Olympic medalist Lyndsey Fry leading group to preserve amateur hockey in Arizona

“The Matt Shott Arizona Hockey Legacy is all about keeping hockey thriving in the desert,” Fry said in a statement on Thursday. “Hockey has grown exponentially since the NHL team arrived back in 1996 and it is imperative that the growth and momentum continues. Everything good I’ve ever had in my life has come through this sport and I am passionate about passing it onto others in the future.”

The foundation aims to build a $10 million endowment over the next five to 10 years. In the meantime, it will also look to add more board members throughout the summer of 2024, with Fry serving as chair. The current board also includes Carly Accardo, the mother of Coyotes fan Leighton Accardo, who inspired hockey fans in Arizona during her battle against cancer before succumbing in 2020 at age nine.

The Coyotes franchise moved to Arizona from Winnipeg in 1996. After years of turmoil at Gila River Arena in Glendale and, later, at the 4,600-seat Mullett Arena in Tempe, the Coyotes officially relocated to Salt Lake City earlier this month.

But there’s a catch: Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo retains ownership over the team’s branding and records, and he currently holds an exclusive five-year window to build a new arena and bring an NHL team back to Arizona. If Meruelo is unsuccessful, the NHL can invite other potentially interested ownership groups to the table.

Despite the Coyotes’ struggles, youth hockey has taken hold in Arizona to an enormous extent over the past three decades. It’s one of the fastest-growing hockey states in the nation and has produced players like Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies, and Josh Doan.