Here’s What Stood Out From Alex Meruelo And Gary Bettman’s Press Conference

Рет қаралды 11,444

Күн бұрын

Arizona Coyotes chairman Alex Meruelo and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman met with the media on Friday to address the Coyotes' sale and relocation to Salt Lake City, Utah. Craig, Leah and Petey discuss what they learned and dissect both Meruelo and Bettman’s comments.
0:00 Intro
1:40 Breaking down a chaotic press conference
2:30 New info from the NHL
12:10 Alex Meruelo on the future of the Tucson Roadrunners
16:40 Why was there no communication with staff?
23:35 Alex Meruelo's questionable comments on media involvement
33:00 Meruelo on the team's finances
40:05 What questions was Craig not allowed to ask?
42:00 Meruelo on Season Ticket refunds and fan relations
52:30 Rebuilding a new Hockey Ops department?
57:15 Meruelo on what went wrong in Tempe?
1:05:50 Super chats
An ALLCITY Network Production
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Пікірлер: 72

@the_giggities69 Ай бұрын

Bettman cleaning up Mereulo's "I hate the media" was hilarious. Mereulo is such a joke

@tracymoon4437 Ай бұрын

Been in enough corporate boardrooms and high level meetings. That was a master class of things being said without being said, but you could read between the lines. The power dynamic of a CEO controlling the room, and the subordinate following a clear bullet list of items where they have to fall on the sword with zero wavering. Clear beatdowns with no pushback. Confirmation from Bettman that they were not paying their bills, without explicitly going into it. Which followed a previous insubordination of duty when saying “I never heard about unpaid bills”. Today we got a glimpse into the real Gary Bettman that people have to do business with. You don’t have to like it, but that was a hell of a presser.

@gravelydiggs2139 Ай бұрын

So this guy is going to buy an unimproved lot. Put in substructure utilities, pay for an off ramp, and build a huge entertainment/ sports complex? And he's paying for that? Clearly a pipe dream on a grand scale. The guy doesn't pay bills now, what would make anyone believe this will happen?

@Yewl_Never_Walk_Alone Ай бұрын

There is a hockey stadium in Glendale where the Roadrunners could play. 😂😂😂

@AgentDave34 Ай бұрын

Good point by Craig. The Coyotes should've mentioned how much money they lost, get them some sympathy.

@dbarts14 Ай бұрын

as a former roadrunner STH who moved to tempe to get my heart ripped out last week…meruelo has to truthfully be medically brain dead to take 2 teams out of their cities in arizona AND think tempe is gonna embrace the Ice Soakers ahl team and be excited when they get the call up to slc. the thinking out loud this man is doing is incredible and gary was probably dying inside throughout that presser.

@MatOrozco-vm7xi Ай бұрын

One of the last few times. Y’all were the number 1 hockey show in Az not many competitors in this state but still being number one is nothing to sneeze at. And god damnit I will miss each one of you and every moment you guys gave us. Hockey is its own language even though we are all very different people hockey makes us seem like and understand each other like family. Hockey is my life it has always been my life and will always be my life so I am hoping that Petey, Leah and craigmeister spear media the hockey in this state again… I will miss you guys dearly. Take care and God bless you all. 🙏

@GaffAttack09 Ай бұрын

Gary's facials expressions when Mereulo talked about rhe Tempe vote is hilarious.

@user-pw3ji3rn3s Ай бұрын

Mereulo was correct. Bettman should have stayed quiet.

@rnunez6398 Ай бұрын

As an outsider, it seemed to me that finding land to build a new arena should've been the #1 priority and focus of ownership from the moment Glendale put the franchise on a year-to-year lease. If ASU hadn't agreed to the use of Mullett, what would the Coyotes have done in 2022? Played in Tucson? Or relocated? Also, it appears that government support was lacking. Beyond any tax benefits, there are things that governments can do to help projects when there is interest in doing so. Was it due to competing interests from the various local governments? Were the county and state constrained from helping due to promises made to the Suns' owner as I've heard?

@htownkemp Ай бұрын

One of the most bizarre press conferences I've watched

@w.p.59 Ай бұрын

Im sorry for you the fans of the 'Yotes, but it was your ownership group that drastically failed in this saga. This coming from a diehard Jets 1.0 Fan! I wish you guys luck in the future of a team coming back!

