Coyotes say goodbye, close chapter in Arizona before Salt Lake City relocation

TEMPE, Ariz. – They gathered one last time here together because that’s what you do when your heart is breaking and your mind is racing.

The 28-year existence of the Arizona Coyotes was a lot of things: a lesson in making the best of whatever circumstances you’re faced with; a consistent reminder that there are always a few positives to be found amid the chaos; and an example of what not to do when running a professional sports franchise.

But in trying to measure what the NHL’s entire Coyotes gambit amounted to as the team willed its way through a farewell 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night it would be foolish not to look around and see what they’re leaving behind with the impending move to Salt Lake City.

The group of Kachina-clad fans who stood well into the night outside Mullett Arena to salute players as they drove out of the parking lot for the last time. Staff members who posed for selfies together, wiped tears from reddened eyes and shared stories about their loss. Just a real, genuine community of folks who are invested in the game to a degree few outsiders would have imagined possible back when the Winnipeg Jets – version 1.0 – migrated to the desert in 1996.

“Hockey is more than just a sport,” said Shane Doan, the holder of every meaningful Coyotes/Jets franchise record, before returning to an impromptu line of handshakes, hugs and selfies between periods of the final game.

“It’s the relationships, it’s the fans, it’s the people that worked here for their whole careers. It’s the security people. It’s the ticket people. It’s everybody. It’s a small tight group here, so that makes it tough.”