Akim Aliu rips Gary Bettman for his pandering to Arizona Coyotes

The Arizona Coyotes, the laughing stock of the NHL and the butt of so, so, sooooo many jokes this season have once again called on NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to bail them out.

The team who play in a minor league building with a 5,000 capacity and who force both the home and visiting teams to get dressed in a beer league locker room, have managed to embarrass themselves even further.

The team called on Bettman to join them at a Tempe Town Council meeting earlier this season in an effort to sway civic support for a massive $1.7 billion arena complex in the city.

Some tidbits from Bettman's time in front of council that evening:

“I have a little bit of experience with the Coyotes… it’s been an interesting ride… I don’t think anybody can doubt our support.”

- Gary Bettman

Doubt? No, absolutely not. Fault? Absolutely yes.

More from Mr. Commissoner:

"It will shine a light on Tempe. We will bring league events here, whether it's an All-Star Game or a Draft. That's our commitment to you if this project goes forward."

- Gary Bettman

And if that weren't enough to make your blood boil, check out this statement from Bettman:

Good grief... I've nearly endured 30 years of the Coyotes already, not sure I can take another 30.

In the end, Tempe Town Council elected to punt any decision on the complex to the public and will hold a public vote on the future of the development in May. Now Bettman is reaching out to Coyotes fans and encouraging them to stuff the ballot box in support of the project.

Check it out:

Honestly... I know my mother taught me not to wish ill on anyone but... I REALLY hope this fails. Enough with this team in the desert already. The Coyotes have been an abject failure for over 25 years now. Enough is enough. It's time to stop the bleeding.

Former NHLer turned activist Akim Aliu summed it up perfectly earlier today:

This team just continues to flabbergast me with news out of their organization, to the point where I'm beginning to wonder if this might actually just be a bad dream? Did Bettman and the NHL forget that the Coyotes were literally KICKED OUT of their arena for not paying rent? This is a pro sports franchise that was told to kick rocks and then they went to a nearby University and groveled their way into playing alongside them in their tiny building. If I didn't know any better it would read like the script of a Will Ferrell movie ala the basketball comedy "Semi-Pro". Which, now that I think about it, is the perfect summation of the Coyotes... Semi-Pro.

Again, I don't wish ill on anyone but I hope for the future health of the NHL as a whole that the Coyotes end up being relocated to a different market like Houston, Kansas City or Quebec City. Hell, even a minor league city like Saskatoon, Hartford, Grand Rapids or Louisville would be a better place than Arizona at this rate.