The 2024-25 NHL season is nearing in October and it will be the first year since 1996 that the now-extinct Arizona Coyotes won’t be lacing up the skates and hitting the ice after the sale and relocation to Utah. For the hockey fans and community in the Valley, it will be a tough pill to swallow seeing the players they have cheered for play for another team in another state once the puck drops for the first face-off.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!With former Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo selling the players and hockey operations staff to Ryan and Ashley Smith of Smith Entertainment Group, the owners of the NBA’s Utah Jazz, for $1.2 billion, Meruelo was awarded a five-year exclusive window to bring the Coyotes back as an expansion team, but has forgone those efforts and returned the name, logo and other marks to the NHL.
After a $2.1 billion arena district in Tempe failed, Meruelo zeroed in on a 95-acre parcel of land at the northwest corner of Loop 101 and Scottsdale Road near Desert Ridge Marketplace that he intended on bidding for at a land auction. Just a week before the auction took place on June 27, however, the Arizona State Land Department canceled it, leaving Meruelo with little to no options left.
In the aftermath of the abrupt decision by the Land Department, Meruelo decided to walk away from owning the Coyotes on June 25 since it would be likely that he would run into more issues if he were to have found another plot of land elsewhere. Arizona is now just another hopeful destination like Atlanta, Houston, Kansas City and Quebec City which are all seeking an expansion franchise, but there is no guarantee the league wants to expand beyond 32 teams in the future.
One can hope that the NHL does decide to expand, a team in Arizona – specifically in Phoenix – could be desirable with a market close to five million people, but it will be “wait and see” if it becomes a reality or not.
But with all of the drama surrounding the Coyotes’ arena situation, it will take an owner who has plenty of wealth and experience to own a professional team.
That’s where Phoenix Suns and Mercury owner Mat Ishbia can step in.
Ishbia: Phoenix is a ‘four-sport town’
Worth $10.1 billion, Ishbia can afford the $1 billion expansion fee that the NHL is reportedly looking for if the time comes for more teams. With his experience with the Suns and Mercury, adding a hockey franchise to his portfolio could be an enticing prospect to think about.
When speaking to media outlet Sportico, Ishbia revealed that he is intrigued about bringing the NHL back to Phoenix and could help the city have the four major sports once again.
“I’m definitely going to be part of the community, and if I can help bring hockey back, I’ll look at that,” Ishbia said. “It’s definitely something I’m interested in. It’s a four-sport town. I’m disappointed we don’t have a hockey team, but I understand what happened, and we’re going to try to fix that one day.”
Another reason to think why Ishbia could be interested in owning another team is that Footprint Center is 32 years old and talks of a new arena will be had for the Suns and Mercury in the future. Isbia’s current lease at Footprint Center doesn’t expire until 2036, so there is plenty of time for Ishbia to figure out a potential move.
“I think our arena is first-class right now. I love our arena,” Ishbia said. “But at some point we’re going to have to get a new arena.”
Footprint Center underwent a $230 million renovation in 2020 and as a result, the venue does not have the proper facilities and equipment needed to house an NHL-sized rink for 41 games a season. There are thousands of obstructed seats if there was a rink plopped into the arena and would require yet another major renovation.
Utah Hockey Club – the name of the newest franchise this season – will play at Delta Center as it is about to turn 33 years old in October, built with an unconventional configuration for ice and currently has a fair share of obstructed seats. According to The Salt Lake Tribune, the Salt Lake City government is deliberating over a 0.5% sales tax increase that would help fund $900 million for both a renovation of the arena and the creation of an arena district surrounding it.
Having a presumptive well-standing relationship with the city of Phoenix, Ishbia could possibly figure out a way to build a new arena downtown but if Meruelo faced challenges in his pursuit of a new location, it will be interesting to see how Ishbia maneuvers if he does.
While it is promising that someone like Ishbia has an interest in owning an NHL team, his actions will speak louder than words going forward if he is indeed heavily invested in starting and finishing a project like this or if it is just a thought that goes nowhere.
Hockey fans in Arizona have been under so much stress and dealt with so many emotions with the uncertainty surrounding the Coyotes before the eventual sale of the franchise, and this news can give them a glimmer of hope while they are still trying to process losing their team.
Just have to see what happens next.
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers ASU Athletics, Phoenix Mercury and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
