Coyotes to play at new Arizona State arena for next three seasons
Hoping for permanent home in Tempe by 2025-26; lease with Gila River Arena ends this season
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NHL.com @NHLdotcom
The agreement, which was approved by the Arizona Board of Regents on Thursday, will have the Coyotes play home games there through the 2024-25 season, with an option for 2025-26.
The Coyotes will pay about $20 million for multiple upgrades to the 5,000-seat multipurpose home of the university's independent NCAA Division I men's ice hockey team.
"We are thrilled that we have arranged to play our home games in Arizona State University's new multipurpose arena starting next season," Coyotes president and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez said. "This will be an incredible, intimate and exciting fan experience in a state-of-the-art new arena in a fantastic location in the heart of Tempe.
"We are very grateful to Dr. [Michael] Crow, the ASU administration, ASU athletic department, and the Arizona Board of Regents for agreeing to provide us with this temporary arena solution for our team as we continue our efforts to secure a long-term home for the Coyotes in the Valley."
The arena is scheduled to be completed early this fall. Renovations will include a two-story annex building that will allow for NHL-quality amenities including dressing rooms, training areas, equipment rooms, nutrition stations, coaches work rooms, team storage areas, fitness areas, ice plant equipment, broadcasting infrastructure, dasher boards, media and medical services, analytics and replay capabilities.
A proposed new arena for the Coyotes with a planned opening for the 2025-26 season has yet to be approved by the city of Tempe.
"The National Hockey League thanks Arizona State University for its support of the Coyotes during this transition period and for what will be just its latest major commitment to growing our game in the Valley," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "Having made the full-time transition to Division I just seven years ago, ASU hockey already has an NCAA tournament appearance to its credit and now is moving into a new, state-of-the-art facility.
"Hockey is thriving in Tempe, and we are delighted that the Coyotes' passionate fans will get to experience ASU's on-campus energy while the club's new arena is being built."
The Coyotes are negotiating with Ice Den Scottsdale to make the complex their full-time practice facility and will be relocating their corporate office to the East Valley.
"We are pleased to help the Coyotes by providing a temporary home while their new arena is built," ASU executive vice president, treasurer and CFO Morgan R. Olsen said. "We are beyond excited to open this wonderful new ASU arena, and this agreement just makes it even more special."
The Coyotes' lease at Gila River Arena ends this season.
The franchise relocated from the Winnipeg Jets to Phoenix to begin the 1996-97 season, sharing America West Arena with the Phoenix Suns of the NBA until moving in 2003. Glendale broke off negotiations on a multiyear lease extension agreement Aug. 19 and informed the Coyotes that this season would be their last there.
"We are disappointed by today's unilateral decision by the City of Glendale," Gutierrez said then. "We are hopeful that they will reconsider a move that would primarily damage the small businesses and hard-working citizens of Glendale. We remain open to restarting good-faith negotiations with the city.
"Most importantly, the Coyotes are 100 percent committed to finding a long-term arena solution here in Arizona, and nothing will shake our determination to do what is right for our organization, residents of the entire Valley and, most important, our fans."
Commissioner Bettman has said the NHL is committed to keeping the Coyotes in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
"What do you do in the interim? Glendale has shut them out," the Commissioner said during the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas. "The Phoenix Suns have apparently no interest in sharing their building [Footprint Center], even on a temporary basis, with the Coyotes. My guess is they would prefer that the Coyotes leave town, but there are a lot of hockey fans, and the team has built a good fan base and with the right arena situation they will be fine. Better than fine; I think they'll be great, and at the end of the day there has to be a temporary accommodation knowing that a new building is coming.
"This is a good market. This has been a franchise that has had its challenges, some of which has been beyond its control, and as long as there's commitment forthcoming for a new building, that it's going to be worth sticking with it."
NHL.com staff writer Tom Gulitti and senior writer Dan Rosen contributed to this report
