A lot of changes have been made at Phoenix Coyotes. Last season was not too promising for the team but things finally seem to be settling down for them. First and foremost, the furor surrounding the ownership was put to bed. “George Gosbee” stepped in and bought the franchise from NHL. That has helped bring a lot of stability at every level. Major changes were then made not only in the background but also to the staff running the show on the ice rink. All these efforts have brought the team together and given coach “Dave Tippett” a much better squad to work with this season.
As a first step towards their rise to the top, Phoenix Coyotes will be looking to repeat their 2011-2012 exploits. That season they won the division title and gave a decent account of themselves in the playoffs as well. With a lot more stability to fall back on than they have had in the recent past, things are looking better and brighter for Coyotes for the latest season. So if you are a hockey fan from the city then Phoenix Coyotes tickets are what you need to play your part in helping your team make it to the top.
The Beginning as Winnipeg Jets
The Coyotes history goes all the way back to the year 1972 when the “Winnipeg Jets” began to play as a WHA franchise. The league remained on the scene for seven seasons only and Jets were among its most formidable teams. They went on to make it all the way to the finals five times and lifted the prestigious “Avco World Trophy” thrice. The World Hockey Association however couldn’t compete with the rival NHL and the former merged with the latter.
Jets couldn’t translate their WHA exploits in NHL and the first two seasons didn’t go according to the script. The team’s form began to improve afterwards and they went on to make the postseason on eleven occasions during the next decade and a half. By the time 1990’s came into town, Jets were into a financial meltdown and were bailed when a group of businessmen from Phoenix bought the team in the year 1995.
Re-location to Phoenix
The new owners moved the franchise to their city and proceeded to name it the Phoenix Coyotes. They began to play as Coyotes starting 1996-1997 season and made a fairly decent start in their new surroundings. They qualified for the playoffs five times in the next half a dozen seasons but lost in the conference quarterfinals every time. The next few seasons turned out to be a struggle as Coyotes failed to make the playoffs all the way till 2008-2009 campaign.
Postseason Again and Division Title
2009-2010 campaign was the one that saw Phoenix Coyotes once again make it to the playoffs. They won fifty games in a season for the first time in their history and captured second spot in the division. Coyotes squared off against Detroit Red Wings in the conference quarterfinals but lost against their Motor City counterparts in seven games. Another playoff appearance resulted in another loss to Red Wings next season. 2011-2012 turned the team’s fortunes around as they triumphed against the Blackhawks, Predators and Kings to clinch their first ever division crown.
Phoenix Coyotes failed to exert themselves on the division next season and failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2008-2009. That acted as a hammer blow to everyone associated with the team. There was a lot of confusion surrounding the franchise especially regarding the ownership scenario. Now that the issue has been resolved, things are looking more settled. How will the team actually perform remains to be seen but no one can deny that the outlook looks more positive than it has for the last few seasons.