This is not about ownership…only in a peripheral sense in the stability it affords the team. No, this is the rambling of a neophyte, still new to the game. I love the Coyotes. We all love the Coyotes. They are OUR team come hell or high water. Opening night wasn’t for the owners or the fans. It was for the team. Shane Doan’s face was a study in pure joy. That night was their night to win and everyone knew it. That night the team was magical. They played as a unit. They played as if they were one body. We all know that our brain sends signals to various parts of our body and we act and react without thinking about how it happens. That was the play of the Coyotes on opening night of the season.
We have seen and reveled in other magical moments. The team, as do we, remembers each and every one of them. It is the Holy Grail that they seek. So what’s missing these days? Two things. With ownership uncertainty the team viewed itself as the constant scrappy underdog, having to prove that they could succeed no matter what the circumstances. That mindset has disappeared…pouf! In an instant a four year identity was gone and there’s a void still unfilled. The “Hungrier than Ever” slogan is worthy but it is a continuation of a team image that is no longer descriptive. It’s a New Day and a New Team. They need to believe that they are winners and no longer the proverbial underdogs.
The other element is consistency. These men are professional athletes, paid to know and to understand the demands of their position on the team. They must strive to execute their positions flawlessly – no easy task. They must learn to become a well oiled machine and no longer play as individuals. It’s passing the puck and instinctively knowing that your team member will be in the right place at the right time to take it and to shoot. It’s the development of confidence and trust in one’s teammates. When that occurs, it’s magical. The team is not there yet. They lose a couple of games and all of a sudden their anger and the will to win kicks in. Then they are magical once again. These bursts of electricity and will to win demonstrate that the capability is there but not consistently.
The Coyotes are a team of immeasurable potential. All of the right ingredients are there. When you make a cake you need the right ingredients in the correct proportions. Too much flour and the cake is dry. Too much liquid and the cake is runny. Mixing the ingredients too quickly will produce a brick. Mixing the ingredients with enough time and it becomes a cake that magically melts in your mouth. The Coyotes cake has the right ingredients in the correct proportions. It needs to be mixed thoroughly to create its magic.
©Joyce Clark, 2013
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Nicely said, Joyce.
I think definitely the timing has to be good…We can describe to potential fans how exciting this team is win, lose or draw..the game, the night the entire presentation is the best show in town without a doubt…
But, they have to win..The new President said as much in an interview recently.
We who know the joy this team produces by just being in the arena, the crowd, the noise, Patrick Lauder’s anthem renditions…..
We can describe all this to potential fans…but to many people, they will only take notice when the wins come…
and they will.
I think they are missing the mark in their current ad campaign. While it appeals to the fan base it does not have any appeal for newcomers to the sport.They must grow the fan base to be successful. They need to market as an affordable family event. Maybe something like, you’re kids learn something new every day…it’s time for the family to learn a new sport…hockey. I don’t know. I don’t do this for a living and it sounds like it! Maybe something like…win or lose…hockey…time to fall in love.
Winning is important of course but it’s not everything…again, there is a magic about this team.
I agree
I found the sport by pure accident.
From the cornfields of Indiana, I was only obsessed with the sport co cross country which I coached..
I came here out od desperation after my wife was diagnosed with brain cancer.
I wanted to do one thing before I went broke so I loaded my wife and moved here.
Needed a break one night from caregiving, I paid a lady 10 bucks an hour to watch my wife and I just decided to go into jobing.com arena after remembering a conversation with a military buddy of mine that was over 35 years old….
I walked in….and boy oh boy…..
I’m not sure how you can appeal to the newcomers other than the athletic aspect of the show, for that IS the show…..I’d like to run an advertisement maybe with the same Shane Doan feature but a different sound track as the camera gets closer and closerto Shane..something like:
“You like sports? Come watch this team play. Just once, just one time, I dare you. You’ll leave jobing.com with your heart in your throat and your throat raw and hoarse..Just one time, come on in and find out what you’ve been missing in a sports team all these years”…
Something like that.
I’m sorry about your wife. Please accept my condolences. You and I are on the same page. It’s time to market to those who have never seen hockey.