NHL commissioner Gary Bettman recently met with a newly formed committee of Maricopa County “political and business leaders” interested in pursuing an expansion franchise to bring the league back to the Arizona market, former Coyotes beat writer Craig Morgan reports.
The now-deactivated Coyotes franchise’s hopes of a revival, at least under former majority owner Alex Meruelo, ended in June when the Arizona State Land Department canceled an auction Meruelo intended to use to purchase a plot for a new arena and entertainment district because the organization failed to obtain the proper zoning permits. Shortly after, Meruelo informed Coyotes staff that he was relinquishing ownership of the franchise and officially returned the team’s branding and intellectual property to the league a few weeks later.
The situation ended a years-long saga in which multiple owners, Meruelo in particular, failed to stabilize the fledgling club on and off the ice. In the 2022 offseason, the team was effectively kicked out of its longtime, inconveniently located home in Glendale, forcing it to strike a deal with Arizona State University to share its new multipurpose Mullett Arena, which held fewer than 5,000 people for hockey.
After two years in the temporary facility and no firm plan for a permanent home in sight, Meruelo struck a multi-part deal with the league to sell the franchise to Salt Lake City-based Smith Entertainment Group, birthing the Utah Hockey Club out of the Coyotes’ former hockey operations assets. Meruelo could reactivate the Coyotes franchise and trigger an expansion draft if specific timelines were met on a new arena. However, after the auction was canceled, that was no longer plausible.
So, while the potential of the Coyotes’ name and logo resurfacing in the coming years persists, it will be with a blank slate roster-wise and ownership-wise in a new arena. Maricopa County Board of Supervisors chairman Tom Galvin, who’s at the head of the advisory committee, told Morgan that he’s “had several meetings with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and he looks forward to working with us to identify an owner and the best location for a world-class building.”
There’s still much work to be done before Arizona can once again be seriously considered as an expansion destination, though. Not only does the advisory committee need to develop a pathway toward building a new NHL-caliber facility, but they also need to identify a stable ownership group willing to take on the project. That could come from NBA Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia, who told Barry M. Bloom of Sportico in July that he’s interested in acquiring an expansion franchise and has long-term plans to build a new arena in downtown Phoenix.
Why is Bettman so hell bent on losing money for the league? How many different ownership groups can possibly try and fail before he realizes hockey will never work in Arizona?
It continues to amaze and amuse how many of you don’t understand that Bettman works for the owners of the franchises. His job is to work on their behalf so an Arizona team is their decision, not his. It is really a simple concept.
Uncle Gary must have heard some honeyed words from local moneymen whenever he was trying to save the AZ franchise, so now he’s doubling back to see if those hypotheticals have firmed up.
Because it’s an ego thing, pure and simple. Bettman planted the flag thirty years ago on Hockey! In! The! Sunbelt!, and Arizona was his flagship failure. This isn’t a matter of what’s good for the league, it’s what’s good for Bettman’s self-image.
Someone should consider Wisconsin
rinse and repeat
It’s was funny, Then awkward, Then maddening, And now, Back to funny.
Instead of worrying about creating another money pit in Arizona he needs to make sure and do everything he can to keep the Jets in Winnipeg.
Isn’t that the job of Jets ownership?
Also the fans of Winnipeg must make some efforts as well.
Ugh how about no more expansion teams for quite awhile, like sometime after 2030?…I’m not looking forward to another freakin’ expansion draft plucking another talent from my team. The league is hard enough for teams to retain talent.
Also, does Arizona really need a team? The franchise was never truly successful there & practically floundered. Enough is enough. Give it up already, the market their didn’t support it.
Couldnt have said it better!
The NHL have too many teams now. No need for anymore expansion. Moreover, the NHL should be focusing reducing the preseaon games, and shortening the regular season games from 82 to somewhere between 72-76, therefore the Stanley Cup Finals could end near of May instead of end of June. Also, reduce the time spent on commercials…games are getting longer.
All good ideas to better the players and their health and improve the quality of the games. But less games = less profits for the owners and Bettman, so it will never be brought up.
Reducing preseason games is expected to come in the new CBA. But reducing regular season games never happening for a variety of reasons. But reducing the preseason games will help players from potential injuries.
As for commercials, your area must be different because commercials in my area are not that extensive by any means. Games don’t feel any longer than the norm of a little over 2 hours. Don’t really get your complaining on the matter.
Shorten the season? Reduce commercials? This just in: businesses tend to not make moves that reduce revenue. Making money is kinda the idea.
I can’t say that would really be a problem, the NFL holds one game a week for the teams and they are a multi- billion dollar sports success. Maybe going shorter on games all around might actually be helpful to the teams. Less games means more venue due to seat availability plus shorter games played seems to equal bigger success for the organizations. Arizona should have lost all rights for a team.
Some players (Gretzky for instant) in the past had concerns when a team has momentum going, or game has stopped for a reason the NHL goes to one or two longer than expected commercial. This gives the other team to rest their good players and ruining the momentum of the that team.
Here in Vancouver they now do 2x per period these 5m ice sweeps that extend the game. And the time between periods has expanded from 15 to 20m+ to give fans enough time to buy buy buy…
It’s amazing how much of a hard on Bettman has for Arizona.
Just give it up, for all our sakes. It didn’t work, Gary. Accept it and move on.
Just let it go. Not every city in North Amrerica can or should have an NHL team. Minor hockey in some markets is the best you can do.
Didn’t we try this already?
Does anyone have a rolled up newspaper to hit Gary with?
a baseball bat would be a better idea.
Why don’t you write to the owner of your favorite team and ask why their ownership group and those of the other NHL franchises have their commissioner looking into the Phoenix market again?
Why dont you go defend Vegas LTIR shenanigans somewhere? There must be an article on the internet in need of your insight.
because I am to busy caring for mentally challenged children
If you forfeited time here, you could apply yourself elsewhere.
I do everyday. first comment is about 3 years. Rolling my eyes
you all are making it sound like Bettman is considering something REALLY stupid – like expanding in Atlanta again.
Phoenix/Arizona and Atlanta/Georgia are likely going to be the next two expansion teams and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.
It just makes too much sense if you want to grow the game to put it in large US markets. They keep going to the well because they have to. Quebec City isn’t going to make the other owners as much money in two lifetimes that a thriving Atlanta team would.
They are going to eventually find a stable ownership situation in both of those markets and they will succeed long-term.
Went to a game 25 years ago of the now-defunct Columbus (Georgia) Cotton Kings and the fans had absolutely no idea or interest in hockey. Everyone got plowed drunk and screamed at the goalie to shoot the puck.
Then moved to southern New Mexico and travelled to Phoenix for hockey where local fans had even less of a desire to engage in hockey.
I think Bettman is just going through the motions with Phoenix. Houston is the next big market.
Toronto could use an NHL team.