Paul Bissonnette recalls his days with Arizona Coyotes

The impending relocation of the Arizona Coyotes to Salt Lake City left former player Paul Bissonnette emotional in what was likely the team’s final home game in Arizona.

The Coyotes closed out their 28-year tenure with a 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers, but the atmosphere in the arena was bittersweet.

In an interview during the TNT broadcast, Bissonnette reflected on what the Coyotes meant to him during his five seasons there.

“I thought maybe I was going to be there a month or two but got to spend five of the best years of my life, just living the dream of playing in the National Hockey League,” he said. “I met so many incredible people there.”

Bissonnette went on to strongly criticize the way ownership handled the relocation:

“Not crazy about the way that ownership handled things. And especially the way they treated people. The people that I care about were treated, including the fans.”

He reiterated his belief that hockey can thrive in Arizona with the right ownership:

“I know the hockey belong in the desert, I know that it would be back there, I don’t want the former owners who are there to be the ones to bring it (Coyotes) back. I want people who appreciate the team and fans.”

The Coyotes’ tenure in Arizona ended with a 36-41-5 record this season.

What do we know about the Arizona Coyotes’ relocation so far?

The Arizona Coyotes are expected to be sold and relocated to Salt Lake City, Utah, in the coming days, ending the franchise’s turbulent 27-year run in the desert.

Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo has reportedly agreed to sell the team to Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith for $1.2 billion. The deal could be finalized by Thursday once approved by the NHL’s Board of Governors. Smith intends to move the team to Salt Lake City, where plans are in the works for a new downtown arena.

The Arizona Coyotes have played at Mullett Arena on the campus of Arizona State University for the last two seasons after leaving Gila River Arena. With the team’s arena situation uncertain, the NHL and players’ association did not want to continue using the undersized 5,000-seat facility that lacks adequate amenities.

Meruelo had explored building a new arena in north Phoenix but delays in the land auction pushed it to at least June 2023. With relocation rumors swirling for years, the long wait finally proved too much.

Wednesday’s 5-2 win over Edmonton marked the Arizona Coyotes’ final home game for the foreseeable future.

A bittersweet silver lining is Arizona could get an expansion franchise within five years if a new arena is built by then.