Ray Slover

No matter what happens in federal bankruptcy court whenever a decision is rendered, this verdict is clear: The Phoenix Coyotes are dead.

The scene Tuesday at Jobing.com Arena, where a split squad of Coyotes made their (uh-hmm) home exhibition debut, was nothing like what was seen elsewhere in a night of first exhibitions across the NHL. The venue saw few fans cheering for them to stay.

The focal point of the franchise, Wayne Gretzky, the most marketable name in hockey, was nowhere to be seen — just as it has been since training camp opened. (Editor's note: Gretzky resigned as Coyotes coach on Sept. 24) Earlier in the day, the team's nominal owner, Jerry Moyes, was turned away from a city council meeting in Glendale, Ariz., the 'burb where the Jobing.com Arena is located.

Only commissioner Gary Bettman still has hope of maintaining a franchise in the most unlikely of locations for a cold-weather ice sport. And if Bettman can't see the team is viable only in theoretical terms, he'd better get a new set of specs.

Tuesday's recap says a couple thousand people were on hand for the "home" game, in which part of the team played against the Los Angeles Kings. Another pack of Coyotes went west to Los Angeles for a split-squad game there.

The results were better in the desert, where the Coyotes won 4-2. A few dozen people not related to the players cheered. In L.A., the road Dogs lost 4-3. Those are the only signs of life for the NHL's mongrels.

That the team is unwanted in Glendale for anything but rent money was pounded home when Moyes asked for time to address the city council. The pols' response? Hit the road, bub.

This, from the Arizona Republic:

Moyes made an emotional plea to the Glendale City Council on Tuesday to speak in support of Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie's offer for the team.

But Mayor Elaine Scruggs and city staff told the fallen-from-grace Glendale resident he could not talk and must leave.

A half-hour later, council members emerged from behind closed doors refusing to alter their backing of a competing offer from the NHL. ...

Moyes said he had asked to be added to the council agenda but staff told him he was not scheduled and could not speak.

"I wish they would have listened to me," he said outside the council chambers, where officials had promptly convened privately on the Coyotes.

"The city of Glendale would be better off without hockey," Moyes said, suggesting concerts and events staged at the arena would bring the city more cash. "This team is going to be gone in a year."

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Writing in the Republic, Dan Bickley added his take to Tuesday's scene:

Gretzky should've seen how pathetic it all looked inside Jobing.com Arena, with tiny pockets of loyal fans scattered throughout a giant hockey palace. The low turnout was expected yet ominous. The Coyotes didn't spend a dime on preseason advertising, not with all of the uncertainty in the air. And maybe if the Great One saw it, he would've felt twinges of shame.

The NHL has abandoned even Gretzky, saying in bankruptcy court it wouldn't honor his contract. At best he must take a major pay cut to remain as coach.

The shame of it all is compounded by this: The Coyotes aren't going to be a bad team. Wrote Bickley:

Maloney also has put together a fast, young team that has a real chance to be a Cinderella story in the NHL, if the goaltenders cooperate.

And of Gretzky he wrote:

Had Gretzky shown up, he would've told his team by example that they were all in this nightmare together. Instead, he is protecting his interests, his name and his dignity. At least that's how it appears. And in Arizona, it doesn't help his tarnished image one bit.