NHL approves sale, relocation of Arizona Coyotes

The sale of the Arizona Coyotes and the team’s relocation to Utah have been formally approved by the NHL’s board of governors, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. The vote received unanimous support from the board, shares The Athletic’s Chris Johnston. The NHL has promptly released its first statement on this transition.

This news brings a quiet end to the long-running saga surrounding the Coyotes’ search for a home in Arizona. The team has been pushing to build a new arena since its lease ended at Gila River Arena at the end of the 2021-22 season. The Coyotes searched through many options, ultimately settling on building and sharing a small, 5,000-seat arena with Arizona State University’s hockey teams. The Coyotes played their first game at Mullett Arena in front of a sold-out crowd on Oct. 28, 2022. They’ve maxed out their attendance in nearly every game since, but the devotion from the fans wasn’t enough to will the team to a new rink. The ownership group, led by Alex Meruelo, ultimately couldn’t find a new parcel of land to build a full-size rink before their timer ran out. After a lot of back-and-forth between the Coyotes ownership and the NHL, it was ultimately decided that the Coyotes will relocate to Salt Lake City for the 2024-25 season.

The decision to relocate has come with a lot of contingencies for Meruelo and the Coyotes brand. Most notably, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski shares that a “reactivation” of the Arizona Coyotes wouldn’t require approval from the Board of Governors. Meruelo could reactivate his team back quickly by building a full-size arena, with NHL deputy commissioner telling Wyshynski, “[Meruelo] has already been approved as an NHL owner.” The Coyotes will continue forward as an “inactive” franchise while Meruelo continues searching for a new home.

The disbandment of the Coyotes has been devastating to fans that have supported the impossible — hockey in the desert — for the past 28 years. Arizona only once averaged below 12,000 attendees prior to their move to Mullett — and it wasn’t by much, averaging 11,989 attendees in the 2009-10 season. But they rebounded well, even averaging 14,606 fans throughout the 2019-20 season. The devotion of Coyotes fans was never once in doubt — a passion made clear by the community’s rallying to support the Coyotes’ last home game on Wednesday, April 17. Watch parties across Arizona came together to witness one more Coyotes win — a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers, the same score as their first game as a franchise. The emotions of the evening were captured beautifully by a five-minute sign-off from broadcaster Todd Walsh, who’s covered the team since their 1996 move.

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