Arizona Coyotes officially confirm Tempe Arena bid

The Coyotes are taking the next step towards (a short) relocation.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 2 years ago
Arizona Coyotes officially confirm Tempe Arena bid
USA Today

In case you've not heard, the Arizona Coyotes are set to depart Gila River Arena following the upcoming 2021-22 NHL season. 

The City of Glendale, home of Gila River Arena where the Coyotes have played since December of 2003, has officially ended negotiating with the team after years of trying to find an arena deal that fits the plans of both parties. This means that the upcoming 2021-22 NHL season is likely the final year they'll be playing in the venue. 

"We are thankful to the NHL and the Arizona Coyotes for being part of the Glendale community for the past 18 years,” said Glendale City Manager Kevin Phelps in a statement. “The decision to not renew the operating agreement with the Coyotes was not made overnight or in a vacuum. We carefully weighed input from key stakeholders, our expert economist, our arena management firm and our City Council."

The nearby city of Tempe, a 30-minute drive from the current home of the Coyotes, put out a request for proposals to gauge potential interest in building a sports and entertainment district, and the team was said to be interested.

And now, the next step has been taken towards that end. The Coyotes today have officially submitted a proposal to Tempe, and confirmed the news on Twitter:

“We are pleased to have submitted a proposal to the City of Tempe," the statement read. "As regulations surrounding the RFP process dictate, we cannot comment any further at this time, but we remain incredibly excited about this extraordinary opportunity.”

According to multiple sources, Tempe could be awarded a contract by the end of the year. However, construction of a new venue isn't something that happens overnight, and the team would need a temporary solution until such time that an arena was built. 

Source: AZ Central