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NHL commissioner gives update on Arizona Coyotes arena search

The Arizona Coyotes are still searching for a den to call home but news could be coming soon, according to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

TORONTO, ON — The search for a new den for the Arizona Coyotes to call home continues and National Hockey League (NHL) Commissioner Gary Bettman gave an update on the search, albeit a small one, during his All-Star Weekend press conference in Toronto on Friday. 

"There's nothing new," Bettman said. "(Coyotes Owner) Alex Meruelo is focused on one piece of property and we're focused with him on what that timeline is and my guess is that's something that will be addressed within the next few weeks in terms of the timeline."   

Bettman did not go into details on where exactly that land is, but in December, a report from PHNX Sports' Craig Morgan said the Coyotes were "zeroing in" on a plot of land in northeast Phoenix, adjacent to Scottsdale.   

"We are fully committed to Arizona & hope to share exciting news with all of you soon," a statement from the Coyotes, posted on social media, said. "Arizona is home & the future is incredibly bright here."  

Meruelo had also previously executed a letter of intent to purchase a piece of land in Mesa, which could have been used for an arena and entertainment district and however it works out, Bettman believes a deal will get done soon. 

"Alex Meruelo, as recently as last week, told me he was certain he was going to get this done and I don't make it a practice of contradicting owners unless I have hard facts to the contrary," Bettman said. "And I'm both hopeful and reasonably, reasonably confident that he's going to do what he says."      

The NHL Players Association (NHLPA), the union that represents NHL players, is expressing concern, however. 

"I have serious concern about Arizona," NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh said to PHNX Sports' Leah Merrall. "I think I've made public statements, a lot of them, and I'll make one more today that, you know, I'm extremely disappointed in the ownership of Arizona and the president of Arizona. They have not reached out to the PA to talk to us about what the situation in Arizona is." 

This comes less than a year after voters in Tempe rejected a plan for the Coyotes to build an arena and entertainment district at the intersection of Priest Drive and Rio Salado Parkway. 

The Coyotes are currently playing at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus, which seats about 4,600 fans for an NHL game, more than 10,000 seats less than the next smallest arena, the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. 

NHL Expansion 

The commissioner also addressed possibly adding expansion teams, with the most prominent bid coming from a group led by Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith in Salt Lake City.  

"They're very enthused about the possibility of getting an NHL team," Bettman said. "They made it clear they'd like one. And the governmental leaders in Utah have expressed to us a similar level of enthusiasm."  

Bettman emphasized that he was not looking at relocating any teams and that any cities mentioned were interested in an expansion team. Cities mentioned by Bettman included Houston, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Kansas City and Omaha, Nebraska. 

Bettman said all expansion discussions have been "very preliminary." 

"I mean, what's happening is people are expressing an interest," Bettman said. "We have no formal expansion process set up. We are not envisioning what we did in prior times. We'll say if you want a team, here's the date, submit your application. We're listening to the expressions of interest and I think it's fair to say that the Utah expression of interest has been the most aggressive and has carried a lot of energy with it, including from the governor and leaders of the legislature."   

The Coyotes will return from the All-Star Break next Thursday when they host the Vegas Golden Knights at Mullett Arena.  

Arizona sports 

The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.

The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.

Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.

The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.

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