Each NHL team’s most famous superfan
By Cody Rivera
Arizona Coyotes: Alice Cooper
That’s right. Even the Arizona Coyotes — who are trapped in the middle of the desert in a town that is just about the furthest thing from a hockey town imaginable — have celebrity fans. Alice Cooper, who has been a singer and songwriter with a career spanning more than 50 years, is a huge fan of Arizona’s NHL team. He has often been spotted at Coyotes games, and the Coyotes even gave away Alice Cooper bobbleheads at a game in 2012.
Cooper is originally from Detroit, but relocated to the Phoenix area in the 1960s. There, he formed the band “Alice Cooper” which released its debut album in 1969. The band was best known for their “shock rock” performances, which combines rock music with shock value. Originally named Vincent Damon Furnier, he legally changed his name to Alice Cooper to match the name of the band.
After the band became inactive in 1975, Cooper became a solo artist and released his first solo album Welcome to My Nightmare, and has continued to be very successful ever since.
When Phoenix was gifted a hockey team in 1996 (the original Winnipeg Jets relocated to Phoenix to become the Phoenix Coyotes, and later renamed the Arizona Coyotes), Cooper became a fan. He has yet to see his beloved Coyotes win the Stanley Cup, although he has seen them make a deep playoff run before. In the 2012 playoffs, the Coyotes reached the Western Conference Final, losing to the eventual champion Los Angeles Kings.
Other than that year, Cooper hasn’t been blessed with much success from his favorite hockey team.