They finally won their first postseason series since moving to Arizona, knocking off a potent Chicago team that won the Cup just two seasons ago, no less. And now the Coyotes are up 3-1 on another Central Division powerhouse after they grabbed a two-game lead on Nashville in the second round with Friday's 1-0 victory over the Predators.
The franchise that the NHL itself had to buy after the Coyotes filed for bankruptcy in 2009 should be the ultimate underdog as it continues its unlikely quest for the Cup, a real-life tale with a Hollywood feel as a ragtag club in financial peril chases a title. Reg Dunlop and the Chiefs could certainly appreciate that.
The only problem is, should anyone who really cares about hockey actually be rooting for this franchise?
With each win, the likelihood that the Coyotes will remain in Phoenix gets stronger. After all, the NHL has battled this hard to prevent a move of the franchise. Just imagine the resistance to relocation if the Coyotes win the Cup or even reach the Final.
A report from the Phoenix Business Journal earlier this week had a sale of the franchise close to fruition, with a group led by former Sharks CEO Greg Jamison closing in on a deal to keep the club in the desert.
Of course, how many reports of deals and near deals have we had in the past three years? There's plenty of reason for skepticism when it comes to any report of the potential sale of the Coyotes. There should be even more skepticism about the league's desire to keep the club in Arizona.
The reality is that Phoenix is simply not a sustainable hockey market. That the Coyotes are starting to become a small blip on the area's sports radar with this playoff run is nice, but it's far too little and too late. Any city can support a winner, but a viable market is one that will keep the team afloat even when the team endures struggles on the ice.
The NHL needs to grow the game, but like most things, the desert isn't a place where much of anything grows, least of all a hockey fan base.
Part of that has to do with the location of the arena out in Glendale instead of downtown Phoenix, but that mistake can't be corrected now. What can be changed is putting the franchise on solid footing in a more hospitable hockey market rather than leaving the Coyotes to wither in a market with minimal interest in the sport and an arena inconvenient to get to, all while continuing to pile up mountains of debt.
It's an unfortunate situation for the city of Glendale, which has already been shelling out $25 million a year to help cover the team's losses. It's unfortunate for the small but dedicated fan base that does support the Coyotes. And it's unfortunate for the current Phoenix players caught in the middle of this mess while just trying to focus on the franchise's deepest playoff run since reaching the Smythe Division Final back in 1987 when still playing before packed houses in Winnipeg.
Those Phoenix players don't deserve any blame for this mess. Well, at least those Phoenix players not named Raffi Torres. Employing the league's most notorious serial headhunter is reason enough to fold the franchise, and maybe leaving him behind in Phoenix should be required as part of any relocation agreement.
There's no need to prolong this disaster any longer for anyone else involved, not when more suitable markets are desperate to land an NHL team. Hockey belongs in Quebec City. If New York can support multiple teams, then certainly the greater Toronto metropolitan area could provide fertile ground for a second franchise. The return of the Jets this year shows that adding Canadian markets strengthens the overall league far more than stubbornly clinging to failed Sun Belt experiments. If the NHL doesn't want to go back north of the border again, Seattle could be a viable alternative.
The options are plentiful, but the one thing that should be clear after 16 years in the desert is that the NHL does not belong in Glendale. And one extended playoff run this spring shouldn't change that reality.
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