Coyotes History Throwback, Vol. IV – Season 4

Talking Coyotes, Khabibulin, and Los Arcos

The 1999-2000 Coyotes team  finished third in the Pacific Division and sixth in the Western Conference. Their 39-31-8-4 record matched the point output of the previous year. With new coach Bob Francis at the helm, the Yotes drew the third place Avalanche in the playoffs. Their fate wasn’t any better than the last season, getting ousted in five games.

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Captain Keith Tkachuk was only able to lace up his skates for 50 regular season games due to injuries, and was pretty invisible during the team’s five playoff games with naught but a goal and an assist.

Another big story that season- on the ice, at least- was Rick Tocchet being traded on March 8, 2000 for Mikael Renberg. Tocchet had been ineffective that year, with just 29 points in  64 games.

Tocchet was able to score his 400th career goal on Jan. 28, 1999 in a 3-2 OT loss to the Capitals- becoming the 52nd player to reach that milestone- but this season belonged to a player by the name of Shane Doan. He was the second highest scorer on the team, with 26 goals and 25 assists in 81 games played that year. His 4 game winning goals were surpassed only by Roenick’s insane 12. With the emergence of Doan’s elevated play, Tocchet became expendable.

Since goalie Nikolai Khabibulin was not under contract, holding out for $5m a season- while management offered $3m- Sean Burke was called on to mind the pipes.  Burke shared the net minding duties with Bob Essensa, with Burke holding better numbers-  including a .914 SV%, and a 2.55 GAA, with 3 shutouts. Burke is currently the Assistant to the General Manager and Goaltending Coach for the Coyotes.

The other news which occurred after the first round elimination from the playoffs was that on May 26, 2000 developer Steve Ellman made a $10 million deposit to begin the purchase of the team. He also announced that Wayne Gretsky will join the new Coyotes ownership group. Then, on June 2, 2000 The Great One was introduced to the good citizens of Arizona at a national media gala held at the Scottsdale Princess. Ellman announced that Gretsky will be the managing partner in charge of hockey operations, and he will be the chairman of Los Arcos Sports, LLC. Shawn Hunter was pegged as the president.  The plans were to build a 20,000 seat hockey arena in Scottsdale at Mcdowell and Scottsdale roads.

Here’s a brief look at what will be included at the New Los Arcos:

• A 14-screen movie theater
• A new community arena that will host the Phoenix Coyotes, special events and other community events
• A hotel and conference center
• Free parking
• New shopping and dining establishments
• Extraordinary public plazas and open spaces
• Offices
• A public ice skating facility like that already constructed in north Scottsdale by the Phoenix Coyotes. Area residents will be able to use the facility over 90% of the time
• Places to walk, lots of shade and water, too
• A home improvement center, grocer, and other neighborhood retail.

Importantly, the New Los Arcos would be built without increasing city sales taxes.

In an article by Bob McManaman in The Arizona Republic Oct. 1, 1999:

"Owner Richard Burke insists he won’t buckle under pressure from losing up to $10 million a year on the franchise. Or playing in an arena where a quarter of the seats have obstructed sight lines. Or facing an escalating payroll next season when the contracts of the team’s top two stars, Keith Tkachuk and Jeremy Roenick, will soar to $8.3 million and $5 million, respectively. A “yes” vote means Burke can line up and secure his investment partners to help shoulder the costs of the franchise. It means revenue streams, as dead as the Coyotes’ power play last season, can come to life. It means Tkachuk and Roenick, and any of a half-dozen other key players won’t have to be sacrificed in a salary slice."

More important, it means the NHL won’t be leaving the Valley any time soon.

But a “no” vote? What happens then?

Welcome to Mystery, Arizona.

“All I know is last year we had 90 points, which is a lot. And every year you expect to get better,” said left wing Keith Tkachuk, the Coyotes’ captain. “The money situation is out of our control. We’ve got an average budget and obviously, we don’t have the wealthiest team like Detroit or the New York Rangers.

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“But if we fall on the vote, a lot will fall. Where would we stand? Where would ownership stand? Do we start having a fire sale? I don’t know. But next year I’m going to make 8.3 (million dollars), and that’s a tough salary to move. I could probably only be traded to a handful of teams. It definitely weighs on your mind. I love it here. I don’t want to leave.”

Without a suitable new arena, and the profits it will generate in time, Tkachuk and his teammates may have no choice but to accept their fate. Whatever that is to become.

Teppo Numminen, the best defenseman in club history who is entering the final year of his contract, could be cut loose to test the free-agent market. Rick Tocchet, the team’s veteran war horse right wing, could be a logical choice to move at the March trading deadline. Ditto with left wing Greg Adams and perhaps right wing Dallas Drake, both of whom also become free agents at the end of the season.

If Los Arcos is lost, and a Plan B can’t be erected in time, what’s to stop the team from purging players right away?

“If that happens,” Tkachuk said, “I’d be devastated.”

So would Roenick, who is as unsure about the future as anyone.

“Hopefully, they can keep us all together,” JR said. “Hopefully, they re-sign “Tocc’ – which we’re all hoping they will – and we can do something to keep Teppo. But I don’t know. Keith’s going to be making the big money next year, and my salary goes up next year, too. Hopefully, they keep both of us around. This building being passed has a lot to do with who stays and who goes.”

General Manager Bobby Smith said the plan is to stay the course. He said he and Burke have no plans to dismantle the roster should the Coyotes lose the November election. But realistically, Smith knows it can’t go on like this forever.

“Richard has been willing to underwrite this team’s losses to maintain a very competitive team and one I’m very proud of,” Smith said. “But I don’t know if he’d be willing to do that indefinitely. I wouldn’t have blamed him for having told me no on a few occasions when he’s told me yes in the past.

"“We’ll be in a better situation once the arena goes through and Richard gets his partners. If not, we’ll have some difficult decisions to make as all teams do. But really, we’re in much better shape than some other teams out there.”"

Despite the fact the Coyotes’ payroll hovers at around $30 million and technically, ranks among the bottom third in the league, the team “doesn’t operate on a shoestring budget,” Smith said.

“The fact of the matter is, there are a few teams at the top of payroll, there are a few at the bottom, and there are probably 16 or 17 in the middle that are, plus or minus, about 3 or 4 percent apart. We’re one of those teams,” Smith said. “We’re probably about 19th in the league. But if we added a $1.2 million contract, we might be No. 11.”

If they signed goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, who wants $5 million a season, they might be even higher. But that’s too much coin for the Coyotes to swallow, even though Burke and Smith strongly contend they’re not nickel-and-diming things.

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