The Arizona Coyotes, after years of struggling to find a new permanent home to keep hockey in the desert, are officially moving to Salt Lake City, Utahafter the NHL board of governors approved their sale.
It's the third time in franchise history that the team has moved - originally coming from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada as the first incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets.
Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo has officially sold the team to the Smith family, the owners of the NBA's Utah Jazz, for a reported $1.2billion. The Smiths will now prepare the franchise for competition in the upcoming 2024-25 season as a yet-to-be-named team.
The team played its final game in Arizona on Wednesday night, a 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers. Sean Durzi scored the final goal in Coyotes history.
Fans in attendance, who knew that the sale was inevitable, broke out in chants of 'Salt Lake Sucks' as they watched the team they'd cheered on for 28 years play in the 'Valley of the Sun' for the final time.
The Arizona Coyotes are now officially moving to Utah after 28 years in the Phoenix area
Fans came out for the final game the team will play in Arizona on Wednesday night
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) April 18, 2024In what’s set to be the Coyotes’ final game in Arizona, Mullett Arena broke out into “Salt Lake sucks” chants:
(via @spittinchiclets)
'As everyone knows, Utah is a vibrant and thriving state, and we are thrilled to be a part of it,' NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a press release.
'We are also delighted to welcome Ashley and Ryan Smith to the NHL family and know they will be great stewards of the game in Utah.
'We thank them for working so collaboratively with the League to resolve a complex situation in this unprecedented and beneficial way.'
Bettman added, 'The NHL's belief in Arizona has never wavered. 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.'
It's the first time that the NHL has seen a franchise re-locate since 2011 - incidentally, when the Winnipeg Jets were reborn after the Atlanta Thrashers moved up north.
After giving the franchise as much leeway as possible (some might say much more leeway than necessary) to find a new home, the NHL called time on the team's attempts to try and find and build an arena.
The Arizona Coyotes salute the fans after their final game of existence on Wednesday
Fans brought signs to the final home game at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Arizona
The team will be re-branded in time for the 2024-25 season - with Meruelo retaining the rights to the Coyotes name, logos, and trademarks.
Meruelo will keep these trademarks in the hopes of establishing an expansion franchise in Arizona. He'll continue to pursue building a $3billion arena in North Phoenix - with the NHL giving him five years to get it done.
According to TSN's Pierre LeBrun, the team will be named 'Utah' and not 'Salt Lake City' with a nickname yet to be decided. LeBrun added that the team could 'start the next season without a nickname' in similar fashion to when the NFL franchise in Washington, DC was called the Washington Football Team for two seasons.
Per to the release, the Coyotes are now considered an 'inactive' franchise that can be re-activated if Meruelo builds that arena.
Of the $1.2billion, Meruelo will keep $1billion while the remaining $200m will go to the NHL - which is brokering the deal. If he gets the expansion team, he'll pay the $1billion back to the NHL as a franchise fee.
Meruelo will also keep ownership of the Tucson Roadrunners - the Coyotes AHL affiliate.
The Coyotes had been playing their games at a college facility in a sub-par setup
For years, the Coyotes have been one of the worst performing teams in the National Hockey League and those issues have been compounded by the franchise getting kicked out of its former home in Glendale, now known as the Desert Diamond Arena.
Since that eviction, the team has struggled to find a new and future home with multiple plans for different sites in the Phoenix metropolitan area falling apart.
The Coyotes have been playing their games at Mullett Arena, the home for the hockey team of Arizona State University. It's a move that's been criticized as the facilities have been sub-par for professional hockey.
But those issues will soon be behind the team - as they're set to move to the Delta Center, home of the NBA's Jazz for next season. That arena is set to undergo some renovations in order to make it more palatable for hockey.
Meruelo purchased the Coyotes for $425million back in July of 2019. At the time, Arizona was the least valuable NHL franchise - worth an estimated $675million.
