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

Mike Gould
Mike Gould
Olympic medalist Lyndsey Fry leading group to preserve amateur hockey in Arizona
Credit: Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Arizona-born U.S. Olympic hockey medalist Lyndsey Fry is leading a new group dedicated to ensuring the continued growth of amateur hockey in Arizona in the wake of the Coyotes’ departure to Salt Lake City.

The Matt Shott Arizona Hockey Legacy Foundation is named for former Coyotes senior director of hockey development Matt Shott, who passed away at age 34 in 2021 after a long battle with liver cancer.

Two of Shott’s family members will serve on the board of the new organization, which also includes NHL alumni Jason Demers, Michael Grabner, Greg Adams, and Darcy Hordichuk.

Fry, 31, served as radio color commentator for Coyotes games and is the president of the Arizona Kachinas girls youth hockey organization. She won a silver medal with Team USA at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

“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.

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