- Auston Matthews says he probably wouldn’t be playing hockey if the Coyotes never existed
- Matthew Knies says he would love to see an NHL team back in the desert
- Read below for the Maple Leafs’ full media availability from their Arizona trip
Auston Matthews isn’t shy about where his hockey career started.
The Maple Leafs captain met with reporters at Mullett Arena on Saturday, the old home of the Arizona Coyotes, during Toronto’s team-bonding trip to Arizona. Matthews grew up in Scottsdale, and he was asked what hockey in the desert meant to him as a kid.
“If it wasn’t for the Coyotes, I’m probably not playing hockey,” Matthews said, in a media availability shared by PHNX Hockey.
Check out the graphic that quote came from:
The photo underneath that quote shows a young Matthews in full Coyotes youth gear. It’s a reminder of how much the now-defunct franchise shaped the group of players who came out of that same Phoenix-area system, Matthew Knies included.
Take a look at the full media availability from Mullett Arena:
Knies grew up in Phoenix and has said before that the Coyotes were the reason he got into the sport. He talked about where hockey in the desert stands now that the team is gone.
“Unfortunately, with the Coyotes having to get replaced. But I still think that hockey’s big, and kids are enjoying and picking it up, so it’s really fun to see, and I hope it keeps trending upwards,” Knies said.
He was asked directly if he’d want to see an NHL team back in Arizona.
“I would love to, yeah. It’s a good place to visit,” Knies said.
Phoenix has come up repeatedly as the NHL sorts through expansion possibilities, alongside markets like Houston-Austin and Atlanta. Nothing about Saturday’s practice moves that process forward on its own.
For two guys who grew up watching hockey in that building, though, walking back into Mullett Arena was as close to a homecoming as either will get until the league makes its next move.
