At the Arizona Coyotes media day on Tuesday, the team's president and CEO Xavier Gutierrez seemed optimistic about professional hockey remaining in the Valley.
Confidence seemed to be at an all time high at the Arizona Coyotes media day on Tuesday as the team had a busy offseason acquiring a number of veteran players to help them be more competitive this season.
However there was a topic of business described by Coyotes president and CEO Xavier Gutierrez as the “elephant in the room” that needed to be addressed which was the search for a permanent arena in the Valley.
“Let's talk about the elephant in the room: the arena,” Gutierrez said. “We were very disappointed with what happened in Tempe. We thought that was the right deal and we were the right team and it was the right project. Unfortunately, the voters did not agree. We moved on and now we are pursuing multiple sites. What I told those fans in that room is you have an owner who is fully committed to being here, you have a league that is still fully behind us. Gary Bettman, Bill Daly, every week I have a phone call with them and they express their support for us to continue our vision.”
While the Coyotes left Glendale after the 2021-22 season and got its proposal to build a new sports and entertainment district in Tempe rejected, Gutierrez still gets the inclination that there are multiple cities in the Valley that would love to host the Coyotes.
“We have multiple options and we have multiple communities that absolutely want us to be there and I think that was a narrative that was very false that people don't want this organization to be in their community,” Gutierrez said. “Nothing could be further from the truth and the proof is in the pudding in terms of the elected officials, the community leaders that have not only supported us throughout but continue to reach out to us to be a part of their community.”
The Coyotes made headlines last month when owner Alex Meruelo executed a letter of intent to purchase a parcel of land in northwest Mesa to potentially build a new sports arena and entertainment district for the franchise.
The NHL is pushing the Coyotes organization to finalize a permanent arena plan by midseason which continues to be the goal they are striving for.
“We've talked with the NHL and that's what they've continued to push us for and we are very, very much focused on that timeline,” Gutierrez said.
The Coyotes first plan for a sports and entertainment district might have failed but the organization is still committed to not only build an arena for the team but a venue that will change life in the Valley for years to come.
“What you have in this owner is a commitment for something that's transformative, something that's going to change the skyline that's going to change the experience of this Valley… We see this as a district, we see this as a community, we see this as a place that you can live, work and play, that's our commitment,” Gutierrez said.
Arizona will play its second straight season at Mullett Arena in Tempe as they still continue to figure out a long-term arena solution.