Bettman finally comments on Arizona Coyotes playing in a 5000 seat venue and it's exactly what you'd expect
Gary Bettman is currently in Las Vegas for the NHL All-Star Game this weekend and during this media availability he was asked about the Arizona Coyotes moving into a 5,000 seat stadium. This stadium would represent the smallest arena by far and would put the Coyotes on par with both AHL and CHL arena sizes.
As you might expect Bettman's answer did nothing to truly address the situation or the financial burden the Coyotes put on the other teams in the league.
"It's not a permanent solution. As long as it's only temporary, I think fans can have a lot of fun with it. [Coyotes owner] Alex Meruelo is committed to getting a new arena. He's very focused on [building one in] Tempe, which is the right place for the arena to be. And since [the City of] Glendale decided, because he wouldn't sign a 20-year lease [in their venue], that they weren't going to renew his lease beyond this year, and the Phoenix Suns aren't cooperating because they don't want them playing in their building because I assume they'd like to get them out of town, this is what we're confronted with. But the opportunity, particularly with the possibility of a new arena in Tempe, really will solidify that market, which is a good hockey market, just ask [Scottsdale native] Auston Matthews. So sometimes you have to look at the long term and not look at the short term. And think about the 5,000 people, the type of intimate experience they are going to have."
This is an opportunity for the NHLPA to step in and put an end to this embarrassing possibility. The NHL fought tooth and nail with the players to guarantee escrow repayments, but now the NHL is willing to accept a professional team playing in an ECHL arena? This is an issue that needs to be addressed by the owners because clearly Bettman will never give up on his dreams of Sand and Hockey Sticks.
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