tired of having to defend this ownership group time and time again. And I think the breath of fresh air this franchise needs is a new ownership group…which I am tired of saying.”

— Patrick Wickham, Norfolk, VA

“The Meruelos are getting plenty of heat these days, much of it deserved, but they’re trying to do the the right thing and I truly believe they have the fans’ interest at heart. Name another pro sports owner in AZ who has ever been willing to build and pay for an arena by himself? None! I think people need to wait and see if Meruelo gets the arena done before condemning him.”

— Tim Greene, Peoria

---

How do you feel about the Coyotes management staff’s approach? 

“Doing the best they can with what they are given. I think GMBA needs to put more pressure on Bear right now. I also think he let Bear’s little defense experiment run a little too long. We had the opportunity to make this team better defensively earlier this season when we were competitive. One thing I’d like to see us do is take steps forward. Unfortunately, I think we could end up taking a step back. Keller is entering his prime and at what point does he want to stick with us if this rebuild is going to take up a decent chunk of his prime? Ingram is entering elite goalie status, he could walk on us if we don’t get better. I want to see management make some serious moves this offseason. It’s that time for the rebuild to get serious and get better.”

— Shelby Grimnes, Fort Novosel, Alabama

“I know it is for the best long term and the GMBA is crippled by ownership’s inability to spend money, but I won’t say it is exciting. GMBA is doing what is right for the team and his operations group seem to be the only functioning part of this organization so that is acceptable.”

— Nick Fraley, Lima, Ohio

On-ice I love it.  Have a plan and stick to it.  As for the off-ice stuff, they gaggled the TED project because they refused to ingratiate themselves with the market.  XG and his $5,000 suits and $1,000 shoes came across and still comes across as aloof.  They are in AZ not Hollywood, and their desire to create this stupid clothing line only makes me doubt that the team means anything to them.  I shudder to think what will happen to the team once the actuarial tables turn ownership over to the clown offspring.”

— Chris Faciana, Peoria

“I think GMBA is the best GM we’ve had, for sure while I’ve been a fan and probably ever. I think he makes good moves and gets value where you wouldn’t normally see it. There have been some misses, but that will always happen. Overall, very happy.”

— Owen Tiedemann, Arlington, Virginia

“I really like management’s approach. When Steve Yzerman was introduced as the Red Wings’ GM he preached that patience would be needed. This was hard for Red Wings fans to hear, but they are seeing now the results of being patient and developing talent the right way. GMBA doesn’t have the purse to obtain UFAs the way Yzerman has, but he has developed his draftees very similarly and acquired the assets needed to effectively get through a rebuild in the same vein as Yzerman. By the end of this decade, if they stay the course, the Coyotes should be perennial Cup contenders.”

— Bryan Holloway, Chandler

“The success or failure of this franchise is going to come down to management. They have been taking the right steps by filling the scouting staff and prospect list. The most important step for management to take now is to invest as much as possible into prospect development. It was also encouraging that they have not attempted to enter the trade market to speed the rebuild up with a premiere talent.”

— Mitchell Lyons, Phoenix

“GMBA is a fucking god and he’s doing more for the team than the ownership group. He’s building a winner.”

— Lucas Hartmann, Boston MA

---

How do you feel about the Coyotes coaching staff? 

“Are they playing to the strength of the players they’ve been dealt? It doesn’t appear that way for the last month.”

— Robert Turner, Surprise

“While I know some are frustrated with this losing streak I place zero fault at Bear’s level. Look at the roster. As discussed, this is not a playoff team and when you toss in the arena issues, injuries, and effort not always being there from players after arena news, I don’t place any blame at Bear’s level.”

— Patrick Wickham, Norfolk, VA

“Great. Will it need to be a different coach to take us to the top? Possibly, but for developing what he has, Bear has been great. Taking Keller from a .6 ppg player to a .9 ppg, Crouse from a 10-15 goal guy to a 20-25 goal guy. I love how he is showing patience and expectations with Cooley. You said Cooley might not be better than a 2C, I can count on one hand the number of 2C or better players we have had in 3 decades.”

— Matt Smith, Gilbert

“I like Bear but I wonder if he needs to evolve. As for the assistants, I don’t know them well enough to answer that.”

