My elementary-school graduation sealed my professional fate. As the principal read the names of outgoing students, a group of fourth-graders prophesized which career each fifth-grader would pursue. My fortune: a sports journalist covering the Chicago Blackhawks.

It was the first time I had seriously contemplated my work life, but ever since I joined the East Valley Tribune as a copy editor in 1995, covering the NHL has been my greatest wish.

It hasn’t been an easy path in Arizona, where, historically, the Coyotes haven’t been viewed in the same light as the Cardinals, Suns or Diamondbacks. It has been a frustrating reality for me, and for the team’s loyal fans, but that’s about to change.

At The Athletic, hockey matters. All you have to do is peruse the stable of writers at this swiftly growing site to know this is true. From national writers such as Pierre LeBrun, Katie Strang and Craig Custance, to the top beat writers in each city such as Mike Russo, Lisa Dillman and Jeremy Rutherford – The Athletic has assembled the best team of hockey writers on the planet.

The commitment doesn’t stop there. There are no restraints at The Athletic; no coverage assumptions.

The Athletic gives its reporters the freedom to write whatever the story demands, and it respects this simple fact: Nobody knows which stories to pursue, or how to tell them better than the boots-on-the-ground reporter who is there at practice, who is there at games, who is there on the road – who lives, breathes and eats this job 24 hours a day.

I believe readers want good stories, whether they are 300 words or 3,000 words. I believe readers want deeper reporting and more perspectives to paint a more complete picture. I believe readers want good journalism.

I’m hoping you will prove me correct because those are the stories that I intend to write as I cover the Coyotes like they have never been covered before, with supplemental coverage from Catherine Silverman and others. These are the stories The Athletic Arizona’s incredible staff – Jay Dieffenbach as editor, Scott Bordow and C.J. Holmes on the Cardinals, Zach Buchanan on the Diamondbacks, Doug Haller on Arizona State University, and Gina Mizell on the Suns – is going to give you.

We’ll canvas the beats with unique features, breaking news, analytics, stories on the teams’ community and charitable efforts and so much more. Above all, we’ll give you a deeper understanding of what these teams, players, coaches and executives are doing, saying and feeling. We’ll give you a better understanding of who these men and women are.

A new standard of sports journalism has arrived in Arizona. We hope you come along for the ride. We promise it will be worth it.

If you haven’t subscribed yet, join now for 30% off with this link: theathletic.com/azexpansion

(Top photo by Norm Hall, Getty Images)