After Glendale and Tempe, the Arizona Coyotes are once again trying their luck to find a permanent home, this time in Phoenix. Late Thursday evening, they announced with great fanfare their new project, which could well be their last chance. Decryption.
Another arena project?
Yes, again. The worst part was that the Coyotes had a home. But Desert Diamond Arena, formerly Gila River Arena, was problematic on two counts. Firstly: it was poorly located, a good thirty minutes by car from the triangle formed by the cities of Phoenix, Tempe and Scottsdale. Second: the Coyotes began to quarrel with the City of Glendale, which owned the arena. However, like making bacon in a belly, these are not the kind of ideas that win Nobel Prizes. Kicked out of Glendale in 2022, they migrated to Mullett Arena, their current 4,600-seat home. This home is intended to be temporary, but the planning of a new amphitheater encountered pitfalls. The team had identified land located on a former landfill on the edge of downtown Tempe, but the project was rejected by Tempe citizens in a referendum in May 2023.
And what does the new project look like?
Let’s say that it takes imagination, because at the moment, the targeted terrain is desert. At least, according to the latest available Google Street View image of the intersection of Scottsdale Road and Highway 101.
IMAGE FROM GOOGLE STREET VIEW
“The land is surrounded by a good corporate base, with direct access to the highway, and is ready for construction since it is not a dump,” the team proudly says, on a website created specifically to sell the project. Highway access is indeed crucial, since the land is located 38 km from the Phoenix airport, and the same distance from downtown. Old Scottsdale, the central district of a rather lively suburb of Phoenix, is 10 miles from the coveted land. The arena, with a capacity of 17,000 spectators, would be inaugurated in time for the 2027-2028 season, the team says. Three ice rinks would also be built there which would serve as both a training center for the Coyotes and for minor hockey, as well as a 3,000-seat performance hall. Housing units, offices and parking lots would complete the picture. A bill of three billion dollars, paid entirely by private funds, we assure.
Okay, great. And buying the land, is it complicated?
A little yes. Unlike the coveted land in Tempe, development on this land cannot be the subject of a referendum, say the Coyotes. But to become owner, the team must participate in an auction, and therefore submit the highest bid. The minimum bid for the 110-acre plot is $68.5 million, according to the Arizona government website. This auction will take place on June 27.
What if it doesn’t work?
This is where it gets intriguing. Last January, Smith Entertainment Group (SEG) officially requested that the NHL initiate an expansion process so that Salt Lake City could welcome a team. In response, the NHL declared, in a press release, “appreciating the interest of SEG” and said it was “impressed by the commitment, passion and vision” of Ryan and Ashley Smith, at the head of the group. In short, nothing to calm things down. On the Quebec side, the Minister of Finance, Éric Girard, was to meet this week with Gary Bettman, a “courtesy” meeting according to our colleagues from Journal de Québec. That said, an immediate relocation of the Coyotes, in the event of failure at the auction, would constitute a precedent. The last relocation in the NHL, when the Thrashers migrated from Atlanta to Winnipeg in 2011, was announced on May 31. Last February, before the details were known, Gary Bettman said he had “reasonable” confidence in the ability of Coyotes owner Alex Maruelo to build a new arena.
And among the Coyotes, do we believe it?
The organization has opted for a communication strategy that could be described as aggressive. On the aforementioned website, there is a countdown detailing, in seconds, the time remaining until the auction. Late Thursday evening, a long, detailed press release was sent to journalists on the Coyotes mailing list. On the team encourages its supporters to put pressure on Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, although the auction is under state jurisdiction, and not municipal. In another publication, the team responds to journalist Frank Seravalli, of Daily Faceoff, who recalls that the Coyotes were also convinced that citizens would support their project in Tempe. And to a simple Internet user asking to assess the chances that another investor would bet more than the Coyotes on the coveted land, the team responded “0%”.