SALT LAKE CITY – Arizona Coyotes players and head coach André Tourigny shared their feelings ahead of the team’s season finale and reported relocation to Utah.
The Tempe-base NHL team hosts the Edmonton Oilers for its final game of the 2023-24 season on Wednesday, April 17.
The Coyotes will host the Oilers at Mullett Arena for one last contest before the team relocates to Salt Lake City, according to multiple reports.
White Out
7:00 PM
Mullett Arena🤍🤍🤍
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) April 17, 2024
Ahead of the season finale and last game in the Grand Canyon State, Coyotes players and the team’s head coach shared their feelings on the day following an optional morning stake.
RELATED: Arizona Coyotes Players Reportedly Informed Of Relocation To Utah
“There’s a lot of disappointed people out there and people that are upset and it’s gonna hurt and it’s gonna sting for a while,” Coyotes right wing Josh Doan. “I think for tonight, you focus on the game. Enjoy one last game and then who knows what’s gonna happen down the road, but for now, the Coyotes are still Arizona’s team for one more day.”
As real as it gets from Josh Doan…
"You feel the pain.. Tonight enjoy one last game. For now, the Coyotes are still Arizona's team for one more day." @12SportsAZ pic.twitter.com/0vYVOlUzdn
— Cameron Cox (@CamCox12) April 17, 2024
Josh Doan talks moving to Salt Lake City and…
"It's just hard to move away from home. That's the moral of the whole story." @12SportsAZ pic.twitter.com/SjGNXxpYwx
— Cameron Cox (@CamCox12) April 17, 2024
Tourigny shared a similar sentiment to that of Doan. The head coach reiterated that the team’s focus should be on the game vs. Edmonton and to worry about the future another day.
“Enjoy the day, everything, soak it in,” Tourigny said. “I think we need to, you know, enjoy the present and that would be an unbelievable day. We want to make it unbelievable by our performance, make sure nobody ever forgets.
Tourigny said it would be “unwise” for his team to focus on tomorrow but rather turn their attention to the season finale and give Coyotes fans “what they deserve.”
The Coyotes will close out their season against the Oilers at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Arizona on April 17 at 8 p.m. (MT). The game will be broadcast on NHLPP/ESPN+.
The Coyotes host the Oilers at Mullett Arena tonight.
🆚Oilers
🕒 7:00 PM (MST)
📺DirecTV 61, Cox 95, @fuboTV & https://t.co/6kihwYVTGa
📰Channel Guide: https://t.co/7N4fzk3Yok
🎧98.7 FM Arizona Sports pic.twitter.com/b2L7FBFYSs— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) April 17, 2024
Arizona enters the finale with a 35-41-5 record this season. The team currently sits in seventh place in the Central Division.
Kyle Ireland is a Sports Producer and Locals in the NFL Insider for KSLSports.com. Listen to Ireland on Yards After College: An NFL Podcast. Follow him on X (@kyleireland), Threads (@kyleirelandksl), and Instagram (@kyleirelandksl).
