Bill Armstrong made statements with words and actions Tuesday morning, before and during his first public remarks as Arizona Coyotes general manager.

Armstrong, the 10th general manager in team history, pledged to get to work right away on building a championship contender. The former St. Louis Blues assistant GM, who helped build the team that won the Stanley Cup last season, said he looks forward to winning and seeing fans waving white towels, in the tradition of the Coyotes’ “Whiteout” for postseason games.

“I won three different championships, at three different levels and three different roles. And I didn’t come here all the way to the desert to get a tan. I came here to win a championship,” Armstrong said, tapping the table at which he sat with the same hand on which he wore his Stanley Cup championship ring.

“This is a complex, complicated job. But it’s also simple. You hire the right people, they find the right players, you stack good player on good player, and the next thing you know you’re winning.”

Armstrong had already made a personnel move before he spoke with the media. The Coyotes confirmed that the team had parted ways with Lindsay Hofford, former director of scouting, after two seasons with the team.

Armstrong said he’d heard and seen the criticism from colleagues about the difficulty of winning in Arizona, asking him to think over the decision to take the job. But Armstrong came away impressed with owner Alex Meruelo’s track record of business success and personality, and wanted the chance to make the Coyotes into a perennial playoff team.

Meruelo, in turn, also took a quick liking to Armstrong during the interview process. Coyotes president and CEO Xavier Gutierrez told a brief story of how, 15 minutes into the interview with Armstrong, Meruelo sent a text message to Gutierrez saying “I’d run through a wall for this guy.”

Armstrong’s early orders of business include the upcoming NHL Draft, which he cannot work on but can deal for picks. There is also free agency and building his own staff.

“The culture’s obviously going to change a little bit, that’s going to be a shock to some people,” he said. “At the same time, that needs to happen.”

The draft is in about two weeks and free agency is set for Oct. 9. 

“We’ve got people in place. We’ve got talented hockey people behind the scenes and some new people coming in,” Armstrong said. “It’s really planning. It’s hunkering down and just really getting down to business with your staff and getting everything organized.” 

Armstrong acknowledged that changes will need to be made in certain areas so he can build an “off-ice” team he desires. The Coyotes lost two high-round draft picks last month for a rules violation of the NHL’s combine scouting policy.

“I think that’s part of the process of why they like me, is to get someone in here that’s going to clean stuff up,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong didn’t address specific players or plans, saying he has to have meetings with current staff first and get their thoughts. Those will take place in the next few days.

“We wanted the right person, and we wanted the right human being who would also fit with us and the culture we want to create,” Gutierrez said.

Armstrong has been a player, scout, coach and executive, experience he will use in his new role. 

“There’s some good young core players here that are difference makers, impact players that I’m a big fan of,” Armstrong said. “Right now, it’s mostly evaluations that we’re doing. But I do like some of the core that’s here now.”

Armstrong looks forward to sitting down to speak with Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet. The two have a mutual friend in Blues head coach Craig Berube. 

“I was a big Rick Tocchet fan growing up,” Armstrong said. “It’s important to form a relationship with your coach, it’s probably the most important relationship that you can have. He’s a good coach and he’s a good representative of this team and I’m looking forward to working with him.”

As for moving to Arizona, Armstrong was struck by how scenic the state’s landscape is upon arrival in the valley. But he doesn’t plan to see much of it right away. He had a message for potential new Coyotes that form the roster.

“This is incredible. But we’re never telling the players that,” Armstrong said. “What we’re telling the players is that this is not a nice place to live. It’s a place to come and win a championship. That’s why you’re coming to Arizona.

“As I told them in the interview process,” Armstrong added, “I will see the house, the car and my office, and not much of Arizona.” 

Get in touch with Jose Romero at [email protected]. Find him on Twitter at @RomeroJoseM.