TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — The Coyotes closed out their 28-year Arizona tenure as winners, getting a goal and an assist from Dylan Guenther in a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night.
The Coyotes buzzed early at Mullett Arena and closed strong in their final game before moving to Salt Lake City.
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TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — The Coyotes closed out their 28-year Arizona tenure as winners, getting a goal and an assist from Dylan Guenther in a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night.
Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm (14) skates with the puck in front of Arizona Coyotes center Logan Cooley, left, during the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Arizona Coyotes center Liam O'Brien (38) scores a goal against Edmonton Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard (30) as Oilers defenseman Philip Broberg, right rear, watches during the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Arizona Coyotes fans hold up signs during the second period of the team's NHL hockey game against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. The Coyotes are moving to Salt Lake City in a deal that could be signed less than 24 hours after the game. Hockey could return, perhaps within five years, but the stark reality is this is the end for the foreseeable future. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Edmonton Oilers center Adam Henrique (19) and Arizona Coyotes defenseman Juuso Valimaki (4) vie for the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Arizona Coyotes' Logan Cooley, right, Michael Carcone (53) and Josh Doan arrive on the ice prior to the team's NHL hockey game against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. The Coyotes are moving to Salt Lake City in a deal that could be signed less than 24 hours after the game. Hockey could return, perhaps within five years, but the stark reality is this is the end for the foreseeable future. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Liam O'Brien got the finale started with a goal less than three minutes in and Sean Durzi capped it with a empty-net goal to send Coyotes fans home happy — at least for one last night. Matias Maccelli and Lawson Crouse also scored, and Connor Ingram had 25 saves for Arizona.
“This is the last one in Arizona for a little bit and we wanted to have a good effort, show that to the fans," Coyotes forward Clayton Keller said.
Sam Carrick and Warren Foegele scored for the playoff-bound Oilers. Calvin Pickard had 16 saves in the first game of a back-to-back to close the regular season for Edmonton.
“You talk about the game, getting ready for an emotional one, they're going to come out hard,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “But we're also looking to the playoffs. We played OK and maybe you win some games like that.”
The Coyotes and their fans spent years hoping relocation rumors wouldn't come through.
Rumor became reality this week when Alex Meruelo agreed to sell franchise's hockey operations to Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith, who intends to move the team to Salt Lake City.
The Coyotes franchise could be revived; Meruelo will have the rights to an expansion team if he can build a new arena within five years.
That made Wednesday night's game a finale one way or another and the fans treated it like one big party, creating a buzz unlike any during the Coyotes' two years at Mullett Arena.
The Coyotes felt the energy and fed off it, opening with some big hits and a goal by O'Brien 2:18 in, sending the roaring crowd to their feet.
“There were a lot of emotions and there was a lot of sadness,” Coyotes coach André Tourigny said. “We've gone through a bit of adversity and I'm really proud the way the players responded.”
The Oilers killed the buzz by turning up the pressure and tying it on Carrick's redirected goal midway through the first period.
Ingram made some difficult saves and Maccelli got the party rolling again by scoring on a breakaway late in the second period, setting off a roar that was followed by a chant of “Salt Lake sucks!”
Crouse made it 3-1 by flipping a backhander past Pickard early in the third period, but Foegele tied it with a shot from the slot that beat Ingram to the glove side.
Guenther pushed it back to a two-goal lead and Durzi capped the festive desert finale after Edmonton pulled Pickard for an extra attacker.
“We knew what we were going to get in terms of them being fired up, playing in front of their fans tonight,” Pickard said. “It wasn't a great start, but we kind of bounced back.”
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This story has been updated to correct the number of years the Coyotes played at Mullett Arena to two instead of three.
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Arizona Coyotes' Dylan Guenther skates past fans as players warm up for an NHL hockey game against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. The Coyotes are moving to Salt Lake City in a deal that could be signed less than 24 hours after the game. Hockey could return, perhaps within five years, but the stark reality is this is the end for the foreseeable future. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm (14) skates with the puck in front of Arizona Coyotes center Logan Cooley, left, during the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Arizona Coyotes center Liam O'Brien (38) scores a goal against Edmonton Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard (30) as Oilers defenseman Philip Broberg, right rear, watches during the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Arizona Coyotes fans hold up signs during the second period of the team's NHL hockey game against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. The Coyotes are moving to Salt Lake City in a deal that could be signed less than 24 hours after the game. Hockey could return, perhaps within five years, but the stark reality is this is the end for the foreseeable future. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Edmonton Oilers center Adam Henrique (19) and Arizona Coyotes defenseman Juuso Valimaki (4) vie for the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Arizona Coyotes' Logan Cooley, right, Michael Carcone (53) and Josh Doan arrive on the ice prior to the team's NHL hockey game against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. The Coyotes are moving to Salt Lake City in a deal that could be signed less than 24 hours after the game. Hockey could return, perhaps within five years, but the stark reality is this is the end for the foreseeable future. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Workers, activists and others in Asian capitals and European cities took to the streets on Wednesday to mark May Day with protests over rising prices and government labor polices and calls for greater labor rights.
May Day, which falls on May 1, is observed in many countries to celebrate workers’ rights. May Day events have also given many an opportunity to air general economic grievances or political demands.
Police in Istanbul detained dozens of people who tried to reach the central Taksim Square in defiance of a government ban on marking Labor Day at the landmark location.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has long declared Taksim off-limits for rallies and demonstrations on security grounds, but some political parties and trade unions have vowed to march to the square, which holds symbolic value for labor unions.
In 1977, unidentified gunmen opened fire on a May Day celebration at Taksim, causing a stampede and killing 34 people.
