Deal Approved for Arizona Coyotes
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Late last night, the Glendale City Council approved a deal that will keep the Phoenix Coyotes in town for the foreseeable future — but with a new name. The team will take the ice at Jobing.com Arena this fall as the Arizona Coyotes.
That was part of the agreement with the new buyer, Renaissance Sports and Entertainment. And it's been in the works a while. You can read more about it all here.
As far as logos and jerseys go, I wouldn't expect any major changes before October. Obviously, we'll see a new wordmark — which could be a simple as swapping out Phoenix for Arizona in the existing wordmark. Though there's plenty of time to come up with something entirely new if they wanted.
More interesting is the "PHX" patch on the left shoulder of the home and road jerseys. It's in the shape of Arizona and the design is inspired by the state flag. But will it be changed or removed for next season? My bet is it will. It's pretty late in the calendar for Reebok, but there may still be enough time to get it changed rather than to drop it entirely. One thing's for sure, though. That PHX patch just became a collectible.
I'll keep you apprised of anything I hear as the summer goes on.
And for the record, as a Seattleite, I'm only the slightest bit disappointed by the deal because it means our town will be without the NHL for at least another year. And that's not right. On the other hand, I'm happy for Coyotes fans, who can finally put this mess behind them.
Sounds like the name change may be put off a year. Par for the course, I suppose.
Carl from Five For Howling, @CoyotesDude on Twitter, tweeted earlier today that Anthony Leblanc, head of the new ownership group, said on the radio that it may have to wait until the 2014-15 season.
Given what a name change would mean at this point, it's not surprising. There are so many things to consider even for what seems like such a minor thing. And while you might think the Glendale city council would be eager to see Arizona in the name immediately, you have to remember this is a group comprised of the biggest pushovers the world has ever known — as evidenced by Tuesday night's vote.
I know that last line was a little nasty, but let's call a spade a spade. The approval was great news for Coyotes fans. For residents of Glendale, I'd be worried.
Anyway, I'll be keeping an eye on this whole name change thing. But it sounds like an item for the first edition of NHL JerseyWatch 2014.