Arizona Coyotes: Advocating A New Winning Tradition
The Arizona Coyotes are an exciting, young team with a devoted, growing fan base, and the upcoming 2016-17 season is widely expected to be one for the ages. That seems like the perfect time for a new tradition that can set the team apart from the league.
Arizona Coyotes players and fans are among the most unique in the NHL.
The team is built for the future, with an abundance of youngsters that contain several future stars, and a core group of veterans that will be the foundation for the long season.
As rookie camp begins and training camp is just days away, we all should know soon which prospects make the roster.
A relatively new ownership group oversees the operation, wanting to prove to the people of Arizona that the Coyotes belong in the desert for the long haul.
A new arena and all of the excitement that comes with it looms large, and once officially announced by Arizona Coyotes President and CEO Anthony Leblanc, the entire Phoenix-area will be buzzing with anticipation.
Things are looking good for the Coyotes in Arizona.
But there’s something missing. And I know what it is.
A new tradition.
We love to shout the trademark “howl” throughout the game, and chant in unison at the opposing goaltender when he lets a puck into the net. There are several great Coyotes fan traditions that we enjoy throughout the season.
But there are relatively few that the Arizona Coyotes players themselves take part in, at least that are visible to fans. And the way I see it, the team’s fans are THE MOST IMPORTANT PART of why the team is still in Arizona after moving here 20 years ago from Winnipeg.
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Let’s face it, we need fan attendance to increase by a couple thousand a game. We need more season ticket sales, more playoff appearances, and in general we need more wins.
More. More. More.
But the fans have been giving more for years now. And for all the appreciation the fans show the team, perhaps what we need is a new tradition that shows off the close bond between the team and its loyal fans.
So here’s what the Arizona Coyotes should do.
After every win at home inside Gila River Arena, instead of gathering at center ice and raising their sticks like every other team, they should ditch that stale maneuver and start something new.
After gathering at center ice, they should skate in a circle around the ice in front of each section, raise their sticks, and show the team’s appreciation for their fans.
All the way around the ice.
They can come up with a new song that is played while they skate around. And they’ll feel the warm embrace of their devoted fans since I can guarantee that everyone in the arena will be going wild.
I sure will.
Can you imagine how cool this would be?
A new winning tradition, unique to the Coyotes market, where fans will enjoy seeing the likes of Max Domi, Anthony Duclair, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Captain Coyote himself Shane Doan skate by.
I know I would love it. All Arizona Coyotes fans that spent their night in the arena willing the team to victory would love it. And it just may help sell more seats and add more screaming fans to the arena each night.
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The Arizona Coyotes fans are some of the most loyal in the NHL, having endured so many ups and downs over the 20-year history of the team in Arizona.
This new tradition would reflect the team’s appreciation for all of that, and create a lot of fun beginning in a season that promises to be the start of a new winning way of doing things in Arizona.