Regardless of what happens tonight in Game 7 of the Coyotes-Red Wings series in Glendale, it’s clear the Coyotes are not the best story solely in the world of hockey.
With the exception of the New Orleans Saints winning the Super Bowl almost five years after Hurricane Katrina, the Coyotes are the best story in all of sports.
Seven months ago, the Coyotes were gone from the desert if not for a personal dislike of Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. Jobing.com Arena was going to be empty save for the occasional concert, and the ‘Yotes would have been in some Canadian city, possibly returning to their ancestral home, Winnipeg.
One week before the beginning of the season, the Coyotes had no head coach. If an NFL team or MLB team had no manager or head coach with a week until the season, it’d be unfathomable. But that’s the situation the Coyotes were in.
Entering this year, according to Forbes, the Coyotes were the least valuable franchise in the four major sports. Not just hockey. All of sports. To add insult to injury, the University of Utah gymnastics team drew more fans per game/match than the Coyotes last year.
But, after making no significant roster moves, the ‘Yotes are hosting mighty Detroit in a Game 7 after earning the fourth-most points in the NHL.
No matter what happens tonight, the story is one for the ages.