Arizona Coyotes Pen Open Letter To Fans Promising Coyotes 2.0

Arizona Coyotes management released a letter to its fan base this morning, promising no more attempts at catchy slogans, and apologizing for the insecurity over the years. The team is hitting the proverbial reset button by declaring “Coyotes 2.0.”

The Arizona Coyotes’ franchise history has had its peaks and valleys, with more than a few rough patches that have grabbed headlines.

The fan base has been taken on a roller coaster ride that doesn’t seem to end.

Today the Arizona Coyotes management attempted to lay down its first marker in declaring that the roller coaster ride is over, that the reset button has been hit, and that the road will be a lot smoother going forward.

Whew!

To be honest, I think the Coyotes have done a heck of a lot in the past year to end the uneasiness about the team’s future. They’ve taken some actions that have given the team a firm footing in Arizona.

Any talk of the team leaving is moot.

Establishing the Roadrunners in Tucson was a big move. Pushing back against the Glendale City Council, and declaring the search for a new arena in the Valley was huge.

Hiring John Chayka was bold, and after an entertaining off-season, in Chayka we trust! Adding players to build the Coyotes’ future has made fans genuinely giddy.

And now Coyotes 2.0.

In the letter, the Arizona Coyotes apologize for a great many things. Sorry for all the slogans. And for the insecurity. They declare that the team will overcome. That the team is here to stay.

In fact, they say they’re going to show us they’re here to stay.

And apparently, they’re going to do so without taglines, promises, or excuses.

And then they throw a tag line in: “We’re not going to tell you it’s ‘Hockey the Hard Way.’ We are going to show you.”

Most importantly, they say they’re going to need us to buy in. I can’t agree with that more.

Of course, it’s going to take a creative marketing and advertising campaign, innovative PR and promotion activities, and a few dedicated Coyotes staffers to get that going.

Something tells me this letter is just the opening salvo and all of that is on the horizon.

Everyone that reads this letter, or even hears about it, has already bought in. They’re already Coyotes fans.

They need to reach everyone that isn’t low hanging fruit. They need to show casual sports fans that once you go to a hockey game, you’ll be a hockey fan for life.

And once you go to an Arizona Coyotes game, you’re going to want to go back again and again and again.

And again.

I’m hoping that this Coyotes 2.0 letter is the start of a new, fresh, coordinated campaign, that not only will fill the seats on opening night and thereafter, but also breath some confidence into the franchise’s plans for a new arena.

Time will tell.

But I like Coyotes 2.0 so far.

Let’s just hope it’s more like a new version of an iPhone and less like an updated Blackberry. More Windows 95 and less Windows Vista. A little more IntelliVision and a little less Commodore 64. You get the idea.

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I admire when someone stands up and takes responsibility, apologizes for mistakes, and claims ownership. I like people that can poke fun at themselves. I truly respect someone that isn’t satisfied with “just okay” and tries to make it great.

So I’m on board with Coyotes 2.0. Let’s see where it goes from here.