The Arizona Coyotes announced the team was sold to the Smith Entertainment Group in Utah and will relocate to Salt Lake City for the 2024-25 season.
The NHL's Board of Governors also approved a plan to make the Coyotes inactive for now. However, according to a press release, they could be reactivated within five years if an arena suitable for an NHL franchise is built.
The Coyotes will be represented at a state land auction on June 27. The auction will include a 110-acre parcel on Arizona Loop 101 and N Scottsdale Road in Phoenix.
The starting price for the land is $68.5 million. The team said if they win the auction on April 4, a new arena and entertainment district will be built with private funds, costing the team over $3 billion.
“The NHL’s belief in Arizona has never wavered," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a press release. "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.”
READ MORE: The Arizona Coyotes moving to Utah, according to numerous reports
The Coyotes agreed to play in Mullett Arena on campus from the 2022-23 through the 2024-25 season, with an option for an extra season at the end of that. The arena seats 4,600 people for NHL games, and the team shares the facility with ASU's men's hockey team.
"The revenue that we're getting from them is good, and if it goes away, it goes away," ASU President Michael Crow said in a meeting with The State Press on March 21. "But it wasn't built into our model."
Since the team left Glendale's Desert Diamond Arena, the 'Yotes have struggled to find a permanent settling place.
Most notably, three amendments to Tempe's General Plan that would have allowed a $2.1 billion arena and entertainment district to be built in Tempe were soundly rejected by a citywide vote. Since that loss, the Coyotes have been quiet about new arena plans until April, when they announced a premature victory in the land auction.
According to the press release, all of the team's hockey assets, including the players, will be moved to Salt Lake City.
Edited by: Walker Smith and Angelina Steel.
Editor's Note: This story is developing and may be updated.
Reach the reporter at sbrenna5@asu.edu and follow @shanebrennan36 on X.
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Shane Brennan is the Editor-in-Chief at The State Press. He was a sports and politics reporter, before becoming the editor of the politics desk. He has covered local and state politics for the Arizona Capitol Times and Cronkite News.
