I recall using the term “Gongdale” for the first time in copy years ago and chuckling at just how applicable it seemed to be as the Arizona Coyotes were going toe to toe with local politicians in Glendale, Ariz., over the team’s lease agreement for the arena the municipality built for the NHL franchise.
It wasn’t my creation, this term of derision, but it was a thing of beauty because it seemed to perfectly encapsulate everything about that team and its circumstances at that point in time.
Closing in on two decades after first moving to Glendale, the team is still, lamentably, playing at Gila River Arena. Although the dynamics surrounding this long-struggling team in the desert appear to be dramatically different than at any time in the past, there was on Sunday the distinctive sound of the gong ringing out around the franchise once again.
Maybe it was the terse press release from the Coyotes confirming what had been in the air for…
