The Arizona Coyotes will play at Arizona State University's Mullett Arena next season, the NHL and the team confirmed Wednesday to Sportsnet.
The future of the Coyotes in the state is under closer scrutiny after a plan to build a new arena in the city of Tempe was voted down in a public referendum, the results of which were counted Tuesday night.
The Coyotes are looking for a new arena after their lease with the city of Glendale for Gila River Arena was terminated after the 2021-22 season. The Coyotes played the 2022-23 season at Mullett Arena — which has a seating capacity of 4,600 — and have a lease to play there for three years, theoretically while the Tempe rink was being constructed.
Now that the Tempe project will not go ahead, the club is back to square one in its search for an NHL-calibre home. But for now, it will stay put in Arizona for at least one more season.
Coyotes president and CEO Xavier A. Guttierrez remains committed to finding the club a permanent home in Arizona.
"While we are very disappointed Tempe voters did not approve the proposed Entertainment District, we want to thank all our loyal fans who supported the Coyotes over the years," Guttierrez wrote. "Your loyalty is what makes our Pack strong.
"During the 2023-24 season, the Arizona Coyotes will play at Mullett Arena. In addition, we remain committed to Arizona and have already started re-engaging with local officials and sites to solidify a new permanent home in the Valley.
"We look forward to sharing more with you in the coming weeks."
COMMENTS
When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.