On the same day that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman provided some positive news regarding the Arizona Coyotes’ search for a new arena, NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh took a completely different approach. Walsh has not been afraid to talk about how he really feels when it comes to the Coyotes and their ongoing hunt for a permanent home in the Valley. Through the past few months Walsh has addressed his frustration towards the Coyotes organization which he did once again on Friday during the NHL All-Star festivities. “I have serious concerns with Arizona,” Walsh said. “I think I’ve made public statements, a lot of them and I made one today that I’m extremely disappointed in the ownership of Arizona, the president of Arizona. They have not reached out to the PA to talk about what the situation in Arizona is. Since I’ve been here, we have been working very closely with the league, been working to grow hockey… “We have a team in Arizona that doesn't seem interested in having a conversation with the union that represents the players that play on that team. Unfortunately we have had two unofficial deadlines to come up with some movement and we have gone past both of those, so I’m interested to see what the owners of Arizona have on their minds. It’s not just about buying a piece of land, ok you can buy a piece of land, but how long will it take you to permit the land, do you need a referendum, do you need to mediate the land? There are lots of questions…” Walsh has been critical of the Coyotes’ current arena situation at Mullett Arena in Tempe which holds a capacity of about 5,000 people. He’s also been quoted as early as last week saying that the ‘clock is ticking [https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/nhlpa-head-walsh-clock-is-ticking-on-coyotes-arena-situation/]’ for the Coyotes to find a permanent solution to stay in Arizona. It's interesting that Bettman and Walsh seem to have two totally different perspectives on the progress of the Coyotes’ arena search. 240127_Tourigny_Postgame Time will only tell to see what actually happens in the future, but Walsh’s continuous attacks on the Coyotes is certainly not a good look for the organization.
