(Tempe) Mullett Arena, the NHL’s smallest home, ended up being a big problem for the Arizona Coyotes.
The game against Edmonton on Wednesday will likely mark the end of an era – 28 years of ups and downs, leading up to an early move to Utah.
“It’s devastating,” said Ryan Travis, a Coyotes season ticket holder since 2001. “It’s more than hockey to me. They have always been part of the landscape for my family, my children play hockey and I have so many memories. It’s hard to think that they wouldn’t be here anymore. »
The Coyotes’ mantra has long been that the organization is here to stay.
But barring an unforeseen turnaround, owner Alex Meruelo will soon sell the club to Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith, who has pushed to have an NHL team in Salt Lake City.
Meruelo had resisted numerous purchase attempts since acquiring the Coyotes in 2019, saying he would find a way to make it work in Arizona, despite the obstacles.
The billionaire developer ran out of cards to play when the NHL and NHLPA opposed plans to continue play at the 5,000-seat Mullett Arena, built for ASU, while he sought a permanent home for the club.
Meruelo and the Coyotes want land for a multibillion project in north Phoenix that would include a new arena, but delays have pushed the auction until June.
With no guarantee of building a new arena, Meruelo chose to sell the Coyotes for $1.2 billion, $200 million of which will be distributed to NHL owners as moving costs.
The Coyotes’ business operations people are trying to secure and develop the Phoenix field.
If it’s completed in five years, it will give Meruelo’s group the opportunity to start an expansion team.
It’s a little light at the end of the tunnel for Coyotes fans. The reality, however, is that they won’t have a hockey team for the next few years, at the very least.
The Coyotes always seemed to be in turmoil after moving from Winnipeg in 1996.
The team first shared an arena in downtown Phoenix with the NBA’s Suns before moving to Glendale in 2003.
The Coyotes had a long-term, multi-million lease deal with Glendale, but the city pulled out of the deal in 2015.
The team reached an agreement to play at Mullett Arena until it can find a permanent home.
We thought we found the solution near downtown Tempe.
On the other hand, last year, voters clearly rejected a referendum on an entertainment district that would include a new arena.
A group including developer Steve Ellman and Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky struggled financially and sold the team to trucking magnate Jerry Moyes in 2005.
Moyes filed for bankruptcy in 2009, and then the NHL managed the team for the next four years.
The Coyotes then changed hands three times before Meruelo purchased a majority stake from hedge fund manager Andrew Barroway five years ago.
The Coyotes reached the West final in 2012 but did not reach the playoffs again until 2020, in the bubble created due to the pandemic.
Being under NHL control limited resources and even when they tried to make big deals, it rarely worked.
Attendance was among the worst in the league, even before the move to Mullett Arena.
General manager Bill Armstrong opted for a total rebuild three years ago, trading away numerous veterans to get draft picks.
The club will end the current season at 13e place in the West, with a record of 35-41-5 entering Wednesday’s game.
reference: www.lapresse.ca