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Glendale city council member wants “Canadian poachers” to go away

Mike Smith

GLENDALE, AZ - APRIL 14: Goaltender Mike Smith #41 of the Phoenix Coyotes warms up before Game Two of the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Jobing.com Arena on April 14, 2012 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Glendale city council member Joyce Clark is tired of “Canadian poachers” gunning for the Phoenix Coyotes.

“I will be so pleased when Coyotes issue is settled,” Clark said. “Then all of these Canadian poachers can move on to another team and another city.”

Clark said that they’ve been getting tweets and e-mails from Canadians telling them that the city of Glendale shouldn’t be investing in the Coyotes. She said some of the people contacting them “posed as Arizona residents.”

“It’s sited in a major sports and entertainment district in Glendale and we rely upon the 42 nights of hockey games to help to keep what we call Westgate healthy, so that’s a major reason for supporting keeping the Coyotes in Glendale and in Westgate,” Clark said.

Clark argued that, in order to build new markets, it’s important to “go to where there is no hockey and try to build those markets and that’s exactly what the NHL is doing.”

The Phoenix Coyotes went all the way to the Western Conference Finals before finally being eliminated by the Los Angeles Kings. They have been an on-ice success over the past three years, but are still working to get an owner.