Coyotes Tempe arena project rejected by public referendum - will remain at Mullett Arena for 2023-24

[Apex Predator]

I believe they talk rotisserie chicken over there.

St Hubert’s best chicken in town

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

Absolutely sucks for Coyotes fans, but at this point, what can you do?

This isn't like Irsay packing up the Colts in the middle of the night. Barring a last second miracle, it feels like they exhausted absolutely every option available.

What a f***ing bummer.

 

[ACLEVERNAME]

I feel bad for the fans, it's not their fault. That owner should never have been allowed to buy the team, he's a fraud.

Which one? I mean c'mon now, 20+ years and how many 'owners' to get this right. This was one last 'Hail Mary' kick at the can at a permanent home. Sucks for sure but it's time to pull the plug.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

What's the viability of them going elsewhere in the state? Footprint Center an option with Robert Sarver gone? ik it would essentially be a repeat of the Islanders playing at the barclays center but i mean...Bettman has fought harder before.

From what I can gather, that Suns arena can no longer host ice hockey.

 

[majormajor]

There's no doubt that if the team has to go (and now it does) Gary wants to move them to Houston. Long term, league revenue depends on new fans, and that's where the biggest chunk of not-currently-hockey-fans live.

They've got a stadium.

They'd comfortably play in the Western Conference.

They do not have an owner. So I imagine that's what Gary is doing right now - talking to prospective owners. The Sens (partly because of the real estate involved) have billion or near-billion dollar bids from ownership groups from all over the continent, and I wonder if Gary is possibly trying to steer some of them towards interest in a team in Houston instead. Imagine a Snoop Dogg led team in Houston!

Gary doesn't want a team in Quebec City but I'm not sure that we can completely rule it out if they can't get an ownership bid in Houston.

 

[viper0220]

I don’t think that the Coyotes will be moving, the NHL and Bettman, will find a way, to keep them where they’re at right now.

 

[Neil Patrick Harris]

Awful, awful news for the Yotes and their fans. Ten years through the wringer and the hits keep coming. Just sucks.

 

[ViD]

I don’t think that the Coyotes will be moving, the NHL and Bettman, will find a way, to keep them where they’re at right now.

They’re pretty much guaranteed to move now

 

[viper0220]

From what I can gather, that Suns arena can no longer host ice hockey.

The Suns arena was upgraded not long ago, with that upgrade, the arena lost the ability to host hockey game's.

 

[ozzie]

Moving the team doesn't give the owners that expansion money. It also removes the LITR destination and salary dumping to keep the coyotes above the floor. I am partially kidding, but you get the point. They would need to move the team to Houston, KC or Atlanta and they offer an expansion franchise to another city. Canada is a pipe dream, but Quebec, Hamilton always comes up.

Honestly not sure Quebec would work. Houston or Milwauke might make some sense. But the Coyotes always seem to survive.

I wonder if they had gotten Bredard, would that have changed voters minds?

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

It feels like the owner pulled a Jeffrey Loria. Feel bad for yotes fans. I know the feeling as the Expos had much of the same criticism. I'm guessing Houston gets a team this summer.

We could go on for hours about the Expos story but it wasn't a situation where a vote determined whether a stadium was being built or not like this Coyotes scenario. The project never got to that point.

 

[Frank Drebin]

I can't believe all the good move them, lol finally comments. Do you know Coyotes fans are reading this? And they're losing their team. Have a friggin heart. This is awful.

Its just sports. It aint death.

 

[viper0220]

They’re pretty much guaranteed to move now

I just don’t see them moving ViD, with all crap the NHL has been through, I think Bettman will find a way.

 

[Blitzkrug]

I don’t think that the Coyotes will be moving, the NHL and Bettman, will find a way, to keep them where they’re at right now.

He can look all he wants, but if there's no building that can host them in the state long term then the dream is dead.

By the sounds of it, everyone is already fed up with Mullet Arena to the point i'm not sure even a second season there is viable.

They're not dead and buried quite yet but the hole for the coffin is dug and people wanting to pay their respects are starting to gather.

 

[ViD]

I just don’t see them moving ViD, with all crap the NHL has been through, I think Bettman will find a way.

Keep playing in the 5k arena with a huge financial loss?

 

[Monsieur Miz]

Same thing happened to the Expos. When you keep hearing about the possibility of a team relocation every year and you're in a perpetual rebuild, why would you go to the games? It's absolutely pointless.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

There's no doubt that if the team has to go (and now it does) Gary wants to move them to Houston. Long term, league revenue depends on new fans, and that's where the biggest chunk of not-currently-hockey-fans live.

They've got a stadium.

They'd comfortably play in the Western Conference.

They do not have an owner. So I imagine that's what Gary is doing right now - talking to prospective owners. The Sens (partly because of the real estate involved) have billion or near-billion dollar bids from ownership groups from all over the continent, and I wonder if Gary is possibly trying to steer some of them towards interest in a team in Houston instead. Imagine a Snoop Dogg led team in Houston!

Gary doesn't want a team in Quebec City but I'm not sure that we can completely rule it out if they can't get an ownership bid in Houston.

In theory, the current Coyotes owner can just apply for relocation to Houston and remain the owner through the move.

Like you wrote, if the Senators are apparently getting ~1 Billion $ bids from multiple interested owners, I don't think it would be that hard to find a new owner for a team in a massive market like Houston.

 

[ViD]

I think Auston is 99% staying in Toronto now. Would’ve been a cool story had he signed with Arizona though

 

[Blitzkrug]

We could go on for hours about the Expos story but it wasn't a situation where a vote determined whether a stadium was being built or not like this Coyotes scenario. The project never got to that point.

Yeah the Expos history is one just littered with awful ownership, negligence and apathy.

and then getting screwed by the league in 1994 obviously. I feel like if the Expos make a run that year they might still be in Montreal.

 

[SubyDubyTML]

As a huge fan of the Expos, I cant help but feel for the fans of the Coyotes. You guys don't deserve this, especially with how long its been dragging on for.

 

[Larry Hanson]

I feel kinda sorry for their fans but it's seriously time to move this franchise. Are they going to keep playing in Mullet? not a chance.

 

[majormajor]

In theory, the current Coyotes owner can just apply for relocation to Houston and remain the owner through the move.

That's true. Though I'm sure the league doesn't want that, they want better owners who can really bankroll a whole new operation.

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

Hoping it's Quebec or Halifax.

My bigger question is whose going to buy the team?

But one thing's for certain: Matthews is likely staying in Toronto.

 

[Rich Nixon]

It sucks for the fanbase, but it's...time, I guess.

 

[La Bamba]

Really sucks for the true Coyotes fans out there

...But it's time for the Nordiques to come home. Canada deserves at least 8 teams in a 32 team league