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No, the Arizona Coyotes are not moving away from Arizona despite a recent Forbes report

A recent Forbes journalist recently made a false report that the team is up for sale and potentially moving to Houston.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Editor's note: The above video aired during a previous broadcast.

A recent tweet made by a Forbes Legal Analyst has made some Arizona Coyotes fans weary of the team possibly being bought and relocated.

The analyst, Eric Macramalla, tweeted early Thursday morning that the Arizona-based professional hockey team is for sale and may be moving to a new arena in Houston.

However, there wasn't any source attached to Macramalla's claim other than his colleague Mike Ozanian. An NHL writer at ESPN named Greg Wyshynski said Ozanian cited a source in the banking world.

What does the team say about these claims? We reached out to the Arizona Coyotes directly to VERIFY.

THE CLAIM:

Are the Arizona Coyotes up for sale and moving to Houston?

THE SOURCES:

  • Arizona Coyotes

THE ANSWER:

   

This is false.

No, the Arizona Coyotes are not selling and the claim is "totally false," according to the team.

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WHAT WE FOUND:

 The team sent a statement to 12 News saying the claim is false and the team is completely committed to staying in the Grand Canyon State.

"This is false. Totally false. We’re not selling. We’re not moving. The Coyotes are 100 percent committed to playing in Arizona," the team said.

The team, owned by billionaire Alex Meruelo, relocated from Winnipeg to the Phoenix area during the 1996 season. 

There have been many highs and lows for the team since moving to Arizona, but the team is currently ranked last in the NHL's Central Division in the Western Conference.

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