— John Steiner, Mesa

“Every team has gone through something just like this or similar to this. I feel this recent trend of ‘Oh, let’s use the head coach as a scapegoat by firing him’ is a bad idea. The current coaching staff has done a lot recently, but they’ll get over the hump of this soon enough!”

— Gabriel Bartley, St Louis, Missouri

“Bear is in a spot that I don’t envy. At all. Not even a little bit. That being said, when we’re winning, I will envy him.”

— Joel Priddy, Phoenix

 “I believe Bear is the perfect man for the job with his CHL experience working with young players. I appreciate his honesty in the pre-game/postgame scrums and he always has his players backs no matter what. That really stands out to me.”

— Zach Coccari, Innisfil, Ontario

“I believe Bear is the right person for the job now. He’s shown an ability to connect with players and make them enjoy playing for the organization despite the legacy of losing and uncertainty off the ice. This team is still only three years into the rebuild and overachieved early in the season. The losses were going to come, the roster is too weak to be truly competitive.”

— Luke Anthony

“Ask me at the beginning of the year how I felt and I would have been 100% behind Tourigny. His ability to get the team to over-perform was very encouraging. Now? I’m firmly planted on the fence, and it’s only because I don’t want to feel like it’s a kneejerk to say he ain’t it. Now I am obviously not an NHL coach. Or even a pee wee coach. However, I feel like you don’t need to be one of those to see flaws in a number of coaching decisions. The goalie carousel at the start of the season when it was plainly obvious Ingram was the better goalie. Logan Cooley. I know my opinion on this is not shared by you or most others. I, in my probably incorrect opinion, don’t think his deployment was handled in a way that set him up for success this year. Liam O’Brian being given a free pass despite taking more penalties than anyone in the league, on half the ice time of the next highest player. I’m almost certain if I go digging I can find more than one game his penalties cost us.

“Matt Dumba leading the team in terms of TOI in a lot of games despite consistently being the worst D-man on the ice. Also giving him a free pass despite the number of goals against he is entierly responsible for. I can understand giving a rookie leeway for defensive breakdowns, I have a much harder time when the breakdown is from a 30-year-old defenseman. Nick Schmaltz being given a free pass despite looking and playing like he’s been mentally checked out at several points this season. 14 [losses in a row]. At some point the finger needs to be pointed at the coach. I know you said there were things going on you can’t comment on, but this team isn’t bad enough to be playing this bad. Last year, it would have been understandable. At this point this year, it’s unacceptable.”

— Sean Digua, Phoenix

---

How do you feel about this group of Coyotes players? 

“Keller, Cooley, Moser and Guenther are keepers.  Everyone else can be had.  Crouse, Hayton, Durzi and McBain may put themselves back into the “keeper” list, but they are too inconsistent in their overall game for my taste. Ingram may do as well too, but needs to do it for longer stretch of time.  I still think Maccelli will be used as trade bait at some point, much like Garland was. Schmaltz would be traded if there was a true market for him, but his contract makes it tough.”

— Chris, Phoenix

“Disappointed! I felt we had a team that would be somewhat in playoff contention at this time. It seems we have players that disappear all too often. (Hayton and that one hurt, Schmaltz, Carcone, Crouse). Zucker was a waste and Dumba has been a liability too much.”

— Kenny Dietz, Mesa

“Keller, Maccelli, Crouse, Hayton, Cooley, Guenther, Moser, Durzi, McBain, Kesselring, Valimaki, and Ingram is a great foundation to build on. All these players are fun to watch and it’s been fun to watch them grow and develop. Bjugdtad and Kerfoot have been amazing veteran adds and Kerfoot is possibly the best PKer this team has ever had. Carcone was also super fun to watch the first part of the season, I just wish he hadn’t fallen off so hard. If everyone else was traded tomorrow I wouldn’t miss them.”

— Sean Digua, Phoenix

“They are what they are: A mix of young core players and players that we know aren’t part of the plan long term but are currently filling spots; “plugs” as we so thoughtfully refer to them in hockey slang. In terms of how I feel about the core players: My great concern is that I don’t think we have drafted the top talent we need yet. We have a lot of good players coming, but not enough great ones. We desperately need lottery luck for that to change or else it will continue to be a tougher, longer rebuild.”

