The Arizona Coyotes won't quit. They're the NHL equivalent of a 1980s horror movie monster, snapping back into consciousness after being electrocuted for the 10th time, shambling along in defiance of its assumed mortality while everyone runs away screaming.
Consider, if you will, their history:
The Coyotes have changed owners several times.
They've gone bankrupt, and as a result were owned by the NHL for a time.
They found the one thing at which Wayne Gretzky wasn't great: coaching.
They almost relocated to Hamilton, Ontario, and Seattle, among other destinations.
They've missed the Stanley Cup playoffs in 10 of the past 11 seasons, interrupted only by a brief appearance in the 24-team pandemic postseason of 2020.
They were evicted from their arena in Glendale only to move into a 5,000-seat college hockey arena on the campus of Arizona State for potentially four seasons.
It's called Mullett Arena. You can't make this stuff up.
On Tuesday, the "monster" received its latest death blow: Voters in Tempe emphatically rejected a ballot initiative for a $2.1 billion entertainment district that would have included a new Coyotes arena. It was a vote that crushed fans' hopes and gutted the team's management.
"There's no Plan B at this point," one team source said.