On Wednesday, police erected barricades and sealed off all routes leading to the central Istanbul square. Public transport in the area was also restricted. Only a small group of trade union representatives was permitted to enter the square to lay a wreath at a monument in memory of victims of the 1977 incident.
Riot police apprehended some 30 members of the left-wing People’s Liberation Party who tried to break through the barriers.
In Indonesia, workers voiced anger at a new law they said violates their rights and hurts their welfare, and demanded protections for migrant workers abroad and a minimum wage raise.
About 50,000 workers from Jakarta’s satellite cities of Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi were expected to join May Day marches in the capital, said Said Iqbal, the president of the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions.
They gathered amid a tight police presence near the National Monument park, waving the colorful flags of labor groups and chanting slogans against the Job Creation Law and loosened outsourcing rules during a march to Jakarta’s main sports stadium, Gelora Bung Karno.
“With the enactment of this law, our future is uncertain because many problems arise in wages, severance pay and the contract system,” said Isbandi Anggono, a protester.
Indonesia’s parliament last year ratified a government regulation that replaces a controversial law on job creation, but critics said it still benefits businesses. The law was intended to cut bureaucracy as part of President Joko Widodo’s efforts to attract more investment to the country, which is Southeast Asia's largest economy.
In Seoul, the South Korean capital, thousands of protesters sang, waved flags and shouted pro-labor slogans at the start of their rally on Wednesday. Organizers said their rally was primarily meant to step up their criticism of what they call anti-labor policies pursued by the conservative government led by President Yoon Suk Yeol.
“In the past two years under the Yoon Suk Yeol government, the lives of our laborers have plunged into despair,” Yang Kyung-soo, leader of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, which organized the rally, said in a speech. “We can't overlook the Yoon Suk Yeol government. We'll bring them down from power for ourselves.”
KCTU union members decried Yoon’s December veto of a bill aimed at limiting companies’ rights to seek compensation for damages caused by strikes by labor unions. They also accuse Yoon’s government of handling the 2022 strikes by truckers too aggressively and insulting construction sector workers whom authorities believed were involved in alleged irregular activities.
Since taking office in 2022, Yoon has pushed for labor reforms to support economic growth and job creation. His government has vowed to sternly deal with illegal strikes and demand more transparent accounting records from labor unions.
“The remarkable growth of the Republic of Korea was thanks to the sweat and efforts of our workers. I thank our 28.4 million workers,” Yoon said in a May Day message posted on Facebook. “My government and I will protect the precious value of labor.”
Seoul rally participants later marched through downtown streets. Similar May Day rallies were held in more than 10 locations across South Korea on Wednesday. Police said they had mobilized thousands of officers to maintain order, but there were no immediate reports of violence.
In Japan, more than 10,000 people gathered at Yoyogi park in downtown Tokyo for a May Day event, demanding salary increases that they said could sufficiently set off price increases. During the rally, Masako Obata, the leader of the left-leaning National Confederation of Trade Unions, said that dwindling wages have put many workers in Japan under severe living conditions and widened income disparities.
“On this May Day, we unite with our fellow workers around the world standing up for their rights,” she said, shouting “banzai!" or long life, to all workers.
In the Philippine capital, Manila, hundreds of workers and left-wing activists marched and held a rally in the scorching summer heat to demand wage increases and job security amid soaring food and oil prices.
Riot police stopped the protesting workers from getting close to the presidential palace. Waving red flags and holding up posters that read: “We work to live, not to die” and “Lower prices, increase salaries,” the protesters rallied in the street, where they chanted and delivered speeches about the difficulties faced by Filipino laborers.
Poor drivers joined the protest and called to end a government modernization program they fear would eventually lead to the removal of their dilapidated jeepneys, a main mode of public transport, from Manila’s streets.
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Associated Press journalists Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and VJ Basilio Sepe in Manila contributed to this report.
A man with a flag of a local workers group waits for a May Day rally to start in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
People clap hands as they hear a speaker during a May Day rally in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
People walk towards the site of a May Day rally in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Masako Obata, president of Japan's National Confederation of Trade Unions, also known as Zenroren, speaks during a May Day rally in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
People listen to a speaker during a May Day rally in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Participants march after a May Day rally in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Participants march after a May Day rally in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
People listen to a speaker during a May Day rally in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Participants prepare for a march after a May Day rally in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Participants march after a May Day rally in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions gather to attend a rally on May Day in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions gather to attend a rally on May Day in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions gather to attend a rally on May Day in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Filipino activists march towards the U.S. Embassy during a protest to mark International Labor Day in Manila, Philippines on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Hundreds of Filipino workers from various labor groups took to the streets to mark Labor Day and demand a wage increase and job security amid soaring food and oil prices. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Policemen try to block activists as they tried to march towards the U.S. Embassy during a protest to mark International Labor Day in Manila, Philippines on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Hundreds of Filipino workers from various labor groups took to the streets to mark Labor Day and demand a wage increase and job security amid soaring food and oil prices. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Filipino workers carry streamers and posters during a protest to mark International Labor Day near the presidential palace in Manila, Philippines on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Hundreds of Filipino workers from various labor groups took to the streets to mark Labor Day and demand a wage increase and job security amid soaring food and oil prices. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
A man carries a poster during a protest to mark International Labor Day near the presidential palace in Manila, Philippines on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Hundreds of Filipino workers from various labor groups took to the streets to mark Labor Day and demand a wage increase and job security amid soaring food and oil prices. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Filipino workers carry streamers and posters during a protest to mark International Labor Day near the presidential palace in Manila, Philippines on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Hundreds of Filipino workers from various labor groups took to the streets to mark Labor Day and demand a wage increase and job security amid soaring food and oil prices. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
