PHOENIX — When the Arizona Coyotes moved to Utah, some of the financial benefits for youth hockey teams in the area went with them. Lifelong fans were devastated as the team wrapped up their final game at Mullet Arena a week ago.
In the days following, though, a foundation was created to keep momentum going for youth players in the Valley, even without the tie to a professional team.
Enthusiastic leaders like Lyndsey Fry, an advocate for hockey in the desert and co-founder of the all-girls hockey club the Arizona Kachinas, helped launch the Matt Shott Arizona Legacy Foundation.
"I fell in love with Mighty Ducks movies when I was a little girl, so for me it's very personal because I was a direct beneficiary of youth programs, my parents knew nothing about hockey, so we want to see the game continue to grow," Fry told 12News.
Fry, along with other advocates, is looking for ways to sidestep the financial effects of the Coyotes' recent chaos and ultimately, their exit.
"It's an interesting time in the hockey community, a lot of uncertainly, questions marks with hockey fans and players sad to see NHLers go off to Utah," Fry said.
The pros and some of the profits that kept programs like the Arizona Kachinas on the ice are more or less gone, threatening the growth of the game.
"It's critical that the public and everybody in the hockey community work together to keep hockey growing," Fry said
The Olympic medalist has made it her mission to not only honor an advocate for the game, her dear friend Matt Shott, but also help create a foundation to draw funding for youth and adult hockey programs.
"It literally is what he dedicated his life to, sacrificed so much for, not only when he was working with the Coyotes but even long before, he just wanted more kids playing the game," Fry said.
Shott was a co-founder of the Arizona Kachinas five years ago alongside Fry but lost his battle with cancer in December of 2021.
"Now I see it as our responsibility to carry that on, continue that legacy and just make sure we can get more and more kids in the game, that's a challenging thing to do but it's something we're committed to," she said.
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