Friday night at Gila River Arena was loaded with mixed emotions against the backdrop of the final game in Glendale for the Arizona Coyotes.
The overwhelming sense of sadness at leaving the building after 19 years, with the excitement of a temporary future at Arizona State University’s multipurpose arena. The Coyotes falling behind 4-0 in the first seven minutes of the game, then rallying to win 5-4 before one of the largest crowds of the season, with Shayne Gostisbehere breaking the tie just over halfway through the final period. And finally, the smattering of boos for President and CEO Xavier Gutierrez during an on-ice interview, juxtaposed with the applause and ovations for former longtime captain Shane Doan and former Coyote Jeremy Roenick.
In the end, the Coyotes bid farewell to Gila River Arena with a memory for the ages on the last night of hockey in their home arena, a comeback victory when all seemed lost with a dreadful start to the game.
The Coyotes scored five unanswered goals, but that was well after head coach André Tourigny called time out 2 minutes and 51 seconds into the game. After the Predators made it 4-0, starting goaltender Karel Vejmelka was pulled from the net and Harri Säteri replaced him.
Then the Coyotes woke up and found some offense. Gostisbehere made it 4-1 before the end of the first period, then Boko Imama and the Predators’ Mark Borowiecki, a pair of enforcers, got into fight that injected more energy into the building.
The second period saw Travis Boyd and Jack McBain, two players who will be in the organization next season, score goals less than four minutes apart.
Early in the third period, Michael Carcone ripped a slap shot into the net off JJ Moser’s pass, and the Coyotes had roared all the way back from a four-goal deficit.
Gostisbehere scored off a faceoff, Alex Galchenyuk getting his second assist of the night.
What started out as a thud of an ending for Gila River Arena turned out to be an entertaining final act, even if lines for food and beverages in the upper concourse were long and time-consuming. The comeback certainly seemed worth it.
Truly, there were many who wanted to be present for the final Coyotes game at Gila River Arena, the rebuilding Coyotes surpassing 15,000 in attendance for just the second time this season.
“I’m going to cry, that’s for sure,” said fan Tawny Walls, who as a season ticket holder makes the drive from near Prescott for every home game. “It’s sad, really. There’s so many memories that happened.”
The fans who got there early received commemorative tickets, the back of them autographed by the entire team.
No longer needed: A city and a hockey team part ways after 19 dramatic years
The mood was somewhat somber as fans walked into the building, despite the size of the crowd.
The Coyotes ended up with one of the worst records in the NHL as they finished the first season of a rebuild under General Manager Bill Armstrong. They won three straight games to end the season and lost their shot at the most chances for the top overall pick in the upcoming NHL Draft. But for one night, no one seemed to be concerned with the future. It was all about one more chance to say goodbye to the Coyotes’ first true home of their own.
Just before the opening faceoff, a video was played on the scoreboard honoring the Coyotes’ Gila River Arena era, with highlights of the team’s epic 2012 playoff run to the Western Conference Finals. Then Coyotes players from the past took part in a ceremonial puck drop, including Jeremy Roenick, Shane Doan, Ray Whitney, Tyson Nash, and Paul Bissonnette.
“I raised my kids here. I love this team and I love these fans. So I just want to say thanks to all these fans for supporting all these years,” Roenick said in an in-arena interview during a break in the first period.
When it was over, the Coyotes raised their sticks to the crowd in appreciation and basked in the loudest cheers of the season.
Get in touch with Jose Romero at [email protected]. Find him on Twitter at @RomeroJoseM.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism