Achi news desk-
Tampa, Ariz. –
The Arizona Coyotes are officially headed to Salt Lake City.
The NHL’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously Thursday to approve a $1.2 billion sale from Alex Maruelo to Utah Jazz owners Ryan and Ashley Smith, clearing the way for the franchise to move to Utah next season.
The deal includes a provision for Arizona to get an expansion team if a new arena is built in the next five years. The deal will be made through the NHL, with $200 million going to the league’s owners as a relocation fee.
“We have expressed our interest publicly with the NHL,” Ryan Smith told The Associated Press. “It’s probably been two years where we’ve said, ‘Hey, look, we really believe Utah can be an amazing hockey town.’ You look at all the demographics, we’ve only talked about the Olympics and you think the Olympics will come back.
Smith will take over the franchise’s hockey operations and Maruelo will maintain his business operations in Arizona in an effort to secure and develop land for a new arena in north Phoenix.
Maruelo also retains ownership of the Tucson Roadrunners, the franchise’s AHL affiliate, and hopes to move them to Molt Arena, the Coyotes’ temporary home shared with Arizona State University for the past two seasons. He plans to return the $1 billion once the expansion team is approved.
“The NHL’s faith in Arizona has never wavered,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “We thank Alex Maruelo for his commitment to the franchise and to Arizona, and we fully support his ongoing efforts to secure a new home in the desert for the Coyotes. We also want to thank the loyal hockey fans of Arizona, who have supported their team with dedication for nearly three decades as they grew the game.”
Maruelo will retain the Coyotes name, logo and trademark, so Smith’s team will have to change the team name. The team will play at the Delta Center, home of the Jazz, until a new arena can be built.
“We’ll start with jute on the shirt and figure out the logo and everything else, and what we are, but it’s a one-way door,” Smith said. “You’ve got to do it once. And with that timeline, I think both the league feels better and we feel better to just get the process going and then we’ll take it down when we knock it down.”
The sale ends the Coyotes’ long-running bid to find a permanent home.
Arizona Coyotes mascot Howler admits holding a sign after the team’s NHL hockey game against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Tampa, Ariz. The Coyotes won 5-2. (Ross D. Franklin / AP Photo)
The franchise shared an arena with the NBA’s Phoenix Suns after moving from Winnipeg, moved to Glendale and ended up at Mult Arena when the city of Glendale backed out of a lease agreement.
Maruelo was adamant that he did not want to sell the team despite receiving many offers since purchasing the team in 2019. When an auction of the land in north Phoenix was pushed back to June, the Coyotes had no guarantee that a deal for a new arena would go through. way.
With the NHL and players union hesitant to have the Coyotes play in the 5,000-seat Mult Arena for a third season, Maruelo opted to sell the team, and his focus shifted to the new arena and the expansion team.
“I agree with Commissioner Gary Bettman and the National Hockey League that it is simply not fair to continue to have our players, coaches, hockey office and the NHL teams they compete against spend several more years playing in an arena that is not suitable for NHL hockey,” Maruelo said in a statement. This is not the end of NHL hockey in Arizona, I have negotiated the right to restart the team for the next five years, and I have retained ownership of the beloved name. I remain committed to this community and to building a world-class sports arena and entertainment district without seeking financial support from the public.”
The Coyotes played their last game in Arizona on Wednesday night, a 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers in the playoffs. The players celebrated on the ice with teammates and some extended their sticks over the glass to the fans, who chanted “We love you Coy-otes!”
“It’s hard to take it all in,” Coyotes rookie forward Logan Cooley said. “A lot of noise, a lot of personal stuff and obviously the organization, you hear that you go to one place and then you go to the next place. We did a good job in that locker room, focusing on keeping the noise and improving as a team, striving to be the team we want to be one day.”
Officials from Salt Lake City and the city’s 2034 Olympic bid supported Smith’s bid to bring hockey to Utah, giving the state two major professional franchises.
“This announcement is about more than bringing an NHL team to Salt Lake City—it’s a defining moment in our trajectory, becoming a catalyst for a positive vision that combines community, connection and more options for families, residents and visitors to experience the Capital City,” said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall. in a statement. “I am grateful for the close partnership with Ryan and Ashley Smith, and the entire SEG team. This is the beginning of a new era that will create exciting opportunities for our communities, increase pride and unlock new potential in our downtown.”
AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this story