@paullippmann8011 Ай бұрын

Disagree totally. It wasn't ownership. The Phoenix Market and Govt are to blame. 27 years and they can't get an arena? Utah has far fewer resources available to attract and support professional sports ( Population, weather, corporate sponsorship) and we got an arena situation in place. How pathetic is that ? PHOENIX IS 6 million Population Salt Lake maybe 1.5 million? Night life comparison.... it's truly pathetic that PHOENIX couldn't over 27 years....

@w.p.59 Ай бұрын

@@paullippmann8011 How can you not say that it wasn't the ownership group that failed time and time again!? This whole arena thing should have been done 5yrs ago and the team wouldn't be relocating!?

@Bredaxe Ай бұрын

@@w.p.59 Which ownership group. There's been 8. 8 owners couldn't get an arena ... That's says the cities didn't want an arena. I'm sure this guy has some blame too, but a quater of a century in the state, and no arena, that's a gov problem and retirees who didn't care about sports.

@silk5627 Ай бұрын

⁠@@paullippmann8011You’re wrong. The Coyotes had an arena in Glendale from 2003-2022. The reason the arena was built in Glendale (which did not work out being that far away from the fan base) is because previous ownership took a real estate deal with the city of Glendale instead of building an arena in Scottsdale which would have been much closer to where the fan base resides. The reason the Coyotes were kicked out of Glendale is because ownership did not want to sign a long-term lease with the city. The reason the Tempe referendum failed is because ownership did not get out in front of the voters and politic the hell out of it and the opposition did. This failure is absolutely on ownership both previous and present (or very recent past in this case).

@seancolorado Ай бұрын

y'all are awesome. I'm not even a Yotes fan but Meruelo is a joke and I REALLY want a team to return to AZ, but PLEASE under anyone else (or if he has to fill the coffers, handcuff him to the pram)

@jellycanuck8909 Ай бұрын

I really wonder how worse the news conference would have been if Bettman wasn’t babysitting a horrible owner :-(

@PWS1717 Ай бұрын

What a shit show Arizona is/was..28yrs and this is so f'd up..wow is Meruelo one strange dude.

@tomservo9254 Ай бұрын

Meruelo calling the press scum is the dictionary definition of a broken clock being right twice a day.

@KreighHook Ай бұрын

I will come back, it's just tough to find a team to watch now

@BeezerMN Ай бұрын

Come and jump on the MN Wild bandwagon. we have heartache too.

@DR.DisInfect Ай бұрын

I'm following the coyote players so many good up and coming young guys things as just getting good and while not perfect the arena next year will be so much better I'm definitely catching a game in Utah

@Phil00484 Ай бұрын

Feel sorry for your loss of fandom. This just gets sadder as time goes by.

@Bredaxe Ай бұрын

How many owners has the team had since the beginning?

@vincentlospinuso7232 Ай бұрын

The Coyotes, I think like 8.

@Bredaxe Ай бұрын

@@vincentlospinuso7232 Jesus, so Murello wasn't the only one who could get an arena. Maybe some of the cities can take a little blame.

@vincentlospinuso7232 Ай бұрын

@@Bredaxe there’s enough blame to go around, but blaming others won’t bring back the Coyotes.

@loffmanssportstalk7400 Ай бұрын

I was listening to the press conference live and it was rough.Meruelo is such a clown

@goaliecoachmike Ай бұрын

Cringeworthy clown. Such a terrible public speaker.

@wakaflockahast Ай бұрын

I’m not sticking up for the owner but people need to stop nit picking on the media comment. I understood what he meant. You can obviously tell he was comfortable in that scenario. Also saying they could have worked a better deal in Glendale did anyone ever go to the city of glendale board meeting for the team years ago? That city is so dysfunctional and I’m sure it was a nightmare to make a deal with them.

@kindatoxic1474 Ай бұрын

I’m no fan of Alex, but there’s a point where accountability had to take place from the fans. The man was trying to build a tax free arena in Tempe WHICH THEY TOLD HIM NO. How many ownership groups? 8 of them all unable to achieve anything. At a certain point we look at the common denominator which is the media and the city officials and the fans.

