Owner Barroway remains committed to keeping the revamped Coyotes in Arizona
Once minor tweaks were dwarfed by massive subtractions and then followed up by impactful additions, it became clear the Coyotes were embracing a new vision.
But what was missing from the transition was an explanation from owner Andrew Barroway.
That clarity arrived Thursday at Gila River Arena, with Barroway speaking publicly for the first time since he became the sole owner when the team’s new regime was introduced, and the message he delivered highlighted his dedication to keeping the Coyotes in the Valley amid the ongoing pursuit of a permanent arena.
“The most important thing is to find a long-term home for the Coyotes in Arizona,” Barroway said. “We couldn’t be any more committed to Arizona and the Valley, and the biggest project at hand is to find a home in the right place for the
Coyotes in Arizona.”
This isn’t a new ambition for the Coyotes, who have been plagued by arena uncertainty for years, but the brain trust guiding the team has changed. Rick Tocchet has taken over behind the bench as head coach, and former Arizona State athletic director Steve Patterson is now team president and CEO. General Manager John Chayka’s role has also been underscored, as he’s added the title of president of hockey operation.
“Let’s put this to bed: We’re not relocating,” Barroway said.
Patterson is an experienced executive in pro sports who was involved in the financing and construction of Reliant Stadium (now NRG Stadium) in Houston, and he said the team is open to talking to anyone in the Valley interested in a partnership. The Coyotes are particularly intrigued by the East Valley.
“It will get done because it has to get done,” Barroway said. “Failure is not an option here. We’re going to get a new stadium in Arizona, where it should have been located to begin with.”
Barroway became the only owner of the team June 12 when he bought out his minority partners. It was always his dream to own the team himself, and there were “too many cooks in the kitchen” with the previous group.
“No major disagreements,” he said. “But it’s hard to get 10 guys to agree on anything.”
Chayka is in charge of all hockey decisions, but Barroway is engaged in the discussion.
“We’ve agreed on everything so far,” he said. “We each have input, but John’s the hockey expert, and I certainly rely on him.”
Barroway was actively involved in the changes this summer, a roster retooling that included cutting ties with longtime captain Shane Doan. While Barroway said the decision to not offer Doan a contract was the right hockey move, he said he could have handled it better by telling Doan the news in person instead of having Chayka do it.
“I apologize to Shane and the fans,” he said. “... With that said, it’s time to move forward. We’re trying to build a winning team, not a situation where we put out some players that some of the fans might like (and) we’re not going to be competitive anyway, so who cares? We’re here to win now, and I think you could see by some of our offseason moves. We’re going to build a team that can compete, and compete in the nearterm.”
“Failure is not an option here. We’re going to get a new stadium in Arizona.’’
ANDREW BARROWAY COYOTES OWNER
Doan’s departure preceded coach Dave Tippett’s exit. While the team anticipated a Tippett return and would have welcomed it, Tippett mentioned moving on, and the two sides mutually agreed to part.
“He thought it was the right time,” Barroway said. “… There were no major issues there.”
The Coyotes have reassembled themselves since then, and Barroway doesn’t expect any more changes to the ownership structure.
“I have no exit strategy here,” he said. “I’m in this for life, and then my son (Jake) is going to University of Michigan, and he’s going to school to be the future governor of this team. So this is a family thing.’’
While plenty has been done this summer to patch holes and spruce up deficiencies, the work is far from over when it comes to resolving the arena issue. And Barroway knows that. “It’s the last piece of the puzzle,” he said. “We figured out the hockey side. We figured out, internally, the management side. Everything is running on all cylinders. This is the last big piece, but it’s a big piece. We need it to succeed. Once you have the stadium in the right location and then the fans love it, it generates more revenue. We can put the revenues back into the players. It becomes a virtuous cycle.”