Confirmed with Link: All-Purpose Coyotes Arena Talk: [Update] Land Auction Cancelled, Meruelo waiving ownership rights.

[RemoAZ]

The one positive is Craig said he "knows there are two ownership groups that want to get an expansion team in AZ. I know because I spoke to them". Who knows how serious they are. One thing for sure is they better have an experienced person from this market that knows the landscape in and out. It certainly wouldn't hurt if Shane Doan was a huge part of that effort.

 

[Jakey53]

What happened to being hyped about still having the logo?


On am ore serious note I know some people are putting stock into what Narin has to say about another group potentially out there but.......I'm not buying it. How many times have we heard that line over the years only to end up with the Ice Edge's of the world, or other various pretenders that don't actually have the money to get it done right? The answer is a lot.

There's literally no reason for the NHL to prefer this market as an expansion over untested markets like Houston and the like, or giving Atlanta an actual shot again. They'll let it cool off for a decade at least.

There are too many hurdles for this to be done semi-quickly like the original 5 year time table.

Yup, I don't see any group coming forward. Previous owners had GRA to play in at least, now no arena. AM was our only shot to get NHL back within 5 yrs. Most wanted AM out, you got your wish, not what? Sorry, but I would rather have AM as owner and a NHL team within 5 yrs. than not having a team, like probably for ever. Let that sink in.

The fact there is no red tape now with a AZ team will make them 100000% more attractive, not absorbing a failed ownerships debt/problems will go a long way to attracting ownership. The only dealing with AM required is the branding....sucks that this guy will get a second payday but if hockey returns to AZ it has to be the yotes and has to be the kachina

There will be plenty of red tape for any prospective owner. The political landscape in Arizona is like no other.

 

[Mosby]

Ideally it's a one-man show ownership, not a group of guys pushing their pennies together. And ideally a local buyer who understands the market and either has existing relationships or knows how to work with the movers and shakers. But who?

You're looking at at least $2B with the expansion fee plus arena. Meruelo's arena district and location is a good idea, as was the Tempe site. Just need a change in figurehead.

My thinking is that at some point Ishbia will want a glamorous new building and find his way out of the Footprint lease. New barn with both clubs in it.

And yes, fresh start. You can have fond memories of the Coyotes but start anew with a new look and identity. The Coyotes brand is broken.

 

[Jakey53]

The only thing I sort of disagree with is I don't think this makes one bit of difference really.
AM wasn't gonna hit his benchmarks, that much was confirmed when the auction was canceled. So he was gonna lose these rights one way or the other. Even if someone else immediately swooped in and started the process right now, we're looking at 7 years minimum, more probably. Which at least from what I've gathered isn't any different really whether AM stayed around and pretended for another couple years or not.

Who is going to swoop in right now? Not going to happen. AM was at least willing to try to make go at it, now we have nothing. This will set everything back probably not years, but decades.

 

[Jakey53]

The one positive is Craig said he "knows there are two ownership groups that want to get an expansion team in AZ. I know because I spoke to them". Who knows how serious they are. One thing for sure is they better have an experienced person from this market that knows the landscape in and out. It certainly wouldn't hurt if Shane Doan was a huge part of that effort.

Not going to happen. Doan will be too old by the time the dust settles and a new group is found, and then years of red tape before an arena is built.

 

[Jamieh]

Yup, I don't see any group coming forward. Previous owners had GRA to play in at least, now no arena. AM was our only shot to get NHL back within 5 yrs. Most wanted AM out, you got your wish, not what? Sorry, but I would rather have AM as owner and a NHL team within 5 yrs. than not having a team, like probably for ever. Let that sink in.


There will be plenty of red tape for any prospective owner. The political landscape in Arizona is like no other.

If you wally think that was an option you have not been paying attention.

 

[Jakey53]

If you wally think that was an option you have not been paying attention.

I guess we will never know. All I know now that is fact is that we don't have a NHL team, now or in the foreseeable future.

