The Arizona Coyotes are moving and it proves the NHL doesn't care about what fans want
According to Craig Morgan a member of PHNX Sports it sounds like the Arizona Coyotes have found their new home. The Coyotes are currently in advanced stages with the Arizona State University and arena manager OVG Facilities to use their new multipurpose arena as a temporary home. The arena is scheduled to be completed until this fall, but would serve as a temporary home as the Coyotes await approval on a proposed arena in Tempe.
sources, the Coyotes are negotiating on a three-year deal with an option for a fourth year if construction of the permanent arena takes longer than hoped. ASU's new arena will only seat 5,000 spectators so the venue is significantly smaller than other NHL arenas, or even Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which currently seats about 10,000 because some of its risers have been decommissioned and removed.
This deal would allow Gary Bettman to keep the Coyotes in Arizona, but at what cost? A stadium that can only fit 5,000 spectators is hardly an AHL arena let alone an NHL one. This agreement essentially guarantees the Coyotes continue to hemorrhage money and remain a financial burden on other teams in the league.
Elliotte Friedman also added the following on the Jeff Marek podcast:
The seating capacity is listed at 5000, but I know there have been discussions about if they have to do some things to make it more, I guess NHL ready, there's a possibility that capacity could drop.
I had one person who told me it could be 3200.
I'm under the impression that this is pretty much a done deal and what we should expect to happen next year.
The other thing that I was told is it's possible it might not be ready for the start of next year, so would they have to do what the Islanders did and go on a road trip at the start of the season or would they play somewhere else at the start of the season?
When they presented the gross revenue figures at the Board of Governors in, I guess December, the Coyotes were down, I think like 47% this year on an average game night.
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