Eric SorensonAs a United States Senator and Chairman of the Senate Armed Forces Committee John McCain has been in his share of debates.
Just don’t count on him getting in the middle of the latest squabble between the City of Glendale and the Arizona Coyotes.
“I really can’t,” McCain told Sports360AZ.com’s Brad Cesmat in a phone interview Tuesday morning. “I can urge these people to come to an agreement…all I can do is kind of be a cheerleader and maybe sound a warning. It’s just not something that frankly isn’t an appropriate role for me.”
The “warning” he is referring to would be another market making a push to re-locate the Coyotes from the desert. It’s a black cloud which has haunted the franchise due to past financial stability and other factors inside and out of the organization.
“Seattle would love to have a team,” the long-time Coyotes fan and supporter McCain explained. “Quebec would love to have a team…and they may start making offers. We have to settle this whole issue out as quickly as possible or I fear it could do long-term danger.”
McCain believes the strongest play and most beneficial location for the Coyotes would a new, downtown Phoenix shared arena with the Suns. His belief being the central location would make hockey access far easier for east Valley residents, as well as fall, winter and spring tourists who flock here for our mild winter temperatures. Arizona sports business mogul, icon Jerry Colangelo also feels central Phoenix would alleviate problems for both teams.
The squabble between the Coyotes and Glendale started earlier this month when Glendale City Council voted 5-2 to end their 15-year agreement with the team less than two years after the $225 million deal was struck.
Some locally have speculated a Coyotes-Suns shared arena in Scottsdale would also fit both teams needs moving forward.