 

[Jamieh]

I guess we will never know. All I know now that is fact is that we don't have a NHL team, now or in the foreseeable future.

I think we know right now 100% confirmed as he has walked away earlier than pretty much everyone knew was eventually coming.

 

[ck26]

Yup, I don't see any group coming forward. Previous owners had GRA to play in at least, now no arena. AM was our only shot to get NHL back within 5 yrs. Most wanted AM out, you got your wish, not what? Sorry, but I would rather have AM as owner and a NHL team within 5 yrs. than not having a team, like probably for ever. Let that sink in.

Fundamentally, GRA was the problem, which is why in a parade of bad owners, I give Ellman top billing as the lead clown. West Glendale is the problem, it's never going to be sustainable unless the demographics of the Phoenix metro area fundamentally change. Dragging Clayton Keller and Bill Armstrong and Logan Cooley back to GRA for the 24-25 season is so much worse a long term solution than building an arena in Phoenix/Scottsdale with an expansion roster for the 30-31 season.

AM as an owner without a real arena solution is akin to piling bandages onto a wound, instead of getting a surgeon to get in there and actually repair the wound. Getting rid of him clears the deck and gives an opportunity for a real owner to do the work, build relationships and do this right.

 

[Mosby]

Meruelo is such a loser. He barely made it two months from the time of the sale til today, and didn't even make it to the auction date (I realize it's been cancelled).

So nice when the trash takes itself out.

 

[Mosby]

The next step is to sever the relationship with Tucson. It's going to be a total mess and not conductive to our players' success.

 

[awfulwaffle]

Ishbia already completed the teams new corporate HQ downtown Phoenix and he hasn’t even been owner for 2 years. He’s proven himself already. AM has proven he can’t do a f***ing thing so far except lose our team.

You're talking about an arena. You're crazy if you don't think Ishbia, or any other owner, wouldn't want to try and get some breaks from the city that they are building the arena in.

 

[ck26]

Meruelo is such a loser. He barely made it two months from the time of the sale til today, and didn't even make it to the auction date (I realize it's been cancelled).

So nice when the trash takes itself out.

His new slogan: "I sure as shit want to make money ... bye!"

 

[AZDesertKnight]

You're talking about an arena. You're crazy if you don't think Ishbia, or any other owner, wouldn't want to try and get some breaks from the city that they are building the arena in.

Ishbia is trusted, and the Suns are the Suns.

They'll get breaks to keep them downtown

 

[GhostofTommyBolin]

Does this help us get a team sooner with a competent ownership group?

No.

 

[GhostofTommyBolin]

The Arizona Phoenix
The Phoenix Firebirds

We literally city named after a mythical bird rising from the ashes. No more Yotes. Embrace the Phoenix

Arizona Phoenix would get ridiculed into the ground.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Arizona Phoenix would get ridiculed into the ground.

The Phoenix Firebirds would be legendary.

 

[Baby Doaner]

No.

K.

 

[ck26]

Arizona Phoenix would get ridiculed into the ground.

... that makes it different than "everything else this franchise has done since 2008" how, exactly?

 

[GhostofTommyBolin]

I said he wouldn't even show up for the auction and he'd take his billion and fly out of town with Junior giving everyone the bird out the window of their private jet. Nobody loves the realists around here, though.

I didn't, however, imagine he was dumb enough to not bother hiding the fact he was going to tank it before the auction happened, and neither did anyone in the building realm I spoke with. Brazen stupidity is quite a curveball.

There are no parties interested in bringing an NHL expansion team to the Valley. If Craig Morgan "spoke to them", it was a couple people who said it as a throw-away comment. "I'd love to own an NHL team here, it would be cool!" But nothing in the way of a serious discussion, and Craig still gets a line he can throw out there for clicks. He might as well have asked a couple of posters on this board. No difference.

Ishbia--for what seems like the millionth time I'm saying it--isn't going to be the white knight. He's got enough problems with the sports franchise he already owns.

