Arizona Coyotes Have Chosen Site For New Arena
It’s been a tease filled 2016, but the Arizona Coyotes have finally settled on a site for a new arena in their bid to say goodbye to Glendale.
After Arizona Coyotes President and CEO Anthony LeBlanc suggested we may finally have news of the long teased arena site IceArizona had chosen prior to the 2016 NHL, fans got what they’d waited for.
Kind of.
Like any good Game of Thrones episode, LeBlanc left us with the juicy news that the arena site had been chosen. Unfortunately, also like every Game of Thrones season, he left us with a cliffhanger in regards to where the site is actually located.
“We have made some significant progress in the last several weeks and we are down to the point where we have selected a site,” LeBlanc told reporters at the team’s NHL Draft headquarters. “We’re not at liberty to disclose the site at this point, but we are moving forward and are actually in the process of trading legal documentation between us and the organizations that we’re working with. We anticipate getting that done over the next several weeks.”
More from Howlin' Hockey
- How the Arizona Coyotes could line-up with Logan Cooley signed
- Report: Logan Cooley could be closer to signing Arizona Coyotes ELC
- Arizona Coyotes sign Matias Maccelli to three-year deal
- Ivan Prosvetov signs one-year deal with Arizona Coyotes
- Arizona Coyotes cut Galchenyuk after reported police incident
LeBlanc also reiterated that funding for the stadium would be a joint public/private venture with more than 50 percent of the cost privately funded by the Coyotes.
He also suggested that the Arizona Coyotes would likely spend the next three seasons (at least) at Gila River Arena while the new arena is being constructed.
While that is sad news for those of us who must traverse the traffic to get out to Gila River Arena, it was to be expected. Arenas don’t spring up in a day.
In regards to the site, Phoenix Business Journal reports that the Yotes “may be landing at a former drive-in movie theater on the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community across from Scottsdale’s Big Surf water park.”
The one thing we do know for sure is that with the NHL expanding to Las Vegas this week, as well as the Arizona Coyotes ownership group relocating the AHL’s Springfield Falcons to Tucson, the team is not going anywhere.
With all the shenanigans surrounding the City of Glendale and Gila River Arena, it feels good to know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
No more rumors of relocating to Canada, or Vegas, or Seattle, or whatever other theory is still floating out in the peanut gallery.
Next: Coyotes Should Still Draft A Top Defenseman At 7th Overall
Hockey in the desert is alive and well.
And most importantly, it’s here to stay.