Toward the end of March 2016, a very important phone call came to the offices at Gila River Arena in Glendale.
The call was answered by Coyotes Chief Operating Officer Ahron Cohen. On the line was the team’s American Hockey League affiliate in Springfield, Mass. They were calling to let the parent club know they were putting the team up for sale, and were wondering whether the Coyotes would be interested.
That same day, Cohen made the two-hour drive to Tucson. Two years later, the Coyotes and their new AHL affiliate in the Old Pueblo are each reaping the benefits of being so close in proximity
And despite their second-round exit from the Calder Cup playoffs on Friday, there’s no reason to think the Tucson Roadrunners will ever slow down from their fast-tracked inception.