TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Coyotes are leaning into their Mullet Magic. A streak is alive as the Coyotes have gone 5-0 against the last five Stanley Cup Champions. Tonight they face the Philadelphia Flyers at home as they hope to add another win.
12News spoke with Coyotes President and CEO Xavier Gutierrez about their mission this season, and also their future plans.
"We're going to work every day to bring a Stanley Cup to the Valley, but what more are we going to stand for? And one of the things we want to stand for is an incredible experience and part of that is to welcome all of these diverse communities in the Valley," said Gutierrez.
Thursday night's game against the Flyers is highlighting mental health. Just last week they hosted a Hockey Fights Cancer night and the organization was the first NHL team to host a Pride Night this season.
"We're going to celebrate and support and highlight all of you and say you are a part of the pack," said Gutierrez.
The team is in the midst of their second season inside of Mullet Arena. They are sharing the temporary home with ASU. The arena is the smallest venue in the NHL. There is tons of speculation over where the Yotes' permanent home in the Valley could be. Gutierrez stressed they are committed to being here.
"This is where we want to be. We know this is a hockey town," he shared.
Now the question is where? On Wednesday, the Coyotes shared the post "New arena?" on their social media. Less than 24 hours after the post was made on "X" it has more than 1.7 million views.
This year Tempe voters rejected a plan to build an entertainment district there, but design elements of that plan are still what Gutierrez said the team is looking to build.
"We want this to be transformative. We want it to change the skyline of Arizona and the Valley. We are fully committed to paying for it, and to make it an incredible facility for everyone to enjoy," Gutierrez said.
He said Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo shared a letter with fans before this season stating his commitment to staying in Arizona. Meruelo wrote in October, "The Valley is where the organization and I want to be. My family lives here. We are all in."
Gutierrez said while they look at different options of sites across the Valley they have the same wish list as what was proposed in Tempe. He said they plan to build the first, privately funded sports and entertainment district in the history of Arizona. And yes, they want an entertainment district, not just an arena. They would like the complex to include: a hotel, shops, restaurants, office space and a practice facility which the community could use when the team is not.
While the team doesn't have plans to make an announcement today on a permanent location, the timeframe may not be far off.
"We have made a commitment to the commissioner to Gary Bettman and to the league office that we would resolve this by the first quarter of next year," said Gutierrez.
In the meantime, The Coyotes hope you can soak up the Mullet Magic and hop on the wagon now.
"The best hockey players in the world, you will never be closer to them," said Gutierrez.
You can find a list of all the celebrations and theme nights the Coyotes have planned for the rest of this season on their website.
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