The Coyotes Howl for a New Home - Phoenix Coyotes, National Hockey League team - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Hockey Digest, Summer, 2001 by David Stone

THE SALE OF THE PHOENIX Coyotes to Steve Ellman and Wayne Gretzky, which seemed a certainty in January, was finally made official on the day the NHL deadline for a deal expired in March. After two previous deadlines had been extended to allow Ellman and Gretzky the opportunity to wrap up the deal, the 11-month dance came to a close when the two secured an additional $10 to $20 million in cash from trucking executive Jerry Moyes. With Moyes' investment, the purchase price increased to $125 million from the original $87 million.

Now that Ellman and Gretzky are officially in charge, their first priority will be to build a new arena for the Coyotes. Ellman says the franchise will lose approximately $20 million this season, primarily because of limited revenues from luxury suites and advertising, as well as thousands of obstructed-view seats at the basketball-friendly America West Arena. The team is currently planning on moving into a new 17,500-seat facility at the Los Arcos mall in suburban Scottsdale, but without a new arena, Ellman says that he will be forced to move the Coyotes.

The Scottsdale City Council recently voted 4-3 to extend the life of the Los Arcos Stadium District, which will house the planned $575-million arena project and allows the development to save millions in the form of tax-free, public-sector financing. The extension does not guarantee the construction of the arena, as the council is still seeking assurances that the project will be financially viable. In addition, Ellman is exploring other sites in the Phoenix area.

To make TV broadcasts more interesting for viewers and provide fans, players, and coaches with a entire,new set of information, the NHL has been working with Trackus to develop the Trackus Hockey System. A sneak preview of the technology was unveiled at this year's All-Star Game and the NHL hopes to use it again during the Stanley Cup Finals.

Trackus' technology tracks unofficial game statistics for categories like skating speed and check power. This information is compiled and transmitted via 2.4-ounce computer chips that will be placed inside players' helmets. The chips communicate with a number of receivers set up on top of the boards, which then relay information immediately to broadcasters. "Our system captures and quantifies real-time on-ice performance, distance skated, speed, power of a check, and position on the ice," says Trackus' Jeff Price. "Once this information has been captured, we then translate that data into real-time graphics and information that the fans will see on ESPN, ABC, and CBC."

After this year's Stanley Cup Finals,

Price hopes that by next season's All-Star Game, the technology will be available in all 30 NHL arenas for every league game.

"I think it is pretty interesting for the viewer and for the people analyzing and doing the games and for coaches as well," says Colorado Avalanche defenseman Ray Bourque, who tested the system at the All-Star Game. "I think it will be pretty neat to see how fast or how quick a player is or how hard somebody hits and all the different things that you can come up with through this chip. I think it is going bring another element to the game."

Now that the growth of minor league hockey has subsided and attendance has decreased across the country, various teams are beginning to struggle and leagues have started to talk about merging. The Central Hockey League and Western Professional Hockey League have discussed merging into the Central Professional Hockey League. This season, the CHL suspended the operations of the Border City Bandits and Topeka ScareCrows after both franchises breached multiple financial obligations.

In addition, the International Hockey League has expressed interest in joining the American Hockey League. However, the AHL is not expected to take in the struggling IHL, as it apparently doesn't want to expand to some IHL markets that are outside of the AHL's preferred geography. Also, the AHL would want all incoming IHL franchises to pay the league's $3 million expansion fee, which would likely be prohibitive for the IHL teams. In spite of its troubles, the IHL is also attempting to expand to Toronto. Ricoh Coliseum, which is undergoing a $32-million renovation to increase its seating capacity from 6,200 to 11,000 seats, is expected to be the home of the IHL team.

With Canadian teams struggling to survive financially in the NHL, the three western Canadian teams--the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, and Calgary Flames--are tapping a new source of revenue. The three franchises are currently co-owners of Breakaway, a new digital pay-per-view service that could debut as soon as this fall.

Early plans for Breakaway call for a limited schedule of each team's games--possibly between 10 and 15--to be available on pay-per-view in Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary. Local viewers would be able to subscribe for individual games, which would most likely be home games against high-profile opponents. Home games are less expensive to produce, and top matchups would, of course, increase viewership. Breakaway's broadcasts are planned to include pregame and postgame shows, other features, uninterrupted air time, and the latest technology.