It’s officially official.
The Phoenix Coyotes are here to stay.
Monday morning it was announced IceArizona AcquisitionCo, LLC closed their purchase of the Coyotes franchise from the NHL.
“The National Hockey League believes in Arizona as an NHL market and that these new owners can provide the Coyotes the opportunity to secure a stable, long-term future in Glendale,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “We thank Mike Nealy, Don Maloney, Dave Tippett, team captain Shane Doan and all the players and staff for consistently going ‘above and beyond’ on behalf of the franchise during this long and complex process.”
The ownership group will be made up of eleven representatives leading the franchise into the future in Glendale.
“We are thrilled to be taking over a team led by one of the NHL’s best general managers in Don Maloney, one of the best coaches in Dave Tippett, and the league’s longest serving and most respected Captain in Shane Doan,” said Anthony LeBlanc, Alternate Governor and pending CEO of the franchise. “The Coyotes are here to stay and we will continue to work hard on and off the ice and have a strong presence in our community. Our ultimate goal is to bring a Stanley Cup championship to our tremendously resilient, passionate and dedicated fan base here in the Valley. We have a lot of work to do and we can’t wait to get started.”
July 2 the Glendale city council approved the lease for Jobing.com Arena by a 4-3 vote. Glendale agreed to pay the owners $15 million a year to manage the arena. Before the agreement, with the Coyotes Arizona future in limb, there was talk of a possible to move to Seattle or Quebec City.
The Coyotes have called the Valley home since re-locating from Winnipeg in 1996. They won the Pacific Division in 2012 and advanced to the Western Conference Finals before falling to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions Los Angeles Kings.
