Auction date set for Coyotes arena to decide fate of the franchise

This auction will be the last ditch effort to keep the Coyotes in Arizona, and the ownership group must win the auction to do so. Their official announcement was a «commitment to win» the auction along with renderings of their envisioned Sports Complex, but at this point, the Coyotes commitment to anything means very little. In fact, they were evicted from their last NHL arena due to failure to pay rent.

It's still the preference of Gary Bettman and the NHL that the Coyotes stay in Arizona, but time has really run out for the franchise. They need to actually win this land auction and begin breaking ground on construction as soon as this summer to stop their current charade playing in a minor league arena.

According to their release, the purchase of the land and arena construction will be entirely privately funded, which will go a long way towards actually going forward with this plan. Last year, the Coyotes had similar plans to build a complex in Tempe, but it was shot down when city residents voted against the team in a referendum.

This is their last chance, so whether you love them or hate them, June 27th will be an important day to pay attention and find out the future of the Arizona Coyotes.