PHOENIX — The Arizona Coyotes and the National League Hockey have fled Maricopa County for Utah. But the sport might not be gone forever. If any sports figure in the city is equipped to bring it back, it’s Suns and Mercury owner Mat Ishbia.
He has the wherewithal, the arena and more importantly the will. Ishbia told Sportico he was up to that challenge last week, as the WNBA All-Star Game came to Footprint Center and a $100 million women’s practice facility funded by Ishbia opened behind the arena.
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“I’m definitely going to be part of the community, and if I can help bring hockey back, I’ll look at that,” he said. “It’s definitely something I’m interested in. It’s a four-sport town. I’m disappointed we don’t have a hockey team, but I understand what happened, and we’re going to try to fix that one day.”
One day could be sooner than anybody thinks. Ishbia wouldn’t say if he’s already talking to the NHL, and the league didn’t respond when asked to comment. The NHL clearly wants the team in a new or stable arena, and a new downtown Phoenix edifice is part of the long-term plan, Ishbia said.
“I think our arena is first-class right now. I love our arena,” he said. “But at some point we’re going to have to get a new arena.”
Whether the NHL will give Ishbia the deal former Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo had before he sold off hockey operations and players to Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith and then dissolved what was left of the franchise is a good question. Commissioner Gary Bettman could make Ishbia wait in line with everyone else for an expansion franchise at this point.
Meruelo sold the hockey ops and players for $1.2 billion, pocketing $1 billion. The newly christened Utah Hockey Club will open its inaugural season in Salt Lake City Oct. 9 at the Delta Center, a basketball arena similar to Footprint with thousands of obstructed view seats for hockey.
Meruelo kept the Coyotes name, marks and logos with the hope of building a new arena in Phoenix proper. He had five years to accomplish that feat and pay $1 billion back to the NHL for what would amount to an expansion team.
When last month the Arizona Land Commission quashed an auction starting at $68.5 million for 95 acres of land in North Phoenix, where Meruelo planned to build a new arena, the owner threw in the towel. He returned the Coyotes name and logos to the NHL. He donated all remaining gear with the Coyotes marks on it to local charities, some of it resurfacing in local Goodwill outlets. The clubhouse facilities that were part of the $30 million Meruelo invested to bring Mullett Arena up to NHL standards were taken over by Arizona State.
The front office employees who remained in Phoenix were laid off with severance pay and medical insurance until the end of the year, multiple former employees confirmed.
Despite multimillion-dollar losses over the course of 28 seasons, the NHL supported hockey in Phoenix until the very end. But the Coyotes never had a deep-pocketed owner like Ishbia.
As a transplanted billionaire from Michigan, Ishbia views this all as an opportunity to expand his local sports empire and help the sports community. He purchased a majority share of the Suns and Mercury for $4 billion early last year and has continued to enlarge his own footprint.
“I’m disappointed we don’t have a hockey team here. That’s what I’ll say,” he said. “Phoenix is a four-sport town. Maybe five if you want to include soccer, but it’s a four-sports town. Baseball, football, basketball and hockey. And I hope that one day we’ll be able to get hockey back.”
The vagabond Coyotes’ journey began in 1996 when the team moved from Winnipeg to what was then called America West Arena in downtown Phoenix, playing there until 2003. The team was popular and competitive, but initial owner Richard Burke, a secondary tenant behind then-Suns owner Jerry Colangelo, couldn’t make enough money. He sold the team, and it ultimately moved to Glendale Arena, beginning what became a long death spiral that ended with Meruelo.
Ishbia doesn’t have that problem. He’s worth $10.1 billion, and an NHL team would be fine as a third wheel to the Suns and Mercury, at least temporarily, in the current facility despite the skewed seating for hockey. His lease at Footprint extends to 2036. Ishbia also owns a G-League basketball team that will open its first season this year in the Mullett.
Footprint is 32 years old and underwent a $230 million renovation as recently as 2020, though it is cramped compared with more recently built venues.
Ishbia believes a new downtown arena is in the city’s future, and there’s plenty of room south of the current facility to build it, which is just what the NHL wants.
“We’re going to continue to evolve,” Ishbia said. “My investment in basketball and this community’s not going to stop.”
The NBA will come on line with privately funded $2 billion Intuit Arena this year to house the Los Angeles Clippers. In Utah, the Salt Lake City government is still considering a 0.5% sales tax increase that would provide Smith with $1 billion to renovate Delta Center or build a new arena.
Footprint Center will pale in comparison.
Not for long, Ishbia said. “We’ll continue to make this one first-class, and when the time’s right we’ll make the next adjustment.”
Considering the NHL’s history with the Coyotes, one wonders if the league will wait for that “adjustment” or whether Bettman will even allow someone to dive back into the market.
In Ishbia, he has just the owner to do it.
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