Arizona Coyotes: Fans gather for what could be the team's last AZ home game
PHOENIX - The Arizona Coyotes apparently have one game remaining in Arizona before their expected move to Utah, and on April 17, fans are gathering for the occasion.
In recent days, reports have emerged that a deal on the Coyotes future will soon be announced. The purported deal involves the team's hockey operation being sold to the owner of Utah Jazz, and the team moving away from Arizona. Meanwhile, the Coyotes' current owner will retain the business operation of the team, as well as copyrights to the team's name. He will also be allowed to proceed with building a new NHL team if a new venue is built in Arizona within the next five years.
Regardless, the Associated Press notes that based on current reality, there will be no professional hockey team in Arizona for at least the next several years.
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Arizona Coyotes: What to know about their potential move and the future likelihood for hockey in Arizona
As news spread of a potential deal that will result in pro hockey leaving Arizona (at least for the time being), here's what to know about the purported deal, and what this means for the future of NHL in the Grand Canyon State.
The game against the Edmonton Oilers will be played at Mullett Arena, the team's third home since they moved to the Phoenix area in the 1990s. The Coyotes began playing in the 5,000-seat Tempe venue since they moved out of a venue in Glendale. Tickets for the game are pretty pricey, with some of the cheapest tickets coming at around $300. Some tickets were over $1,000.
For long-time Coyotes fan and season ticket holder Ryan Travis, he has been going to games for 23 years, and he plans to continue following the team's journey, even if it means another state.
"It's kind of stunning," said Travis. "We were hoping that the land auction was going to go through, that it looked promising, that we were going to get a new arena, and that the Coyotes would move to it and the Coyotes would stay here. And then all of a sudden out of the blue last week, the news dropped, and it's still hard to comprehend."