There have been so many stops and starts to the sale of the Phoenix Coyotes that it's all but impossible to get excited about any one development. Still, it's big news this week that the Glendale City Council approved a 20-year arena agreement that paves the way for a sale to Greg Jamison, who now has to prove doubters he has the funding to close on the sale that would keep the Coyotes in the desert for the long term.
If that happens, we'll finally get a chance to see what kind of hockey market this truly is.
"I really do believe there is a market here. We had a great run last year with the team; the fan support behind it was tremendous. I do believe it can be a spot that thrives," said Coyotes goalie Mike Smith during a Wednesday evening phone conversation. "Sometimes it gets misconceived and sometimes it's misleading that there isn't hockey fans in these areas. I can tell you firsthand there is. The playoff run was outstanding. ... It brought out the best in our fans."
It's important to the Coyotes that Smith feels that way, because once the sale is finalized, he becomes the most important priority for this franchise.
To see what lies ahead in Mike Smith's future, you must be an ESPN Insider.
- Senior NHL writer for ESPN The Magazine
- Wrote for Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- Wrote for The Sporting News
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Craig Custance
Craig Custance joined ESPN in September 2011 as an NHL reporter for ESPN the Magazine, ESPN Insider and ESPN.com. A graduate of Michigan State University, he lived for nearly a decade in Georgia working for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where he spent time covering the late Atlanta Thrashers. He was the only Thrashers beat writer to get the team to the playoffs.
From 2008-11 he was the national hockey writer for the Sporting News, writing regularly in print and online. A member of the PHWA, he's a proud voter for the major NHL awards and can occasionally defend his selections.
Like hockey, he left Atlanta to return north where he currently lives in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, with his wife Cassie and their three kids.
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