— Mike Sadowski, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

“I feel like Dumba and Zucker have been a disappointment. Durzi was fantastic earlier on but now I can see the cracks in his game. We need a true top D pairing. I don’t think Moser and Durzi are there yet. They are a solid second pairing. Our forward group I think could be very productive. I think if Doan makes the team next season we could have a solid top 6 and a third line with 9-92-11 on the first line, and 63-29-8 on the second line. I’d see Doan coming in on the third line with 17/67 which I’d love for him. If the coaching staff can play players where they need to be and where they can be the most productive we could be okay. For the rest of the season, I’d like to see Doan come up to get some looks and start working on some possibilities for next season.”

— Shelby Grimnes, Fort Novosel, Alabama

“I like this group. If this team were to relocate tomorrow I would follow that new team.  I don’t think I could have said that after the 2020-2021 season.”

— Nick Fraley, Lima, Ohio

“They are young and make a ton of mistakes that end up in the net. They do not have a top-line player outside of Keller and I do not see a top-pair defenseman in the entire organization outside of Durzi. Cooly was the best player in a very weak draft and would have gone 6-8 overall last season with no special promise of playing the entire season at the NHL level where he does not belong.  I have a real fear of another Turris situation here if he does not take a major step forward next season. Durzi is a great find and a second-pair guy.  Nothing else at the NHL level (including Moser) is more than a third-pair guy for me. Ingram is solid.  Nothing else in the system (could change because of the three drafted guys) screams NHL.”

— Chris Faciana, Peoria

---

How do you feel about the Coyotes’ social media presence? 

“Frankly, it’s embarrassing. Our social admin person Alex Surby posting about her leaving the team mid-February at the height of these random 4th-grade comprehension level, tone-deaf tweets randomly trickling out really gave me some pause. If the conspiracy is true and Alex Jr. is running the Twitter account, living out his fashion designer/social media maven pipedream, I’ll be sick to my stomach. It would show me that the connection to the fans isn’t important to the ownership, point blank. You hire a professional to interact with the fans because you value not only the position but the message of care it sends to those it affects. You wouldn’t hire a circus clown to cater pre-game meals for your players, would you?”

— Tim Waugh, Waterloo, Ontario

“Please fire the idiot in charge of posting. I’m tired of cringing.”

— Angela Guajardo, Peoria

“There seems to be two groups running the Twitter account, and one of them needs to stop immediately. The foundation does good work, though.”

— Owen Tiedemann, Arlington, Virginia

“It’s a trash fire and completely unacceptable. AM Jr., or whoever is in charge over there should be ashamed and understand that a social media account is the window to an organization’s soul.”

— Bryan Holloway, Chandler

“I am not on Twitter much so all I see is what gets posted here in the Discord. I feel like they are edgy but not in a positive way. I don’t mind being edgy and different but it needs to be positive and constructive. Read the room.”

— Nicholas Badie, Phoenix

“Blah. You can troll once in a while but at some point, you have to let up. The whole situation threatens so many people’s livelihoods.”

— Brandon Sparks, London, England

“The team’s social media is drawing attention to the team. The job needs to be done by someone. Who cares who it is? It may not always be done at the right time, or even a post that anyone cares about, but they continue to get interaction and that is what they have it for. Who cares?”

— Mitchell Lyons, Phoenix

“Where to even begin? The turn the social has taken is downright embarrassing. It unfortunately is a reflection of the organization and us as a fan base. But how do you defend a social account that sounds like it’s run by a teenager. This is a whole ass professional sports team account and you post some of this childish nonsense. It has gotten so bad lately I have unfollowed the account and blocked it. My eyes could not roll harder with some of the bullshit that the account spews. Again, this is a reflection on the ownership. We as fans care more than the ownership group does which is why I’m done with this ownership group.”