I've been in some meetings recently regarding this mess. The NHL loves the size of the market but not the market itself. In Houston, they love both. In Kansas City, they love neither(after taxpayers told their NFL dynasty to kick rocks when they wanted money.) In Atlanta, they see another Carolina Hurricanes via competent ownership and the market being desirable.

The BOG wanted nothing to do with him almost immediately after he took over. Not a single one of them felt positively about him being in their club. The NHL is done here "unless something changes dramatically in the next 10 years, and even then it's a longshot."

They've already moved on. The rest of us should follow suit.

EDIT: Forgot to mention...this was Meruelo's plan all along. Tanked the Tempe vote intentionally. Gutierrez was the only one that wanted Tempe to work because he had plans to then use his standing in the community to run for public office. Oops.

 

[RABBIT]

I believe the NHL will come back to Arizona, but I don’t believe the league has any plans to be a 36 team league within the next 10 years.

Realistically, we are most likely not going to be the next expansion team. It’s probably going to be Atlanta in the East, and then I would imagine a city like Houston is the city in the West. That would put us at 34 teams and I can see that happening within 5 years.

I think Arizona has a real shot after that, but I imagine the timeline is somewhere around 10 to 15 years from now. I also believe the Coyotes brand is dead. With all the turmoil around it, I don’t think they can simply come back like the Jets did.

So, with all that said, it’s probably time to decide whether you’re following the team to Utah, picking another franchise, or washing your hands of the NHL and reassessing if/when a team comes back to Arizona.

I’m too much of a fan of hockey too wade in the waters, so I’m embracing Utah.

I do think this news of Alex Meruelo walking away is beneficial in a sense that we finally have real closure. Every casual sports fan I talk to about the Coyotes leaving always mentioned something along the lines of “well the owner will bring them back within five years.” I always knew that was bullshit, and never going to happen.

Now we can finally close the book on the Coyotes and any lingering hope that we see them back on the ice by 2030. Now, much like Las Vegas and Seattle, we can sit out of bounds and be pleasantly surprised when the NHL chooses our market for an expansion team. We can be one of those promising markets who will always be in the expansion rumors, and no longer the laughing stock of the league.

With all that said, I’m glad I get a chance to officially mourn the Coyotes. The memories are nostalgic, the brand iconic, and the memories are forever. The team brought me so much joy over my years, and I am very grateful for that. Now, it’s on the next, and I’m glad I am not holding my breath any longer.

 

[AZDesertKnight]

I believe the NHL will come back to Arizona, but I don’t believe the league has any plans to be a 36 team league within the next 10 years.

Realistically, we are most likely not going to be the next expansion team. It’s probably going to be Atlanta in the East, and then I would imagine a city like Houston is the city in the West. That would put us at 34 teams and I can see that happening within 5 years.

I think Arizona has a real shot after that, but I imagine the timeline is somewhere around 10 to 15 years from now. I also believe the Coyotes brand is dead. With all the turmoil around it, I don’t think they can simply come back like the Jets did.

So, with all that said, it’s probably time to decide whether you’re following the team to Utah, picking another franchise, or washing your hands of the NHL and reassessing if/when a team comes back to Arizona.

I’m too much of a fan of hockey too wade in the waters, so I’m embracing Utah.

I do think this news of Alex Meruelo walking away is beneficial in a sense that we finally have real closure. Every casual sports fan I talk to about the Coyotes leaving always mentioned something along the lines of “well the owner will bring them back within five years.” I always knew that was bullshit, and never going to happen.

Now we can finally close the book on the Coyotes and any lingering hope that we see them back on the ice by 2030. Now, much like Las Vegas and Seattle, we can sit out of bounds and be pleasantly surprised when the NHL chooses our market for an expansion team. We can be one of those promising markets who will always be in the expansion rumors, and no longer the laughing stock of the league.

With all that said, I’m glad I get a chance to officially mourn the Coyotes. The memories are nostalgic, the brand iconic, and the memories are forever. The team brought me so much joy over my years, and I am very grateful for that. Now, it’s on the next, and I’m glad I am not holding my breath any longer.

