Arizona Coyotes president Xavier Gutierrez told the media earlier this season that the team had learned of six potential sand sites in a last-ditch effort in the Phoenix area.
Where are those sites?
Hamilton, Quebec, Houston, Kansas City, Salt Lake City, and San Antonio.
Just kidding, sure, all the sites are in the state of Arizona, but who are we kidding?Coyotes are cooked in Arizona, right?
In particular, Gutierrez indexed potential structure sites in the cities of Scottsdale, Phoenix and Mesa, Arizona. “We need to walk through communication and build anything that’s best-in-class,” Gutierrez said. Which, for a team to bet on a 5,000-seat school stadium is, to me, the height of irony.
Despite the rejection of their multimillion-dollar plan for a new stadium and entertainment district in Tempe, the Coyotes are still determined to stay in the Arizona desert.
“To all the fans, we are committed to making this happen,” he added. “We were disappointed with the vote in Tempe, we turned the page very quickly. “
Now, owner Alex Meruelo is reportedly actively looking for a new owner for the team. In other words, you need to take advantage when things are at their worst.
From ArizonaSports. com:
Arizona Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo has spoken with several potential buyers, both internal and external to the state, to gauge their interest in buying him from the NHL franchise, reports John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports.
Meruelo reportedly asked for more than $1 billion for the franchise he bought in July 2019. The Coyotes owner recently met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman regarding the team’s future, Gambadoro added.
“Mr. Meruelo and the team aim to auction off the land and get the bid. And keep the Coyotes in Arizona,” the Coyotes told Arizona Sports on Thursday when asked about possible conversations Meruelo has had with potential buyers.
Sell this gear and get them out of town as soon as possible.
Read below for an earlier report by TSN expert Darren Dreger on equipment disorders in the Phoenix area.
Now, a few months later, TSN member Darren Dreger reports that the team’s plans to land in Phoenix have run into a problem.
Excerpt from Dreger’s recent “Insider Trading” high on TSN:
“I’ve been told they’re making progress in sourcing assets in Phoenix. The challenge is that the assets they’ve targeted will have to be auctioned off first. It’s a valuable asset, so there’s nothing yet. “
-Darren Dredge
What a surprise. . . Nothing is EVER safe with Coyotes.
Now, NHL insider Frank Seravalli reports that time is running out for the Arizona Coyotes and a resolution on the team’s long-term is expected this weekend.
Excerpt from Seravalli’s most recent column for Daily Faceoff:
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said last week that the franchise’s fate in the desert would be “addressed” in the “coming weeks,” however, league resources recommend to the Daily Faceoff that news is imminent, in all likelihood as soon as the Super Bowl. weekend.
Again, it’s hard to pinpoint the Coyotes on anything. NHL Players Association general manager Marty Walsh said the Coyotes have gone beyond two other synthetics to give the NHL a transparent and explained timeline for building and starting betting on a new arena in the Phoenix metro area.
-Frank Seravalli
So what are the team’s options?
Seravalli presents the 3 for this weekend:
More Seravalli:
Coyotes have generally remained silent in their search for a site. Hours after Walsh’s scathing comments, in which he said he was “extremely disappointed” with the Arizona property, the Coyotes bizarrely showed an ABC 15 report that they were “moving forward with a plan to acquire state-owned land in north Phoenix. But ABC 15 also added that “a number of sites are still being considered. “
This report contradicted Bettman’s earlier comments that day, when he said Meruelo was “focused on one asset. ” What is it: one asset or many? Specifically, the challenge with a state-owned land acquisition proposal is that it can take time with no guarantee of success. It will most likely take at least a year to acquire the land, which will need to be surveyed, appraised and then publicly auctioned. Even if the Coyotes were the only bidders for the land, it is perfectly imaginable that government interest groups would question the purpose and delay the procedure. In fact, sources say the Coyotes are maneuvering to gain a spot on state-owned land to avoid another referendum. The Coyotes were unceremoniously kicked out of the Gila River Arena via the Glendale City Council because they did not pay their expenses on time. They were then soundly defeated in a special poll among Tempe voters to build a $2 billion stadium and entertainment complex on the site of an existing landfill. Simply put, if the Coyotes present a plan to the NHL to acquire state lands, they have no ability to fully guarantee the finishing touches to the project. If the process takes a year to obtain the land, the soonest a stadium could be completed would be in time for the 2027-28 season, which would mean six full seasons in a school stadium. “I think the league feels Arizona is a smart market and I can see that,” Walsh said. “The challenge that the players and I have is how long do we have to wait to get a house? They play in a school’s stadium and are the second tenant of that stadium. That’s not how you run a business. »Without mincing words, Bettman obviously hesitated when expressing his help to Meruelo and the Coyotes.
