Chayka fires back, blames new Coyotes ownership.

Former Arizona Coyotes general manager John Chayka has been put through the ringer over the weekend after an ugly divorce between him and the Coyotes became even uglier. Things were already looking pretty bad from the outside looking in but on Sunday the attacks against Chayka came out in full force with anonymous sources throwing him under the bus and even a brutal statement from the Coyotes.

First, here's what the Coyotes had to say. From our report on Sunday:

"John Chayka has quit as the General Manager and President of Hockey Operations of the Arizona Coyotes. 

"The Club is disappointed in his actions and his timing as the Coyotes prepare to enter the NHL's hub city of Edmonton, where the team will begin post-season play for the first time since 2012. Chayka has chosen to quit on a strong and competitive team, a dedicated staff, and the Arizona Coyotes fans, the greatest fans in the NHL. "

As far as the National Hockey League is concerned that is as harsh a statement as you're ever going to hear from a team. The language used in that statement made it clear that the Coyotes ownership is furious. In our report yesterday however we also outlined out Coyotes insider Craig Morgan who had spoken to an anonymous NHL source that had even harsher comments for the former GM.

"John Chayka is a liar and a quitter," said the source.

Well now Chayka has released a statement of his own. To his credit the former general manager remains very professional in his statement despite the mub that has been tossed his way in recent days, but that does not mean that he did not fire back at the Coyotes. As you will see Chayka clearly places the blame for this entire fiasco at the feet of the Coyotes ownership.

Here is the statement as per Coyotes insider Craig Morgan:

"The past four years have been the most enjoyable of my life. In Arizona, I became a husband and a father, while working as hard as possible to make the Coyotes a Stanley Cup contender. I love our players, coaches, staff and fans and I very much wish I could be with the team in Edmonton. Sadly, the situation created by ownership made that an impossibility.

"That’s all I intend to say on this matter for now. A fuller, more detailed explanation may be necessary in the near future. Until then, I wish the Coyotes good luck in Edmonton, and thank every member of Our Pack for the support shown to Kathryn, our daughter and myself over the years. Also, I want to congratulate Steve Sullivan as he steps into a new role. We’ve worked side-by-side for years. He is a great person and a terrific hockey mind."