PHOENIX — If the Arizona Coyotes are to come back to the NHL, Alex Meruelo does not plan to be the owner of the new team.
He officially relinquished his rights to the Coyotes franchise on Wednesday, according to a report.
Per NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly,
— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) July 10, 2024
Alex Meruelo has agreed to and signed all of the necessary agreements and paperwork to relinquish his rights to the Coyotes. The process is complete.
It brings Meruelo's rocky road of an ownership tenure over the Coyotes to a close.
After being evicted from the then Gila River Arena in Glendale, the team moved to the newly built Mullett Arena, the home of the Arizona State University Hockey team, for three years.
Mullett Arena was always supposed to be a temporary home for the 'Yotes, but finding a new permanent home for the team in the Valley faced hurdles.
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Tempe voters turned down a proposal for a new arena and entertainment district for the team near Priest Drive and Rio Salado Parkway.
The team looked at other sites along the Loop 101 in Scottsdale, Tempe and Mesa before they filed to schedule the auction for a plot of land in north Phoenix.
The site was expected to be a hot commodity, as multiple bidders were expected to square off with Coyotes ownership for the land.
Just days before the expected auction, it was postponed by the State Land Department, citing paperwork needed for the project that had not been filed.
It's not clear if or when the Arizona Coyotes will return to the NHL. If they do, it would likely be under a new ownership group willing to build a new arena in the Valley.
