Speculation, rumors and uncertainty over whether the NHL Arizona Coyotes will move away from the desert and had much more clarity Friday evening.
Amid reports that the NHL was work on an emergency plan To move the franchise, team members were reportedly told they were headed to Utah.
According to ESPN, general manager Bill Armstrong spoke to the team Friday, telling them the NHL had facilitated a sale to Ryan and Ashley Smith, the club’s owners. NBA Utah Jazzand they will play in Salt Lake City starting next season.
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The Arizona Coyotes kachina logo at center ice before the NHL hockey game between the St. Louis Blues and the Arizona Coyotes on October 18, 2021, at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona . (Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The team is scheduled to play at the Delta Center, where the Jazz play, but hockey-centric renovations are needed for the team to stay there long-term.
The Coyotes appear to be on shaky ground since the team’s former majority owner, Jerry Moyes, drove the franchise into bankruptcy in 2009. The team appeared to gain some stability when it played in the former Gila River Arena, located just outside of Phoenix in Glendale.
However, the city ultimately opted out of a lease agreement in 2015 and the Coyotes’ lease was terminated after the 2021-22 season. Last May, voters rejected the franchise’s plan to create a multibillion-dollar entertainment district in Tempe.
October 20, 2022; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; View of an Arizona Coyotes logo on a jersey worn by a member of the team during the third period at the Bell Centre. (David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports)
The team played at Mullett Arena on the campus of Arizona State University since the start of the 2022-23 season, but the facility can only accommodate 5,000 spectators.
The Coyotes were looking to stay in the Phoenix area last year, identifying six locations for a potential new arena.
After Ryan Smith solicited suggestions for a team name earlier this week, word emerged Wednesday that the league was working on contingency plans in case the Coyotes relocate this summer.
General view outside Mullett Arena before the NHL game between the Arizona Coyotes and the Winnipeg Jets on October 28, 2022, in Tempe, Arizona. The Coyotes will use Mullett Arena at Arizona State University for the next three seasons while a permanent deal is finalized. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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Smith has government support for making improvements to Utah’s arena, ESPN notes – a bill recently passed to help fund a renovated entertainment district in anticipation of professional hockey coming to the city.
Chantz Martin of Fox News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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