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TEMPE, Ariz. — On Wednesday, the Coyotes will say goodbye to Arizona.
At this point, nothing is official. The deal to move the franchise to Utah still needs to be completed, signed and announced by the league — something that could come as soon as this week.
But, to the team, that's all just logistics.
The players and coaches have accepted that the Arizona era of the franchise is over. Wednesday night against Edmonton (7 p.m. MDT, Ion TV, channel 16) will be the last time the team takes the ice at Mullet Arena; the last time they skate as Arizona Coyotes.
"Arizona is home for me," forward Lawson Crouse said Tuesday. "Over the eight years (I've played here), they've been great supporting us through all of the ups and downs. They mean so much to not only myself but all of my teammates. Grateful to have them by our side."
It's expected to be an emotional scene for the final game. Fans have organized an unofficial whiteout for the finale — something that's been reserved only for special moments and playoff games. Fans have also organized a watch party outside the 5,000-seat arena for those who can't get in with after-market ticket prices soaring.
"We want to play our last game with class, with respect," Coyotes head coach André Tourigny said. "Give the best that crowd can expect. We want to make sure we're remembered as a group who fought every last ounce we had in our body."
The last week has shown that.
Since last week's report that the league had started preparing for a potential move to Salt Lake City, the Coyotes won two overtime thrillers against the top two teams in the Pacific Division — the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers — and just lost a barnburner to the Calgary Flames.
Those performances were paced by some stellar performances by the young players on the roster — Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther and Matias Maccelli. Those players and young star Clayton Keller represented the hope of the next contending team in Arizona.
If that comes to fruition, it'll be in Utah.
"To block out all the noise, I'm not going to lie, it's pretty hard to do," Crouse said. "But we did an incredible job of that. So, one more."
Right now, that's a tough thought for the players and the coaches that have made the desert their home. It's been a long drawn-out process that still seemed to happen overnight. One week, the Coyotes were touting a potential development in North Phoenix; the next, the organization informed its players that a move to Utah was happening.
But when those emotions die down and the players start to get to Utah, LA Kings forward Trevor Lewis — a Utah native — thinks they'll like what they find.
"I'm sure it's tough for the real fans there (in Arizona)," Lewis told The Atheltic. "Players and staff kind of get uprooted and moved. I think once they realize how good it's going to be there, I think everyone will be happy."
Lewis is the only current Utahn playing in the NHL, but the 37-year-old has seen the game grow in the state since his youth hockey days. Now, he expects it to explode.
"Utah has been waiting for something like this to come along," he said. "I think it's going to be well-supported. A lot of people are going to be excited about going to the hockey games, for sure."
There's a fan base waiting in Salt Lake City for the young and fun Coyotes players. First, though, they get the chance to say goodbye.
"If we don't show up and we don't play a good hockey game, that will sour everything up," Tourigny said. "The support of the fans in the last week and the atmosphere around that game tomorrow and people talking about that game, that's what fuels me. People have been (nothing) but fantastic to us so we want to be fantastic for them."