@jessArcade Ай бұрын

I talked to some locals on Reddit and there were a lot of mixed feelings about it. One of the sticking points was about him wanting to build an "entertainment district" with apartments, along with the Stadium. You had to approve the whole project, not just a stadium.

@guyf9028 Ай бұрын

Steve is kind of our avatar in this whole saga. He voices what we all feel. Thanks Steve!

@chuckcasale6010 Ай бұрын

Damage control

@bradhudson4111 Ай бұрын

Sorry to say but that interview may have cost him any chance of getting that arena built

@squeekywheel9591 Ай бұрын

Meurelo is not a people guy - no sh*t. But he's the best bet to bring back NHL hockey in Phoenix for the next decade because he has the rights for 5 years, and a new group will need 5 years to get their act together and build an arena. Having lived in Winnipeg the year after the Jets left, there was a lot of anger there, too, but it was 1996 to 2011 before a return - 15 years. People got humble. Daryl Katz has been the best owner of the Edmonton Oilers. He is not a public person. He hasn't been in front of a camera in years. Get over it. Peter Pocklington was a jerk owner in Edmonton, but he brought in Wayne Gretzky and 5 Stanley Cups, even if he sold Gretzky in a cash deal and broke the fans' hearts. That is how franchise owners are. Most of them aren't loveable. Meurelo has no speaking skills. He has issues, but if he brings a new arena and the team back in five years, isn't that good enough? Clearly, the NHL owners and NHLPA were fed up. An NHL team is a privilege, not a right. If you don't like Muerelo's answers, don't expect him to speak to the media. He is bad at it. Really bad. Everyone on this podcast has 100 times the experience. If you love the Coyotes, Meurelo is the fastest path to their return. I know it's raw, but I would like to see the Coyotes back as fast as possible, and Meurelo is the fast path. I was in Quebec City, and a former Nordique's sports writer now drives a tour bus I was on. No joke - true story. It's a shark sandwich, but be smart. The move wasn't Meurello's idea. The NHL governors and NHLPA likely backed Bettman into a corner. I'm sorry you lost your team, but the way to get it back is not burning Meurelo down. If you want a team back, be the adult in the room.

@Lawomenshoops Ай бұрын

So the deal limits the clown to only selling 20% of the team. But, he can sell a partnership to the arena/entertainment complex. So in Bettman’s wet dream, someone like Stan Kroenke partners with the clown to build the arena and complex. Obviously Stan has a track record of building areas on time. Yes the Rams stadium was delayed by a year, but that was due to a very rainy winter that delayed the construction! Stan can’t be held responsible for an act of nature.

@MatOrozco-vm7xi Ай бұрын

Please feel free to sue the Alex Merello to get your money back because he was Completely dodging and bullshitting those direct questions acting like a POS friend stealing from you. Is there any way to retain GMBA he is the goat and the most important player in yote history?????

@evermar1 Ай бұрын

Merello is supposed to be smart? You can see that his staff would be afraid to give him bad news because he is pretty dense.

@jtom68 Ай бұрын

I would call Meruelo worse then Harold Ballard except Ballard actually made money even if he kept trading all the great Leafs away and Leafs could never go far in the playoffs because of him

@HaydenYoshi Ай бұрын

im sorry but you guys gotta stop with the "does gary hate us? does the league hate us?". love the show but the coyotes were playing in a college stadium, the size of most chl rinks here in canada. Gary Bettman enabled this franchise to go on for so long. he LOVES the arizona market it was just time cmon guys

@tobiasfrost86 Ай бұрын

I hate the fact that you guys lost a team but happy Gary finally has a failure on his hands it's about time he has one. I hate him with a passion

@masterlegacy1 Ай бұрын

I feel sick for all the staff of the Coyotes. Peoples livelihoods are being ruined because of an asshole owner.

@kermit1 Ай бұрын

It’s the city’s fault not Meruelo. 8 owners have tried making it work and all have failed. At some point the fans have to look on the mirror.

@dl2197 Ай бұрын

very strange I have never even heard of y'all and I have have been a fan since day 1 of the Yotes. If he doesn't get the land in June then its over. Everything else doesn't matter at this point.

