Achi news desk-
The sale of the Arizona Coyotes to Utah has been formally approved by the NHL Board of Governors, per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff ( Twitter link ). The vote received unanimous support from the board, shares The Athletic’s Chris Johnston (Twitter link). The NHL has promptly released their first statement on this transition (web link).
This news brings a quiet end to the long-running saga surrounding the Coyotes’ search for a home in Arizona. The team has been pushing to build a new arena since its lease expired at Gila River Arena at the end of the 2021-22 season. They searched through many options, eventually settling on building and sharing a small, 5,000-seat arena with Arizona State University’s hockey teams. The Coyotes played their first game at Mullett Arena in front of a sold-out crowd on October 28, 2022. Since then they have increased their attendance at almost every game since, although the fan’s dedication was not enough to do so. team to a new rink. Ultimately, the ownership group, led by Alex Meruelo, could not find a new piece of land to build a full-size ice rink before the timer ran out. After much back and forth between Coyotes ownership and the NHL, it was ultimately decided that the Coyotes would relocate to Salt Lake City for the 2024-25 season.
The decision to relocate has brought many contingencies for Meruelo and the Coyotes brand. Most notably, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski shares that a return to Arizona would not require approval from the Board of Governors (Twitter link). Instead, Meruelo could get his team back quickly by building a full-size arena, with the NHL Deputy Commissioner telling Wyshynski, “[Meruelo] already approved as an NHL owner.” The Coyotes will remain an “inactive” franchise while Meruelo continues to look for a new home.
The collapse of the Coyotes has been devastating for fans who have supported the impossible – hockey in the desert – for the past 28 years. Arizona had only averaged less than 12,000 in attendance before they moved to Mullett – and it wasn’t by much, an average of 11,989 in the 2009-10 season. But they bounced back well, even averaging 14,606 fans throughout the 2019-20 season. The dedication of Coyotes fans was never in doubt – a passion made clear by the community rallying in support of the Coyotes’ final home game on Wednesday, April 17th. Viewing parties across Arizona gathered to see one more Coyotes victory – a 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers, the same score as their first game as a franchise. The emotions of the night were beautifully captured by a five-minute ovation from broadcaster Todd Walsh, who has covered the team since the move in 1996 (Twitter link).
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