Arizona Coyotes owner releases statement amid rumours of relocation
Published April 11, 2024 at 9:19 PM BY
After days of reports regarding the Arizona Coyotes and the potential for them to move to Salt Lake City, Utah, the team's ownership has finally released a statement.
In a brief statement from the Arizona Coyotes on the team's official official Instagram account the owners acknowledge everything that's happening, and say they sympathize with fans over how things have been handled.
"Let the fans know we hear them and we are doing everything we can to keep the Coyotes in Arizona with a forever home. We feel their pain. It sucks. And we are sorry they have to go through this." - Coyotes ownership.'
The majority owner and the guy calling the shots is Alex Meruelo, who bought the Coyotes in 2019 for $1 billion. Meruelo and the team attempted to deny rumours that the Coyotes might be leaving Arizona, but it soon became clear theNHL and the Coyotes were preparing for a possible move to Salt Lake City, Utah, as early as the 2024-25 season.
At issue is Meruelo's failure to find a permanent home for the Arizona Coyotes, who have been playing at the 5000 seat Mullett Arena in Tempe since the beginning of the 2022-24 season. Mullett Arena was supposed to be a temporary home while new digs could be found, but a failed proposal in Tempe, and another possible failure in the Scottsdale area, means the clock is almost down to it's last minute.
"Multiple sources indicate a real scenario is Meruelo being paid $1 billion for the team, and Smith paying $1.2 billion to purchase. But the real key is what the NHL will promise Meruelo to avoid this ending up in court." -Sportsnet.ca
The Smith referred to in the quote is the owner of the NBA's Utah Jazz, who has made his interest in having an NHL franchise very clear.
