NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has tried to make hockey in the desert happen like the word fetch — ew, Gretchen — but after 27 years, the Arizona version of the Coyotes may have finally been dealt a death blow.
On Tuesday, residents of Tempe, a suburb of Phoenix, voted no to three referendums which would have allowed developers to build a $2.3 billion entertainment district that included a new and permanent home for the Coyotes. (See the renderings here.) The project was put to a vote after the city of Phoenix and Sky Harbor International Airport had expressed concerns about residences that would be located in a high-noise path. The Coyotes have been trying to build and move into Tempe since November 2016.
The Coyotes are losing a “substantial” amount of money and the new arena would have allowed the team to have a world-class facility that it could grow into the future with.
Now the Coyotes must grapple with its future while playing in a college hockey arena it shares with Arizona State University. It could potentially consider leaving its geographical home for the last three decades.
“The National Hockey League is terribly disappointed by the restyle of the public referenda regarding the Coyotes’ arena project in Tempe,” Gary Bettman said in a statement. “We are going to review with the Coyotes what the options might be going forward.”
“We are very disappointed Tempe voters did not approve Propositions 301, 302, and 303,” added Coyotes President and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez. As Tempe Mayor Corey Woods said, it was the best sports deal in Arizona history. What is next for the franchise will be evaluated by our owners and the National Hockey League over the coming weeks.”
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— Clayton Keller (@ClaytonKeller37) May 17, 2023
The Coyotes have played in three different facilities since first arriving to Arizona in 1996. They first shared the America West Arena (now Footprint Center) with the Phenix Suns until 2003 before relocating to Glendale’s Gila River Arena (now Desert Diamond Arena) from 2003 to 2022.
The Coyotes opted not sign a 20-year lease extension to stay at Gila River Arena and currently play at Arizona State University’s Mullett Arena — which has a capacity of 5,000 — as they hoped to complete their building plans in Tempe. The Coyotes have two years remaining on that contract.
According to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski, the city of Houston is the most speculated-about potential new home for the franchise as the city already has a hockey-ready arena in Toyota Center – which also hosts the NBA’s Houston Rockets. Houston is the fourth most populous city in the United States. Salt Lake City could also be an option.
During their time in Arizona, the Coyotes have won a division title once and missed the playoffs 17 of 26 seasons. Their most successful campaign came in 2011-12, when Arizona lost in the Western Conference Final to the Los Angeles Kings in five games. The biggest moment of the franchise’s history is arguably a goal scored on them by Alex Ovechkin, which had a young Auston Matthews in the crowd.
Rendering courtesy of the Arizona Coyotes
