Maybe History Does Repeat Itself?

The relationship between the California Seals and the Arizona Coyotes is virtually nil if you're looking for direct ties between the two teams. The Seals moved out of California and into Cleveland long before the WHA's Winnipeg Jets joined the NHL, and the Coyotes setup in shop in Arizona long after the Seals and Barons had been written as footnotes in the NHL's long history. However, if we start peeling back the layers of history these two teams have, it seems they have very similar existences when it comes to the steps taken to keep them in their respective cities.

I jump back to an article written in The Montreal Gazette on February 20, 1969 by sports columnist Dink Carroll. He takes a long look at the troubled start that the California Seals, renamed the Oakland Seals, had in keeping itself afloat after nearly two seasons of play. This column is pretty telling because there are distinct spots where one could remove "Oakland" and replace it with "Arizona". Here's Carroll's column from The Montreal Gazette.

"The Seals keep losing money in Oakland, but there doesn't seem to be any way the owners can move the franchise to Vancouver, Buffalo, or any other city."

People have been asking for years if and when the Arizona Coyotes are going to move to Houston, Salt Lake City, Quebec City, Kansas City, or any other destination, and yet the Coyotes remain in the Arizona desert where millions of dollars have been lost. As Carroll explains, the NHL governors overwhemingly voted to keep the team in Oakland despite the significant losses, and that sounds a lot like the current NHL's stance on the Coyotes remaining in Arizona.

"Clarence Campbell, NHL president, says they are satisfied that hockey can be successful in Oakland...".

You'll excuse me if I had to double-check that Campbell said that because that sounds an awful lot like Gary Bettman speaking about the Coyotes. Of course, history shows that the Seals in Oakland wasn't so successful while the jury's still out on the Coyotes.

"They were called the California Seals when they commenced operations, and they played their home games in Oakland."

Gone are the days of the Phoenix Coyotes playing in downtown Phoenix. As we know, the Arizona Coyotes have played in Glendale, are currently playing at Arizona State University, missed out on Tempe, and are now talking about Scottsdale as a home for a new arena. It was just easier when the Phoenix Coyotes played in Phoenix.

"The Cow Palace in San Francisco didn't measure up to NHL specifications, which is the big reason that the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena became the home of the Seals."

This one is a little different in that the Coyotes moved into an arena last season that doesn't measure up to NHL specifications, and they're still looking to build their own arena to move into so they can leave Mullett Arena behind. We do know that they left downtown Phoenix for Glendale, though, as they wanted a better arena situation for themselves, and now we're playing in front of 4800 fans per night at best because the Coyotes were evicted from Glendale.

"Early last season, the name California Seals was changed to Oakland Seals, probably in an effort to make Oakland citizens feel that it was their hockey team."

For those unaware, that change of name by the Seals was announced on November 6, 1967, but the NHL didn't make it official until December 8 - today! - prior to their 26th game of the season against the St. Louis Blues. For those asking, the Seals promptly went out and lost to the Blues by a 1-0 score. The Coyotes, though, changed their name from the Phoenix Coyotes to the Arizona Coyotes on June 27, 2014 as part of an agreement with the city of Glendale despite the Coyotes spinning it as a change to appeal to fans.

"We are very excited to announce that our franchise name will change to Arizona Coyotes for the start of the 2014-15 NHL season," team president and CEO Anthony LeBlanc said at the time. "Becoming the Arizona Coyotes makes sense for us since we play our games in Glendale and the city is such a great partner of ours. We also want to be recognized as not just the hockey team for Glendale or Phoenix, but the team for the entire state of Arizona and the Southwest. We hope that the name 'Arizona' will encourage more fans from all over the state, not just the valley, to embrace and support our team."

It may have taken 18 years compared to the 1.5 seasons for the Seals, but the Coyotes changed the location in their name just the same.

"Changing the name didn't have any visible effect on attendance.

1969 or 2014? You be the judge.

"The Seals were not only losers at the gate but also on the ice last season, and it was thought that a contending team might attract increased fan support."

This seems very obvious in that winning teams get more support, but the Coyotes have been a losing team for a number of years while the Seals struggled virtually every year of their existence. Yes, the Coyotes are winning this season, but filling a 20,000-seat arena is far more difficult than filling a 5000-seat arena. While the Coyotes have been seeing solid crowds in their small arena this season thanks to the way they've been playing, they need that to continue for a few seasons if they want the demand for tickets to rise. If they can do that, fan support likely will increase.

"The only man associated with the Seals who expresses confidence in the club's future in Oakland is William Torrey, who is listed as executive vice-president."

If that were written today, it would read, "The only man associated with the Coyotes who expresses confidence in the club's future in Arizona is Xavier Gutierrez, who is listed as President and CEO." I suppose Gary Bettman's name could also be swapped in there, but Gutierrez has been beating the "Coyotes belong in Arizona" drum for a long time now. The future still isn't guaranteed as a move to another city like the Seals did could be in the cards down the road.

I'm not saying that the future of the Coyotes is the same fate that the Seals saw back in the 1970s, but the similarities between their histories is rather remarkable. I fully respect and appreciate the current ownership of the Coyotes doing all they can to keep hockey in Arizona, but when does Alex Meruelo pull the plug on funding an entity that continually loses money?

If this latest attempt at buying land outside Scottsdale - a place in 2001 that turned the Coyotes away when they couldn't reach an agreement with then-owner Steve Ellman - fails once again, the number of places that the Coyotes have left on their list of potential arena sites is one: Mesa, Arizona. If public money is needed to fund the arena project once again, we'll see another special election held as Mesa's bylaws require a vote if public money of more than $1 million is needed to be spent in any way.

The Coyotes are running out of time and out of places they can play. I have no idea what the financial standing of Alex Meruelo is, but I can't imagine he's excited about piling up losses as the owner both in the financial columns and on the ice. Something will need to change soon, and, like the Seals, it might ultimately be the city and state the Coyotes list for their mailing address.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!