-Frank Seravalli
More Seravalli:
League resources speak of a much less discussed option, but obviously on the table, which consists of Meruelo promoting the franchise to some other local corporation that could privately acquire land and fully finance the franchise. structure of a new arena. ArrayCould Phoenix Suns majority owner Mat Ishbia be interested? Ishbia acquired the team with his older brother for a record $4 billion in 2023. Ishbia, about 44 years old, is worth $4. 9 billion and is the CEO of United Wholesale Mortgage. The Suns are betting on the 32-year-old player. Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix, which hosted the Coyotes from 1996 to 2003. It was primarily a basketball arena, imperfect for hockey with obstructed-view seating, but still contained 16,210 hockey seats. Sources said the Suns’ former ownership organization wasn’t very interested in welcoming the Coyotes as a second tenant unless they also owned the team. With either franchise under control, Ishbia could simply build a new multi-purpose palace elsewhere, to house the Suns and Coyotes and the Valley’s main concert venue. In the meantime, they may simply upgrade the ice plant (cost: $30 million) until a new arena can be built. A Phoenix Suns executive did not respond to a Daily Faceoff message when asked Tuesday about Ishbia’s possible interest in the Coyotes.
-Frank Seravalli
Again from Seravalli:
With no move date to Mullet Arena in sight, perhaps it’s time for the NHL to finally up the ante and move the franchise after nearly two decades of fighting. The Coyotes experienced bankruptcies, bankruptcies, multiple ownership replacements, and ended up losing season after season, irreparably shattering the team’s reputation in the market. What a wonderful way to solve this problem? Move the team and replace the name. That’s where Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith comes into play. Smith issued an interestingly timed press release, just 27 minutes after news broke that five NHL players had been ordered to turn themselves in to police to face sexual assault charges. NHL to begin a formal expansion process, but also used two words that stood out: “[Smith Entertainment Group] has also made clear its rapid ability to host an NHL team in Utah, employing the Delta Center as a transitional arena for an NHL franchise The Delta Center, home of the Jazz, has hosted NHL preseason games and is said to have a hockey setup similar to Footprint Center or Barclays Center or any other basketball-focused arena with prospects obstructed in one end of the ice. But this would be a temporary solution. A shiny new ice rink is reportedly on the way as part of Salt Lake City’s bid to host the 2034 Winter Olympics. It would be a very productive option for the NHLPA. Walsh said: “If there is no plan in Arizona, it would surely inspire a move elsewhere. » No one doubts the success of an NHL franchise in Phoenix, the fifth largest city in the United States, if managed correctly . The Phoenix domain has wonderful wealth, incredible weather and no shortage of Canadian snowbirds interested in hockey; but they also have to be winners. They may be on their way to installing one under general manager Bill Armstrong, but their logo has been toxic lately, as evidenced by pushback from two other municipalities. Moving now and in all likelihood returning, returning to Phoenix, could be the most productive move for the NHL and the overall health of the league.
-Frank Seravalli
Meanwhile, the Republic of Arizona also reported that the city of Tempe itself is under investigation for violating state law regarding the use of the public budget for the purpose of influencing the final results of the Coyotes’ public vote. The newspaper reports that Tempe used a $32,000 lease from a public relations firm to gather data on the Coyotes’ opposition to the May vote that sealed the Coyotes’ fate.
More from the Republic of Arizona:
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office is investigating Tempe for most likely violating open assembly legislation and tens of thousands of public dollars in an effort to influence the final election results of the Arizona Coyotes. Both allegations relate to the fact that Tempe hired a political representative to monitor and geolocate. The opponents of the task are social media, as outlined in the scope of work. Tempe quietly hired the consulting firm, called Strategy 48, on Oct. 15, 2022, without a public vote. That was 3 weeks before Tempe “booked” a spot in its special poll for the Coyotes’ $2. 1 billion proposal to build an NHL stadium and entertainment district on city property. Residents decisively rejected the assignment on May 16.
Tempe paid more than $32,000 to the Phoenix-based public relations firm for facilities generally used for political campaigns and not government agencies. A city document received through The Arizona Republic shows that the scope of the contractor’s paintings included:
Personally, I have no idea how serious those allegations would be or what the results would be if Tempe and the Coyotes colluded, but I do know that I don’t see any other NHL team involved in corruption investigations.
This team consistently makes headlines in the worst way imaginable. The faster the NHL gets them out of Arizona and into a genuine NHL city, the better it will be for everyone.