The Coyotes have pursued all options to avoid relocation and remain in the Phoenix metropolitan area since the team’s proposed arena and entertainment district in Tempe failed to pass a public referendum in May. It now seems the team is closer than ever to a resolution, as team president and CEO Xavier A. Guttierez told Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports last week that they expect to announce their chosen arena site by the end of the 2023 calendar year “or shortly thereafter.” Morgan reported that the location is expected to be a parcel of land within Phoenix city limits adjacent to the border with Scottsdale, one of the more affluent Phoenix suburbs, which TSN’s Darren Dreger added today is close to being finalized.
This timing is on track with what Guttierez outlined before the 2023-24 season began: a likely announcement around the turn of the calendar year. Morgan noted that while the site announcement is expected to come within the next few weeks, the final project bid likely won’t be complete until closer to the end of the regular season, which NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said was a more realistic timeline over the summer.
The season-long delay in confirming a new arena site shouldn’t affect the move-out timeline from their current home, the 4,600-seat Mullett Arena shared with Arizona State University, by much. Morgan said Sunday that the Phoenix-Scottsdale site “would allow the Coyotes to remain close to the same construction timeline as the Tempe site,” given the Tempe site would have required considerably more remediation before the team could break ground on the arena – anywhere from “at least” six to eight months. A standard two-year construction timeline would have the new site ready for the 2026-27 season, requiring a one-year extension on the Coyotes’ initial three-year lease agreement at Mullett.
Notably, the expected new arena site is not the parcel of land in Mesa that the Coyotes issued a letter of intent to purchase last August. On Tuesday’s edition of TSN’s Insider Trading, Dreger said relocation remains on the table if the Coyotes can’t close this deal within the next few weeks.
A step toward an arena resolution would go a long way toward supporting a Coyotes team that’s shown significant on-ice improvement this season. They’ve defeated the last five Stanley Cup champions in their previous five contests, are 6-3-1 in their last ten games, and are just two points behind the Jets for third place in the Central Division. It’s hard to imagine Stanley Cup Playoff hockey in such a minute arena as Mullett, but it’s quickly becoming a possibility as soon as this season.
I bet there is a hitch too the plan……like no money for it.
Remember, @Johnny Z, fake money is just as good as real money. For the NHL…and the Ky-Yoots.
Coyotes to play in high school gymnasium converted into hockey rink, more at 11.
@PyramidHeadcrab — They’re not doing that already? We’d better check Movietone News tonight!
Keep an eye on Movietone. When it comes to Arizona & Ottawa, they tend rerun the old clips. If they mention the America West Arena and the Corel Centre then they’ve loaded an old film reel. Technically, they’re not wrong – the teams are still looking for an arena. On the plus side, I saw a Motorola StarTAC phone for under $1000.
@Jess the trip—The old Corel Centre, being a blast from the past. Reminding me of the old standby PC software, CorelDRAW. The Motorola StarTAC reference made me look up that one, as I wasn’t sure it was the same as I had the pleasure of using on an old IT contract. I must have been another model (not a flip phone, more like a lumpy walkie-talkie shaped unit). I can just hear Lowell Thomas saying, “We only had two tin cans and some really good string, and we made it work!”
It should be Colisee Pepsi on Wilfrid Hamel Blvd. Quebec City…
The Coyotes are becoming the most storied team in the NHL for all the wrong reasons with help from Gary Bettman.
When there is news about the yotes arena, its always a pleasure to come here to see the jokes about it!
I expected to read that the new arena site was going to be in Salt Lake City or Quebec or some other place.
The Toyota Center in Houston is adding ice-making equipment as part of its renovation and that’s not to have cold drinks for the NBA Houston Rockets. It’s no secret that owner Tilman Fertitta wants an NHL franchise.
Prospective ownership groups are already thought to be in place in Portland and Salt Lake City, with both of those cities already having arenas exceeding NHL requirements. Tillman Fertitta might have to get in line.
If it wasn’t for proximity to Anaheim, I’d think San Diego’s strong history of supporting minor-league and WHL hockey could make it a reasonable move for the Coyotes, especially given that ground is about to be broken on a new 16,000+ seat state of the art arena to replace the old Pechanga Center (San Diego Sports Arena). Plus, let’s face it — many Phoenix-area locals spend a goodly part of their free time weekending in San Diego to enjoy the milder temps.
Unfortunately those Phoenix folks are in San Diego for the cooler temps primarily during June, July, and August.