Mullett Arena thrummed with an energy seldom felt since the Arizona Coyotes settled in two years ago, fans electrified for one final desert spectacle.
For sixty minutes, they savored a final glimpse of the beloved team before its familiar guise dissipates into uncertainty.
The Coyotes are bound for Salt Lake City, a relocation deal poised to be inked within a mere day following Wednesday night’s 5-2 triumph over Edmonton. While hockey may resurface, possibly within five years, the harsh reality dawns: this marks the end for the foreseeable horizon.
“It’s disheartening, truly,” lamented Ryan Travis, a devoted Coyotes season-ticket holder since 2001. “To think it’s all coming to a close like this, it’s hard to fathom.”
Coyotes faithful had harbored dread for this inevitable juncture, praying fervently it would never materialize.
Through the tumult of ownership transitions, the team’s peregrinations across three different arenas, and the persistent whispers of relocation, they remained steadfast.
Yet, the stark actuality struck this week.
An impending change of ownership looms, with Utah Jazz proprietor Ryan Smith slated to acquire the franchise from current owner Alex Meruelo in a staggering $1.2 billion transaction facilitated by the NHL, potentially as soon as Thursday.
The franchise relocates, a shift once the deal is ratified by the NHL board of governors, placing hockey operations under Smith’s purview, as he sets sights on Salt Lake City.
A new arena may emerge in due course. Meruelo had pursued land in north Phoenix for this purpose, yet delays in land acquisition stalled progress. Consequently, the NHL and players’ association balked at the prospect of continuing at Mullett Arena, a boisterous yet diminutive venue shared with Arizona State University.
Meruelo, resolute in retaining ownership despite persistent overtures since his acquisition in 2019, balked at consigning players to a 5,000-seat arena, vastly undersized by NHL standards and lacking requisite amenities.
Facing a dearth of viable options and no assurances of an arena, Meruelo consented to divest the franchise.
A glimmer of hope emerges: Arizona stands to gain an expansion team if a new arena materializes within five years.
Yet, amidst the prolonged darkness of uncertainty, this beacon offers but a faint promise amidst the prevailing gloom.