It’s Time For the NHL To Relocate the Arizona Coyotes

I am done with the Arizona Coyotes‘ saga in Arizona, and the NHL should feel the same way.

For years, many NHL purists have said out loud that the frozen game doesn’t belong in states where the sun always shines and the mercury rarely dips below 60 degrees. Some markets have defied the odds, such as the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators, but in Arizona, the Coyotes are proving the purists right.

The Coyotes are often treated like Little Orphan Annie in Arizona, and it’s time for the NHL to move this team to a better market.

The last straw came last night, when the Glendale City Council voted to terminate the Coyotes’ 15-year lease for the Glendale Arena just two years into the lease. The reason that triggered the council’s actions? One of their former employees left the city and is now a general council for the team.

This switched on a statute in the contract that bars any employee involved with the original arena agreement in 2001 from being employed by the other party, in which in case this happened, would allow the city to terminate the contract ASAP.

Huh?

That is one of the craziest clauses I have heard of in a lease agreement, and I have seen some pretty kooky clauses in my day. I believe that the reason Glendale was so quick to rip apart a signed agreement had nothing to do with one of their employees jumping from a job that probably paid pretty poorly to one that offered much more financial stability.

No, this has everything to do with the city not wanting the Coyotes in their building, because they’re not the attendance draw that they originally hoped they would be. And that’s mainly due to them being in an arena that’s far out in the burbs and out of reach for most fans in the area.

The Coyotes have gone through a lot during their time in Arizona, from bankruptcy to playing through numerous relocation rumors, and this team has never received the support from the area like the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Diamondbacks and the Arizona Cardinals all seemingly enjoy. There are other cities out there that will treat the Coyotes much better.

Seattle would be a great fit. So would Houston. The greater Toronto area is looking to get a second NHL team. Las Vegas has been in the market for one for years, and Quebec City has been crying for one for decades.

Make no mistake, the Glendale vote is the nail in the coffin for the Coyotes in Arizona. It’s time for the team to cut their losses and move to a city that will welcome them with open arms. I mean, Arizona probably wouldn’t even notice if they left anyway.

Kareem Gantt covers the wide world of sports for Rant Sports. For more from this author, follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook, and add him to your network on Google.