Imagine growing up watching your heroes on TV. Imagine actually being able to meet them and talk with them, and imagine wanting to be just like them – to someday be the hero that other kids watch and strive to be like. Now imagine being told that your heroes are moving away.

You won’t get to see them anymore, and only rarely will you get to watch them on TV. Imagine trying to find something else to latch onto now that the people you idolized will no longer be around.

This is the potential situation that faces hundreds of youth hockey players in the Valley. With the Phoenix Coyotes in financial turmoil and the sale of the franchise imminent, the possibility of the team moving out of the Phoenix area has become very real.

Sean Whyte is the director of the Desert Youth Hockey Association. He oversees the instruction of many young players just getting started with the sport, and sees the impact that having a professional team in the area has on their development.

“These young kids need to have someone to emulate, to look up to, to hopefully meet after a game or a practice and get an autograph, a handshake, a pat on the head, or whatever the case may be from these guys,” Whyte said. “And if we were to lose the Coyotes, that’s just going to be, in my opinion, a pretty big hole in the community.”

Whyte knows the value of player-fan interaction. He played professional hockey for 11 years and said he always made sure to participate in charity events and autograph sessions for his young admirers.

“I took that part of the game very seriously,” he said. “Hockey players for the most part are pretty down-to-earth, easygoing guys. They’re very likeable and do well in the community. And they can be excellent role models.”

But without the Coyotes, there are no role models, not to mention the other benefits that come with DYHA’s affiliation with the team. Whyte said the Coyotes sponsor the popular Kids First program, a four-week instructional camp designed to get young athletes interested and excited about hockey at little or no cost to their families.

With a refundable $75 deposit, the kids receive a stick and jersey that are theirs to keep, as well as free use of all other necessary equipment – equipment that is donated by the Coyotes. At the end of the program, the Coyotes’ mascot Howler makes an appearance and all of the participants receive a handful of hockey cards to further their enthusiasm for the game.

“The Coyotes donate the equipment, we donate the ice and the instructors, and the kids get into this awesome sport and hopefully grow from there,” Whyte said.

A similar relationship exists between the team and the Coyotes Amateur Hockey Association. CAHA’s director, Mike De Angelis, said that his organization is permitted through an affiliation agreement to use the Coyotes’ logo as well as the Ice Den, the Coyotes’ practice facility.

Like Whyte, De Angelis said the Coyotes’ presence in the Valley is instrumental in sparking the interest of younger players.

“Having an NHL team here does affect youth hockey and the youth hockey industry,” De Angelis said. “A lot of kids that are interested in youth hockey will start by going to a Coyotes game and getting signed up to learn to skate and things like that. So the Coyotes’ future definitely has a big impact on youth hockey.”

Fortunately, at least for the time being, both Whyte and De Angelis said that the Coyotes’ financial woes seem to have had no ill effects on their organizations. In fact, even in the face of the economic troubles the nation is dealing with, Whyte said DYHA membership has more than doubled in the past year, going from around 100 members last year to about 240 members currently. He also said DYHA reached record numbers for tryouts and just about every league appears to be growing.

“It’s a little freaky for us to have done something like that, but we have,” Whyte said. “We’re in a situation where things are looking up.”

The story may be a little different over at the Coyotes Amateur Hockey Association, as De Angelis said his numbers have leveled off a bit recently, but he said in no way is CAHA hurting for members.

“As far as our programs here, we’re very full as far as what we can offer,” he said.

Hopefully the wave of bad news that has hit the Coyotes’ front office doesn’t catch up with them. After filing for bankruptcy on May 5, the team and the NHL have been involved in heated battles over what to do with the franchise. As it stands now, a hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 10 in which a new owner of the team will likely be chosen. Although it is almost certain that the Coyotes will stay in Phoenix for the 2009-10 season, their status after that will depend on who is granted control of the organization.

As could be expected, local youth hockey directors like De Angelis and Whyte are rooting for an owner that is committed to leaving the team in Phoenix.

“Obviously our preference is that whoever purchases the team is concerned and dedicated to long-term stability for the NHL team here and in the Valley,” De Angelis said. “That directly affects our future with it and we want someone who’s fired up about keeping it here and not potentially moving it somewhere else.”

And if the new owner is looking for a model as to how to bring a franchise back from the brink, Whyte said look no further than the Coyotes’ Valley neighbors.

“Take a look at the Cardinals last year,” Whyte said. “For years and years they had struggled to put a good product on the field; and then last year they were able to pull off a great season and do extremely well for themselves, and the city was going nuts over them. If we can put a good product on the ice and get people excited and proud to have the Coyotes as their own, I think that’s the most important factor in being able to have a viable team here.”

Looking at the worst case scenario, though, De Angelis said he still believes hockey would survive in the Valley without a professional team. It might be more of a challenge to get younger kids hooked on the sport without the Coyotes’ presence, but he said the fact remains that hockey is here to stay in Phoenix.

“I don’t think it would be as devastating as one might think,” he said of a possible Coyotes relocation. “Hockey will continue to grow, and kids will continue to play and compete. I don’t think it’s going away any time soon.”

So the kids will wait and see what is to become of their heroes – whether they’ll be staying in town or packing up and leaving the city behind. But the neat thing is, even if everything goes wrong, these kids might just have what it takes to make it all right.

Imagine that.