The Past of the Phoenix Coyotes
With a formidable team comprising of Rick Tocchet, Shane Doan and Mike Gartner, The Coyotes were immensely popular in their area. Financial problems continued to hinder the team's progress, and the ownership changed again in 1998. The Coyotes almost made it through the first round of the playoffs in 1999, but St. Louis Blues restricted them by winning the seventh game, much to the disappointment of Coyote fans. The Coyotes scored an impressive 95 points again in 2002, finishing second in the division, but couldn't put up a good performance in the first round of the playoffs.
Financial problems never really left the team, and they could not break the 80 point mark until the 2005-06 season, when they scored 81 points. In 2005, Wayne Gretzky announced himself as the coach of the team. The Phoenix Coyotes released The Coyote Ring of Honor, inducting Thomas Steen, Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Hull October 2006. Don Maloney was named the new General Manager of The Phoenix Coyotes in May 2007.