Tempe residents vote against building a new arena for Arizona Coyotes
After a long disastrous time in Arizona, the Coyotes’ time in Tempe could be coming to an end. Tempe residents have voted against building a new arena for the NHL team.
The Coyotes have been in question the last few years due to their lack of attendance and production in the league. Currently, the Coyotes dawn in Mullett Arena located in Tempe, Ariz. Mullett is home to the Arizona State Sun Devils hockey team, which barely fits 5,000 fans, by far the smallest in the NHL.
“We are very disappointed that Tempe voters did not approve propositions 301, 302, and 303,” Coyotes president and CEO Xavier Gutierrez said in a statement. “As Tempe Mayor Corey Woods said, it was the best sports deal in Arizona history.”
Gutierrez added: “What is next for the franchise will be evaluated by our owners and the National Hockey League over the coming weeks.”
(All quotes are from theScore.)
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman released a statement regarding the Coyotes’ situation.
“The National Hockey League is terribly disappointed by the results of the public referenda regarding the Coyotes’ arena project in Tempe. We are going to review with the Coyotes what the options might be going forward.”
Arizona needed a majority vote for all three propositions. Eventually, 56 percent of the residents voted no for propositions 301 and 302. Proposition 303 would be a majority of no at 57 percent.
The Coyotes have already relocated arenas three times since their time in Winnipeg, in part because of their attendance rate. Arizona has ranked in the bottom five in attendance rate for the past 12 years. On top of that, ownership in Arizona has changed seven times while only making the playoffs nine times.
With the potential of the Coyotes ultimately disbanding into new ownership and franchise, there will be some major moves coming soon. Stay tuned with Vendetta for more news on the state of the Coyotes and potential landing spots for the team.
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