@bountyhunter7975 Ай бұрын

utah salty dogs

@rnunez6398 Ай бұрын

Listening to Alex Meruelo is living proof that someone can have lots of business intelligence but be totally void of emotional intelligence. In some ways he strikes me as Trumpian, in that his answers show he cannot relate to the fans or most common people. If the accounts from Strang's story about not paying bills on time and trying to force discounts are true, that's another Trumpian tactic. Is there something about rich people that makes them act that way?

@Conada1002 Ай бұрын

Thank God this nightmare and shitshow is over. Good riddance Arizona. Hockey is stronger today

@tao265 Ай бұрын

Alex is a man baby and Gary is his daddy

@samuelfrick3475 Ай бұрын

As someone that represents sports media in Northeast Indiana, I’m deeply bothered by how this news conference was handled. I feel bad for you guys….and the fans. Thats the hope of the Coyotes?! Good grief

@mrw2403 Ай бұрын

Hawks fan here. I almost liked you guys till that bettman comment. Holy crap

@AL-31 Ай бұрын

Time stamp? Bettman is a (((person)))

@user-nl7yo6be9o Ай бұрын

listening to AM, i know he has to be intelligent to be that successful, but man is he beyond dense and oblivious. from this fan im not upset ,UPSET IS A 3 IM AT 10, and until he realizes and acknowledges the hurt, pain, devastation etc he has caused he will never be able to redeem himself in the phx market. also he has got to stop with the 'I still owns the coyotes', the coyotes are DEAD and you caused their demise. the coyotes are not a piece of paper that lays claim to an 'inactive' franchise, they are 20 guys playing/competing and for fans there is not coyotes team. every time you say that its salt in a deep wound. I have zero confidence that he will even go ahead with the arena/expansion plans, i dont think he has the ability, desire and esp the character to admit he screwed up and failed and will do things different to succeed. PLEASE PROVE ME WRONG AM, if you do and we get a new team i will support (I love keller, cooley etc but players come and go) them, I will never forgive you for this debacle though.

@kermit1 Ай бұрын

8 owners have tried and failed to make it work. At some point you have to look in the mirror.

@paullippmann8011 Ай бұрын

PHOENIX media's disrespect for commissioner Bettman is such a bad look. Its not ownership or the NHL's fault. It's the market, local government, and the community. It was a done deal when the Tempe referendum didn't pass. What a reward and show of gratitude to the commissioner for his efforts in making a team work in a hostile uncooperative market over the last 27 years. I feel bad for coyote fans, but if they want someone to blame, just look in the mirror. Thank you for an NHL club!!! We'll enjoy it!!!

@MichaelR-ll9yf Ай бұрын

You guys took our team that's why you're jocking Bettman. Unless you know the history of ownership here and the decisions made by owners for years you have no place to say we're unfairly criticizing the owner

@benblotsky9574 Ай бұрын

Disagreed on the media and the rest of this take completely. Bettman needs to answer questions on why the team is moving away. It's a raw situation with emotion. He shouldn't be the commissioner if he can't handle a few tough questions. And having gone through the Thrashers relocation which was another ownership disaster, it is very much on Meruelo for the distrust he created in the community and with government partners. He's playing with big money and it is those local government responsibilities to not trust him. He made so many errors from the multiple rumors of non payments to blowing the Tempe referendum. Why would anyone trust the guy? Sorry to the Yotes fans. I believe you will get a team back, but it shouldn't be under the ownership of Meruelo.

@BetterThanRingo Ай бұрын

Shitting on Bettman is always a good look. Clearly you have no experience with the league.

@DR.DisInfect Ай бұрын

I will be coming up to a game next year. Going to be a great year

@AK-yp2jo Ай бұрын

I find it hilarious that the Arizona "fanbase" (air quotes) is so bitter, considering when my team - The Kraken - played the Yotes the last three seasons, literally over half the fans in attendance would cheer the opposing team's goals, and I would literally feel bad for the Yotes! And you mother-flubbers have the audacity to sh*t on Salt Lake City and UTAH who are embracing them with open arms??? Maybe when your team plays in a college arena, you supposed fans could show up support your team like REAL HOCKEY FANS DO! Bunch of hypocrites!