In a letter written to the Arizona Coyotes fanbase today, owner, chairman and governor Alex Meruelo stated that he remains committed on keeping NHL hockey in the valley while expressing his excitement from the upcoming season.
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When talking about the rejected $2.1 billion Tempe arena and entertainment district project that happened in May, Meruelo said that the organization has “faced setbacks, but no defeats.”
“The Tempe arena proposal was defeated, but we were not,” Meruelo said. “We got right to work. On to other options in the Valley. On to the upcoming NHL season.”
The project would have been the first privately-funded sports arena in Arizona history.
Moving on from the rejected proposal, Meruelo continued to talk about how the Coyotes staying in Arizona is a huge priority is to him, but then left a little note at the end that an arena news update may be coming in the not-to-distant future.
“We intend to keep our rapidly rising team here to keep a four-sport community,” Meruelo said. “That will take a permanent arena solution and my pledge to you, is that we will continue to devote whatever it takes to get us to another level, the ultimate level. More news to come very soon.”
This comes after little to no updates on the land in Mesa that Meruelo executed a Letter of Inter to purchase since August.
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He then went on about saying that the Coyotes had a “monster-offseason.”
With new additions to the roster like Alex Kerfoot, Matt Dumba, Sean Durzi, etc., having star Clayton Keller and their top prospect Logan Cooley joining the the team, Meruelo believes the Coyotes are “one of the most exciting, young teams in all of sports.”
Then, Meruelo praised Arizona general manager Bill Armstrong and all the work that he has done throughout his tenure, including the rebuild.
In the summer, resigning head coach André Tourigny to a three-year contract was another priority of Meruelo’s as he believes “Bear” is “one of the finest coaches in the NHL.”
With all the pieces that Meruelo believes will fit the puzzle on turning Arizona into a successful hockey franchise, he thinks that there is more to come in the future.
“I made the decision several years back to rebuild our team and secure a permanent home in the Valley,” Meruelo said. “There was no other way for long-term success. We need to create something that is built to last. It requires patience, capital and determination.”
You can read the full statement from Meruelo with this link.
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Alec Cipollini is a journalist covering the Arizona Coyotes, Cardinals and Phoenix Rising for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his new X account @AlecCipollini
