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Read Craig Morgan’s report: https://gophnx.com/sources-alex-meruelo-walking-away-from-coyotes/
Alex Meruelo is calling it quits. Multiple sources told PHNX Sports that ownership addressed Coyotes staff on Monday, telling them that they have no plans to pursue further arena options.
The decision comes in the wake of the Arizona State Land Department’s decision to cancel an auction on Thursday. Meruelo had hoped to win that auction and purchase a 95-acre (110 gross acres) parcel of land and build an entertainment district and an arena that would house his hockey team. With that delayed indefinitely, and considerable political opposition in his path, he sees no viable options that would allow him to reactivate the franchise within the parameters set forth in the $1.2 billion sale of the team to Jazz owners Ryan and Ashley Smith.
Meruelo agreed to sell the team in late April (the sale closed on June 13) after securing an exclusive contractual right to reactivate the franchise within five years of the date of the agreement, and trigger an expansion draft if an arena was built. Reactivation would have required him to pay back the $1 billion that he received from the sale (the other $200 million was distributed to other owners as a relocation fee).
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#nhl #hockey #arizona
46 Comments
Does this mean the NHL is officially done in Arizona?
AZ joins the other expansion hopeful cities.
As a coyotes fan this was probably for the best. He was never going to build an arena. Hopefully, This is not the end for hockey in Phoenix forever
😂😂😂😂 Rest in peace forever Arizona Coyotes.
Brodi – now that the Phoenix disastrous owner did everyone a solid and got the hell away from hockey, wouldn’t it be respectful to that franchise’s history and players to have SLC assume their names? Just seems horribly disrespectful to the former greats, Phoenix, and the franchises history to just let everything die. There are players and things which need honored and not thrown in the trash anymore. What do you think about turning this around and Utah taking on the team name and not letting history die. I know it’s not ideal for AZ fans, but here we are and it seems all or nothing time now.
I would like to know IF Meruelo has been in contact with Gary Bettman or not. The action taken earlier this by Gary Bettman was a result of the incompetence of Meruelo and Javier Gutierrez the teams Second in charge.
These two never had the team or it's fans in their interests. The lies were non stop from the beginning. Meruelo he'd no intention of building an arena in the Phoenix area WITH OR WITHOUT "HIS MONEY". The Tempe vote, and the North Phoenix State Land Grab were a sham from the beginning too!
Now, hopefully that this non sense is apparently over and Meruelo is out of the picture (OR IS HE) what is the next move? I don't think Gary Bettman has another deep pocketed individual in line waiting to resurrect a "Nightmare in the Desert". As much as I would like to see hockey in the desert, everyone in Arizona wanted NOTHING TO DO WITH ALEX MERUELO! The man is a COWARD AND A LOW LIFE P.O.S.! I 'm pretty sure the people would rather not have hockey at all in Meruelo was in anyway attached to it. Gary Bettman is a very smart man, Meruelo IS AN IDIOT! I think Bettman took the action he did because like the rest of us, he knew the endless lies would far
outweigh any success that would be created.
With that said, I'm happy for those "Employees" of the Coyotes that have been transplanted to Utah. I hope the good people of Utah will love their team as much as the fans in Arizona did. With the group of players and Bill Armstrong I guessing the fans in Utah won't have to wait long for success! I wish the team all the best.
ALEX MERUELO: You are nothing but a NO GOOD CON MAN. My opinion here but you should be moving to either a jail cell or BURN IN HELL!
As a long time Coyotes fan now Utah. I was hoping the coyotes would come back. But now I have no hope on their return to the league. Nobody is gonna step up and take over the ownership of an inactive team having to start from scratch and get an arena built. I remember when Muruelo bought the team the high hopes having an owner finally seemed over. Not at all in reality. It’s over now for good. Hope I’m wrong but not gonna be hopefully.
Why does this not surprise me? Who is the enemy he made in government or the NHL? Or perhaps I should ask, "How many enemies did he make?
Can't wait for Brodies bland as toast response!!!! Everyone knew this was a SCAM!
Alex Meruelo is a clown 🤡
Na na na na hey hey hey goodbye!! Thanks for nothing
But now word is he’s planning to move Runners to Reno 2026.
Then he can give up the Coyotes name to Ryan Smith so he can name them the Utah Coyotes.
NHL and The State destroyed the Coyotes
Goodbye Arizona Coyotes. Hockey is DONE in the desert. And hardly anybody cares.
I don't think Phoenix is getting hockey back. Cities like Houston, Quebec City, and Kansas City have arenas. Phoenix doesn't look likely to build one and if they do it'd take years to get one built.
Hope this is the end of any talk of hockey returning to Arizona. No more expansion as well. Time to relocate garbage franchises vs expansion. The NHL does not need more teams. Also resign Bettman. Your time is done.
Who owns the AHL Franchise in Tucson?
It's best that Alex Meruelo take his "Coyotes" name with him. After 5 years of SCREWING THE FAN, WE want hockey in the desert; Just WITHOUT ALEX MERUELO. Alex, TAKE YOUR BILLION DOLLARD! TAKE YOUR WORTHLESS NAMING RIGHTS AND GET THE HELL OUTTA ARIZONA! You've screwed the people of Arizona long enough. The name "COYOTES" has been forever tarnished and at this point; ISN'T WORTH A DIME! YOUR A CROOK AND A SNAKE OIL SALESMAN!
Meruelo took the money and ran
Nobody on earth will pay a billion+ for a new arena and another billion+ for an expansion fee in a failed market like Phoenix. That is an extremely expensive gamble.
