Gary Bettman may finally take action and do what NHL fans have been begging for
For several years now, the Arizona Coyotes have been a failed franchise. The team has been non-competitive for years, has failed to build a loyal fanbase, and is even unable to secure a full time arena. After spending the last two seasons now in Arizona State University's arena with a capacity under 5,000, reports are surfacing that the NHL has finally run out of time with Arizona.
According to Elliotte Friedman, the NHL and Gary Bettman have indicated to the Coyotes that there needs to be a plan for a permanent a arena by the All-Star Break, or else the relocation process will be initiated.
The Coyotes have supposedly had leads at times throughout this season that were promising for a full-time arena, but no plans have come to fruition yet. Their last full on effort for a sports and recreation district in Tempe were voted down in a city referendum late last year. Now referencing the latest interest from Utah in an NHL team, Friedman is reporting that the league is sending a strong message to Arizona.
To me, that's a message to the Arizona Coyotes. The NHL has basically said they need to know about Arizona by the All-Star break, well, we're a week and a half from the All-Star break
With no arena plans even rumoured to be in the works for the Coyotes at the moment, it seems like this could finally be the end of the franchise that many NHL fans have laughed at for years. Now that Utah is expressing immediate interest and Arizona still doesn't have an arena, relocation could happen as soon as this summer. It's unfortunate for the true hockey fans in Arizona, but the ownership of the team never truly had a good effort to be successful.
| POLL | ||
Should the Coyotes relocate to Utah? | ||
| Yes | 193 | 30.2 % |
| Quebec City instead | 299 | 46.7 % |
| Houston instead | 37 | 5.8 % |
| Anywhere but Arizona | 111 | 17.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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