Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
The Arizona Coyotes may have found a new home.
No, this is not a recording.
According to PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan, the Coyotes are reportedly in advanced talks with Arizona State University to use the school’s new multi-purpose arena as their temporary home for the next three to four years while the organization searches for permanent lodging.
This news comes a few months after the City of Glendale informed the Coyotes back in the summer of 2021 that they would not be renewing their joint business lease with the team on their current rink, Gila River Arena, after it expires at the end of the year, leaving the Coyotes without a home for the 2022-23 season. And while the team reportedly has an arena deal in place in Tempe, Arizona, that development project has been rumored to be in jeopardy, as well.
ASU may offer the Coyotes temporary solace. But there’s no telling if they’ll finally find their elusive permanent home after this expected interim agreement with the university comes to an end.
Not to mention, it’s difficult to envision how ASU’s new facility will be able to accommodate an NHL franchise.
According to renderings provided to PHNX Sports, along with information from StadiumJourney.com, ASU’s rink has a maximum capacity of just 5,000 fans, with no upper bowl of seating, and just 16 in-person luxury suites. The arena has very clearly been built to function as a multi-purpose facility for collegiate athletics, not the home of a professional hockey team.
Perhaps further renovations will be done to ensure it can be a viable home for the Coyotes if the two sides reach an agreement. But for now, this is yet another confounding chapter in the Coyotes’ neverending search for normalcy.
