Arizona Coyotes: The wait for news on new arena continues
The Arizona Coyotes have teased an announcement of the location of their new arena since midway through the 2015-16 season, but a concrete answer on a location remains elusive.
The folks with IceArizona who now own the Arizona Coyotes have been a breath of fresh air for hockey fans in the desert.
The team has finally begun to string together some solid drafts. The prospect pool is deep. The on-ice product is improving and the team is spending money to win now, now just two or three years from now when all of the kids are ready to play.
Most importantly, IceArizona solidified their commitment to hockey in Arizona and have proven that the Coyotes are here to stay come hell or high water.
The final nail in the relocation coffin is expected to be the announcement of a site and commitment to build a new arena in a better, more central location for attracting fans.
Unfortunately, the details have either yet to be ironed out or have yet to leak.
On April 11th, it was reported that president and CEO Anthony LeBlanc told the media, “”I know people feel that I’m kind of nuts on this one. The reality is we do anticipate there will be an announcement on this front in the next couple of weeks.”
A few weeks passed. A month. Two months. But there was no site announced. Finally, in late June there was further news on the arena front.
The team had chosen a site and “is working through the legal documentation of the real estate agreement.”
The footnote at the end of the report was the most telling, however, noting that LeBlanc hoped “to have an announcement by the end of the summer.”
It’s a far cry from the original tease last winter, and still a ways off from the statement given in April.
If it means the Arizona Coyotes ownership is doing it’s due diligence, however, and fiasco’s like the recent issues with the City of Glendale can be avoided, they should take all the time they need.
An announcement as the 2016-17 season kicks off would be quite a treat.
Arizona Coyotes News and Links
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