On Tuesday night, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman went on ESPN and made something very clear regarding the relocation of certain teams. While there has been some speculation about the Arizona Coyotes relocating as well as the Washington Capitals moving to Alexandria, Virginia, Bettman put all those rumors to rest. “Nobody’s moving… We like where our franchises are,” Bettman said. [https://www.nhl.com/news/gary-bettman-talks-arenas-expansion-tournaments-on-espn-sportscenter] “I know there’s a rumor about Washington being asked to come to Virginia which is four miles away from their existing arena. That’s all...” “We’re getting a lot of solicitations of interest -- places like Atlanta, Quebec City, Houston, Salt Lake City. It’s not something we’re focused on. We think the 32 teams we have now are in great places. We like where we are. I can’t ever say ‘never’ to anything. It’s ultimately [an NHL Board of Governors] decision. But we’re not in the middle of, or interested in starting, at least right now, an expansion process.” It seems that good news continues to surround the Coyotes arena situation. It was only earlier this month that a report came out from PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan that zeroing in on a parcel of land in northeast Phoenix, adjacent to Scottsdale in purpose to build a new arena. The fact that Bettman flat out said that no team is moving has to be a positive sign for the Coyotes. It would be strange for him to make this sort of statement if he didn’t have a strong inclination the Coyotes can figure out an arena deal in Arizona. 231212_TOURIGNY_POSTGAME This has to mean that Bettman is fully confident the Coyotes will find a permanent home sooner rather than later. Despite not being official just yet, the signs are pointing in the right direction that the Coyotes will indeed stay in the Valley.