FYI … the NHL owns all trademarks and names of teams that cease to exist in the league and have proved to be willing to release those to new ownership groups, as we saw in Winnipeg, when the Winnipeg Jets 2.0 announced their team name and logos, both current and past.
Are you going to move yo NBA expansion now?
This has been a 15 year never-ending saga of ownership drama in the desert, I don't think that they're going to get a team back, at least not for quite a while.
Thinking about how Coyotes merch might join the long history of "really cool" NHL merch now retired. I was thinking how Hartford Whalers jerseys are ~still~ being sold (Just for people's information, they are now the Carolina Hurricanes.)
I wonder if Meruelo didn't get the correct permits on purpose to lose the auction and give him an out so he can run away with his 1 billion dollars.
The only organisations that should be allowed to take over the opportunity should be the city or the state.
But the NHL won’t dare risk that.
Alex Meruelo has no judgment. We knew the auction was canceled. He knew the Panthers had just won the Stanley Cup, and he makes this announcement an hour later? He could have announced this after Free Agency opened, and it wouldn't have made any difference. Location of an NHL franchise is not near as important as good ownership. Alex Muerelo was not a good owner. I hope the Arizona fans can get a new owner and get a new team, I'd also like to see teams back in Quebec and Hartford; losing teams is devastating for fans, and it all comes down to ownership.
Virtually certain that Meruelo’s whole pivot point with the North Phoenix project was getting the land at a sub-market price. That plot is worth double the proposed auction price.
By the way, if anyone’s inclined to check in on the Portland baseball proposal at the golf course, same deal, same lack of progress.
soon as alex figured out he probly isnt getting his hand outs he wanted he peaced …was talking out both sides ..saying he paid for it all but also he needs the theme park district
This puts more pressure on the NHL and the Smith group to make sure the Utah franchise gets it right.
When the Scottsdale mayor trashed the most recent Coyotes efforts for an arena site, you knew it was over. Wealthy Scottsdale people probably pushed the state to cancel the land auction.
Call the next team, the Arizona Phoenix & build the arena in Phoenix Arizona. Lol
If you watch the local news on the matter, you can tell they just want to get rid of Maruelo
Hockey will return to the desert, but it'll take some time – at least 7 years now. So now we'll be looking at around 2031 at the earliest. Alex Meruelo, you're under arrest for 1st degree hockey murder.
Doesn't sound like an auction at all. It was a land sale to Meruelo.
IMO, if it were a land auction there would be multiple bidders, but saying permits need to be in place makes it a sale.
If there were multiple bidders, there is no way they could cancel the auction. Logically, you buy the land THEN get the permits and zoning taken care of based on what you want to build.
This stinks to high heavens!
I have worked in professional sports for 28 years, 4 in the NHL. The NHL knew a 5 year window was not big enough, especially with the climate for a new arena in Arizona. The owner was a total cancer and the NHL is not sad that this is happening. If a new owner emerges following the five year exclusive window, Arizona will get a team.
I can't blame Meruelo. He tries to buy the land and the politicians pull the rug out from under him at the last minute. They're not even trying to hide their corruption anymore. It's obvious that they politicians want money out of the deal and Meruelo is not willing to play ball with them. My guess is that he sells the team to an owner to Houston and Arizona gets nothing.
I feel bad for Arizona hockey fans.
It feels like closure. No need to worry if he could pull it off anymore. I hope the fans realize a new ownership group doesn't mean things will be sunshine and lollipos.
The right government officials weren’t bribed by Murelo
Even in the afterlife the Coyotes continue to be a clown show.
This is one sketchy guy. The rights of the name, logo, etc should show to the NHL. No way he should be allowed to now sell the rights
The right to reactivate was exclusive to Alex Murrello. Any new ownership group will have to build an arena prior to getting a team. Then wait and compete with every other market that's interested.
I know many Blame Alex.. I'm not sure it's his blame alone. With everything that's been reported on this, the only thing that is 100% on him is when he failed to pay his bills in Glendale on time.. and we need to remember that was dealing with the fallout from the Covid Lockdown so even that may not be fully his "Doing". Everything else reported has made me wonder if the government entites involved just don't want the team. We need to remember, that since the Jets moved here over 20 years ago, that things have been contentious at best with the different government groups and ownership, long before Mr Meruelo bought the team. I know they were looking into their legal options, but let's be real. That 5 year window is really limiting his options. Getting the permits that AZLD required could take years, suing the state would probably have been dragged out for years and assuming the best case for Alex.. by the time either and all the crap worked it's way out… my guess is that 5 year window would almost be expired and that's just to get started building.. say nothing of being near ready to play. At some point, you just have to concede that it's not going to work and walk away. I think there is plenty of blame to go around on all the main parties… the NHL, City/state governments, Alex Meruelo and group.. the only party to this that don't get blame is the group ultimately getting screwed.. THE FANS… Frankly, I think the Coyotes are done in the desert.. and I think any NHL owner coming here could qualify as an IDIOT.. Do I want to see a team.. sure.. but I'm still a fan of the team I grew up watching and going to games.. way back in the North Eastern part of the country. But I hate relocation too… but in this case, I think this team was left with NO choice and the parties involved are to blame (both sides.)
The deal to reactivate the coyotes was specific to Alex Muerello meaning it is not transferable. So now Arizona is in the same boat as anyone else that wants an NHL team. This was all very clear when they announced this deal. I feel bad for the fans whom are the ones that are affected the most
He was never going to build anything, you could tell just by how he talked, his demeanor and his past.
I think he will sell the name logo and image rights to Utah make that much more and run back to California
The new team I am currently rooting for just won the Cup. RIP Coyotes