04/18/24 02:52:00
Printable Page
04/18 14:51 CDT Coyotes officially leaving Arizona for Salt Lake City following
approval of sale to Utah Jazz owners
Coyotes officially leaving Arizona for Salt Lake City following approval of
sale to Utah Jazz owners
By JOHN MARSHALL
AP Sports Writer
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) --- The Arizona Coyotes are officially headed to Salt Lake
City.
The NHL Board of Governors voted unanimously Thursday to approve a $1.2 billion
sale from Alex Meruelo to Utah Jazz owners Ryan and Ashley Smith, clearing the
way for the franchise's move to Utah next season.
The deal includes a provision for Arizona to get an expansion team if a new
arena is built within the next five years. The deal will be facilitated through
the NHL, with $200 million going to league owners as a relocation fee.
"We 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 incredible hockey town.' You look at all the
demographics, we were just talking about the Olympics and you think about the
Olympics coming back. It all kind of made sense."
Smith will take over the franchise's hockey operations and Meruelo will
maintain his business operations in Arizona in an effort to secure and develop
a tract of land for a new arena in north Phoenix.
Meruelo also retains ownership of the Tucson Roadrunners, the franchise's AHL
affiliate, and hopes to move them to Mullett Arena, the Coyotes' temporary home
shared with Arizona State University the past two seasons. He plans to pay back
the $1 billion once an expansion team is approved.
"The NHL's belief in Arizona has never wavered," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman
said in a statement. "We thank Alex Meruelo for his commitment to the franchise
and Arizona, and we fully support his ongoing efforts to secure a new home in
the desert for the Coyotes. We also want to acknowledge the loyal hockey fans
of Arizona, who have supported their team with dedication for nearly three
decades while growing the game."
Meruelo will retain the Coyotes' name, logo and trademark, so Smith's group
will have to rename the team.
"We'll start with Utah on the jersey and we'll figure out the logo and
everything else, and what it is that we are, but that's a one-way door," Smith
said. "You've got to do it once. And with this timeline, I think both the
league feels better and we feel better to just run the process and then we'll
drop it when we drop it."
The sale ends the Coyotes' long-running bid to find a permanent home.
The franchise shared an arena with the NBA's Phoenix Suns after relocating from
Winnipeg, moved to Glendale and ended up at Mullett Arena when the city of
Glendale backed out of a lease agreement.
Meruelo had been adamant about not wanting to sell the team despite receiving
numerous offers since buying the team in 2019. When an auction for the land in
north Phoenix got pushed back to June, the Coyotes had no guarantee a deal for
a new arena would go through.
With the NHL and players' association hesitant for the Coyotes to play at
5,000-seat Mullett Arena for a third season, Meruelo opted to sell the team,
his focus shifting to the new arena and expansion team.
"I agree with Commissioner Gary Bettman and the National Hockey League, that it
is simply unfair to continue to have our players, coaches, hockey front office,
and the NHL teams they compete against, spend several more years playing in an
arena that is not suited for NHL hockey," Meruelo said in a statement. "But
this is not the end for NHL hockey in Arizona. I have negotiated the right to
reactivate the team within the next five years, and have retained ownership of
the beloved Coyotes name, brand and logo. I remain committed to this community
and to building a first-class sports arena and entertainment district without
seeking financial support from the public."
The Coyotes played their final game in Arizona on Wednesday night, a 5-2 win
over the playoff-bound Edmonton Oilers. The players celebrated on the ice with
team personnel and a few handed their sticks over the glass to fans, who
chanted "We love you Coy-otes!"
"It's tough 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
you're going one spot then you're going to the next spot. We've done a good job
in this locker room focusing on keeping out the noise and getting better as a
team, striving to be the team we want to be one day."
___
AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this story.
___
AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
|