from Mike Sunnucks of the Phoenix Business Journal,

Coyotes COO Mike Nealy voiced confidence the franchise would be back in Glendale next season.

“This is a hockey town. You guys make it a hockey town,” said an emotional Nealy during the first period of the game. “The NHL belongs here. See you next year.”

Still, the Coyotes were selling all merchandise at arena shops for 40 percent off and have let their in-store stock of jerseys run out. Arena ushers, staff and fans were all wondering whether it is the last game for this year’s NHL season or the end of the franchise’s tenure in Arizona.

The team does have season ticket prices listed for the 2013-14 season if the team stays in Phoenix.

So what happens next?

In 2011, the Atlanta Thrashers were sold on May 31 to a group that moved the team over the summer to Winnipeg. That sale came just as the Stanley Cup Finals started. It also gave the group time to gear up operations in Winnipeg and for the league to get its schedule for the next season in order. Atlanta also lost a franchise to Calgary in 1980.

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