Feb 16: The wording on the Coyotes’ release was always curious, using the term “terminated” instead of “relieved of duties” like most NHL firings. Today, included in Katie Strang’s explosive article detailing the Coyotes front office turmoil, is a quote from Sullivan’s attorney Stacy Gabriel:
It’s our position that the Coyotes breached the contract – he has an employment agreement and they breached that agreement – and we intend to pursue remedies through the arbitration process,
Gabriel told Strang she will be filing a demand for arbitration with the commissioner’s office. Sullivan did not comment.
Feb 11: In surprising news, if only because of the timing, the Arizona Coyotes have terminated the contract of assistant general manager and executive vice president of hockey operations Steve Sullivan. In the release, the team indicates it will not be filling the vacant position this season.
Sullivan was hired well before the new regime took over, joining the organization first as a development coach in 2014 after his playing career came to an end. After serving as director of player development for a season, he was promoted to AGM in 2017 and named GM of the Tucson Roadrunners. Sullivan even served as interim GM of the Coyotes last summer when John Chayka left the position.
Often when a front office is handed over to a new GM, like in Arizona where Bill Armstrong took over in September, there will be turnover among the ranks. Assistants like Sullivan are often let go as the new manager brings in his own people, but it often happens in the offseason, not a month into a shortened schedule. That timing, along with the fact that the team does not have a replacement on hand, is certainly curious.
The veteran NHL forward has plenty of experience to offer a new organization, after playing more than 1,000 games and serving in various roles for Arizona.
This organization simply can’t get out of its own way…
Let’s hope his home chores don’t have him emptying the dishwasher.
Better to just give the reason rather than allow a vacuum of explanation be filled with gossip, speculation and/or conspiracy.
“Assistant GM” has a primary job duty of “waiting for the GM to die”. It’s superfluous labor. The job will be filled by someone; Armstrong’s little brother (if he has one), college roomie, et al. Nothing to see here.
Wow Skirby, that is a dumb comment. I mean just to start, if the job was waiting for the GM to die, then don’t more AGMs get automatically promoted?
@theMistake it’s a clear hyperbole, buddy. Thanks for being “that guy” though. *eyeroll*
I’d like the coyotes to be good so they can stay in Arizona but they misstep so many times it’s hard to see them succeed.
two words – dumpster. fire.
Clearly moving the team from Winnipeg to Arizona was a brilliant Bettman move.
I get he wants USA TV revenues, but hockey and Arizona is an absolute failure.
Ontario can handle another team.
I’d rather Hartford than Arizona.
We in Hartford very much supported the Whalers through the good and the bad … I would love to have another team here but I think the NHL would do everything in it’s power to keep a team out of Hartford … They don’t want a team between Boston and New York
It is not Arizona. It is the terrible franchise. Just as it is not Detroit, but the terrible Lions. During the brief runs when the Coyotes were good they had great fan support.
Except that it was a brilliant move, and yes because of US TV revenue. National networks can’t put on a regional sport. The NHL never made real money until it went nationwide. So, the moves benefited the league as a whole, even if those individual sunbelt franchises struggled.
FWIW, Vegas would allow the NHL to let the Yotes move now if they wanted. If so, it would be Houston. 4th biggest city, big money NBA owner who is on record wanting another tenant for his building, etc.
any other team in Arizona would have done well. the Knights, in a simmilar geographical location, were well received.
They need a fresh start. They should be kept out west in Portland for the start of next year and let them develop a natural rivalry with Seattle.
No. They should get good. The location has nothing to do with the lack of quality on the ice or in the front office.
The Coyotes blew it when they went along with building their arena in Glendale, entirely inaccessible for 75% of their market in the East Valley for school night games. Nobody wants to drive 60-90 minutes through traffic to go to a game.I don’t know one family who has season tickets because of this reason alone, and I have a kid who plays travel hockey in AZ.
Leave Glendale and come back to Phoenix. Or to Talking Stick in Scottsdale. I’ll bet the Native Tribe would be happy to give up some land to build it near the casino, in exchange for jobs for their people.
There’s plenty of support for a good product out here, though. The NHL will not move the Coyotes. They’ve invested too much in the franchise already and they won’t take a southern team and move them north of the Manson/Nixon line. Will never happen.
It is not Arizona. It is the terrible franchise. Just as it is not Detroit, but the terrible Lions. During the brief runs when the Coyotes were good they had great fan support.
No. They should get good. The location has nothing to do with the lack of quality on the ice or in the front office.
PS. Don’t blame me for the double and triple posts. It is the website.
I like the idea of temporary relocations to see if fans (once allowed) are interested in a team. Portland makes sense. So does another one in Ontario…
They need teams out west before they bring more east
Not saying Sullivan is experienced, frankly i dont know much about him as a GM, but I do know people within the org and the new owner has been shipping out people since day one. He’s replacing them with cronies who have little to no experience in hockey.
I would think Nashville would love to have sully back in some sort of way just not sure where they could have him fit in the front office picture
Fold that joke organization and move them to Quebec.
You need to find a good sponsor like I did for my team in Gerald Ducksworth. We had the best equipment and team chemistry went through the roof.
Quebec, Huston, Kansas City, South Ontario, Whitehorse
All better options than Arizona
its not the location, its the organization
You realize Whitehorse has a population of 25,000, right? So literally 80% of the population would have to go to every home game to fill the arena.
We’ll take em up here in Milwaukee I’d love for this state to have a NHL team