Very well said, I've abandoned the Kachina with this news. I believe the brand is officially dead and won't return even if the NHL comes back.

Nearly 30 years of depression, it should be roadkill.

I will still be active with the community and obviously hope and pray we get a local NHL team again. But this is the closure point we all needed. If cheering for Utah brings you joy, have at it. Another team? Same thing. My son is a little die hard VGK fan because I made the choice to not even subject him to the possibility of losing his favorite team. We will move forward and are actually going to visit T-Mobile Arena's Team shop this weekend in Vegas to buy some gear.

Post hard and Have fun!

 

[Fyreman]

We ALL should have known this was not going to end well after this "accounting error."

"The NHL team attributed its delinquent payments — some $1.3 million in sales tax owed to the state, with $250,000 of it owed to Glendale — to possible human error. A tax lien from the revenue department shows the team had to pay nearly $66,000 in penalties and interest for the back taxes."

I rest my case...

 

[Jakey53]

I said he wouldn't even show up for the auction and he'd take his billion and fly out of town with Junior giving everyone the bird out the window of their private jet. Nobody loves the realists around here, though.

I didn't, however, imagine he was dumb enough to not bother hiding the fact he was going to tank it before the auction happened, and neither did anyone in the building realm I spoke with. Brazen stupidity is quite a curveball.

There are no parties interested in bringing an NHL expansion team to the Valley. If Craig Morgan "spoke to them", it was a couple people who said it as a throw-away comment. "I'd love to own an NHL team here, it would be cool!" But nothing in the way of a serious discussion, and Craig still gets a line he can throw out there for clicks. He might as well have asked a couple of posters on this board. No difference.

Ishbia--for what seems like the millionth time I'm saying it--isn't going to be the white knight. He's got enough problems with the sports franchise he already owns.

I've been in some meetings recently regarding this mess. The NHL loves the size of the market but not the market itself. In Houston, they love both. In Kansas City, they love neither(after taxpayers told their NFL dynasty to kick rocks when they wanted money.) In Atlanta, they see another Carolina Hurricanes via competent ownership and the market being desirable.

The BOG wanted nothing to do with him almost immediately after he took over. Not a single one of them felt positively about him being in their club. The NHL is done here "unless something changes dramatically in the next 10 years, and even then it's a longshot."

They've already moved on. The rest of us should follow suit.

EDIT: Forgot to mention...this was Meruelo's plan all along. Tanked the Tempe vote intentionally. Gutierrez was the only one that wanted Tempe to work because he had plans to then use his standing in the community to run for public office. Oops.

You said you have been in "some meeting regarding this mess." What position do you have to be in such meetings? Who do you work for? The reason for asking is that it sounds like you have some inside information.

 

[LAIslanderFan]

I know a lot of people on this board are thrilled by the news of Meruelo abandoning the Coyotes.
Well, then I'm going to assume you're even more excited by the fact that AZ will not get an NHL team for many years, probably forever.

The cost of a team in this market is probably $2 billion at a minimum. $1 billion for a franchise and $1 billion to build an arena complex. On top of that, my sneaking suspicion is that the City of Phoenix wants no part of another arena competing with Footprint. You'll recall Phoenix subsidized the renovations of Footprint and it would be bad business for the city to allow another (newer) venue to compete for concerts and events. I'll point out when the Coyotes were looking at Tempe, the City of Phoenix through the airport authority was doing everything to halt the project. It appears Meruelo's meeting with Gallego wasn't the most fruitful in terms of support from the city. I'm also suspicious regarding the last minute cancellation of the auction. At the end of the day, I don't think the city of Phoenix wanted this project to move forward.

Outside of LA (Rams and Clippers) most major metropolitan areas give all sorts of tax rebates or collect sales tax (Salt Lake City $900 million, Atlanta $225 million in Welfare) to build sports complexes, the Phoenix area seems to be one of the outliers. In this day and age, to get an area built you need civic support and that won't happen in AZ!