Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
The Arizona Coyotes are in financial hot water once again.
According to a report from The Athletic’s Katie Strang, the Arizona Department of Revenue has filed a tax lien notice against the Coyotes’ parent company, IceArizona LLC, in response to numerous outstanding arena payments and delinquent tax bills that are estimated to total over $1.3 million.
As per the notice sent to the company, the Coyotes have until Dec. 20 to pay the outstanding arena invoices or they will be locked out of Gila River Arena. The Coyotes’ first scheduled home game following the deadline is Dec. 23 versus the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The piling up of unpaid bills is a trend with the Coyotes.
As Strang outlined in a extensive piece published in early 2021, the team has a habit of refusing to pay its vendors for their services, with the Coyotes’ list of unpaid invoices as of Jan. 8, 2021 totalling $298,026.92. Obviously, that number has since risen.
It truly is unclear as to whether the Coyotes will be able to make this payment in time to prevent being barred from their own building. Such an outcome would truly be one of a kind in the realm of professional sports, and serve as yet another chapter in the Coyotes’ troubling history as a viable NHL franchise.
Gary Bettman has made it his mission to keep the Coyotes in Arizona for as long as he can.
This, however, could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