— Patrick Wickham, Norfolk, VA

“Sigh. I hate it. I don’t mind being edgy. But some of the stuff they do is downright embarrassing. One of the things I really hate is when they bring social media influencers in and sit them on the glass mic’d up. They are all from California! Why not give tickets to someone local, that local folks would recognize and do the same thing? Oh! And I really, really hate all the teaser crap about the arena. That’s so unfair to loyal fans. And I hate tone-deaf posts like the one last night before the game taunting the Leafs. Dude, the Yotes had lost 13 straight at that point. That post was bad karma. And don’t get me started on the fashion nonsense. I get it. You need different revenue streams. But they literally promoted a fashion launch party that was taking place in Scottsdale on the night of a home game and didn’t actually mention hockey. I think “Chief Brand Officer” Alex Jr. is more interested in that side.”

— Sheryl Zeis, Pittsburgh, PA

---

do you feel more, less or equally connected to the Coyotes than you have in the past?

I feel about the same. I can feel when the boys are buzzing, and a sense of dread when the game’s about to slip away. I wish I could give them all hugs and individual words of encouragement, but it feels like my passion for this team has no impact on any game’s outcome. Something’s speaking louder than our hearts. I’m ready to beat that thing down with a nice, big stick. I’d like a better connection, a fan day to show the boys and coaches that we’re here for them through the ups and downs, to show them what they mean to us, and that we desperately want the team to stay in Arizona. I know players come and go. It’s why I don’t buy jerseys with names on them for any sport. Trades and whatnot are part of the business, but while they wear the Kachina jersey, they’re my boys. I eagerly anticipate puck drop from the moment I wake up on every game day. I’m super grateful a handle of players snuck into the lobby to give autographs the day before the Jets game. That shows me they care, but at the same time, it seemed a bit challenging for them to smile. Maybe I’m projecting emotions. I’m not sure. I wish they could be real candid sometimes.

— Angela Guajardo, Peoria

“I feel more connected now than ever!”

— Gabriel Bartley, St Louis, Missouri

“Maybe less connected since I don’t go to as many games now but I do feel connected through [PHNX]. And not many (any?) teams are going to provide access to everyone (except the owner) the way the Coyotes do. How many media have been invited into the GM’s home for a fireside chat?”

— Allan Clark, Peoria

“Hard one to answer. I’m out of town now. I find myself simultaneously defending the team to other out-of-towners who criticize, and having to explain that fans are exhausted, too. I think we all want the arena drama over, we all want actual professionals running things, and we’re all just tired.”

— Sheryl Zeis, Pittsburgh, PA

“I would say about the same, though that could change if they move. While I very strongly don’t want this team to move, part of me feels like at least this emotional roller coaster would finally be over if they did.”

— Luke Anthony

“I would say I am more connected currently. I was very disconnected to the team from 2014-2018.  It was hard to watch during those years.  I think the on-ice product is getting exciting to watch again.  PHNX makes it a lot easier to feel connected with the team.  It feels like I know more about what is going on under the hood than I did in the past.”

— Nick Fraley, Lima, Ohio

“For the first time since falling in love with the Coyotes in 1998, I feel like this isn’t my team anymore. To own a hockey team and be responsible for its fans is a privilege, not a right bought with money. When it comes to a team like the Coyotes, that privilege is exponentially greater. You have a chance to heal so much hurt, fix trust that was broken time and time again by rich, selfish old men, and grow something beyond what it has been for years. There is a contingent of people to whom this team is a massive part of their life, or even all they have to hold onto at times.

“We’ve all seen the Whiteout crowds from the glory days. This market is begging for an owner that puts the team above all, and not just another rich guy who wants the team as an “in” to develop some land. I’m tired of being treated as a project. This is my team.

“I have no idea if Alex Meruelo is that guy or not, because the words lose their meaning after a while, and every good effort he’s made I’ve been questioning ‘is this more about being a developer or a team owner?’ He has done some good, I will give him his flowers. Private jets for Phil Kessel to be with his newborn baby, flying the team staff home on his dime after the All Star game and other efforts he’s made don’t go unnoticed by me. But you can’t think that’s enough to keep our trust through all this uncertainty.

“If the arena is built, he’s not absolved of anything. We will need him to double down on his promises. The fans are hurt. We have suffered for a long time. Time will tell with the March auction looming, but I have one question for ownership: Do you want to be the one who saved us, or simply the one who owns us?”

— Tim Waugh, Waterloo, Ontario

Top photo via Getty Images

Follow Craig Morgan on X