The Arizona Coyotes franchise has been quicksand since moving from Winnipeg at the start of the 1996-97 NHL season. Whether the dilemmas surrounded management, team success, or their home state, it felt like professional hockey was never meant to be in the Grand Canyon State. After 27 seasons in Arizona, the Coyotes have become the Utah Hockey Club. This upcoming season will be Utah’s inaugural year in the NHL, playing at the Delta Center. While the move leaves Arizona’s up-and-coming ice hockey community distraught, let us review the Coyotes’ most memorable moments at their short-lived home ice of Mullett Arena.
Arena History
Before making the move to play at Mullett Arena in Tempe, the Coyotes played in Glendale at Gila River Arena (now Desert Diamond Arena) for 17 years (2004-2021). Before that, Arizona played in Phoenix at America West Arena (now the Footprint Center) for six years (1997-2003).
In August 2021, the city of Glendale decided to end leasing Gila River Arena to the Coyotes. leading up to the decision, former Coyotes’ owner Alex Meruelo was operating on a year-to-year lease with Glendale. Scrambling to find other venue options to play at for the 2022-23 season, the Coyotes and Arizona State University came together to build Mullett Arena. The 5,000-seat multi-purpose venue was Arizona’s temporary solution to keep the Coyotes in town while they explored other sites for a permanent home. Meruelo’s management invested nearly $20,000,000 to help construct Mullett. Today, Mullett Arena is home to ASU’s NCAA Division 1 ice hockey team and the Phoenix Suns’ NBA G League team, the Valley Suns.
Unfortunately for Coyotes fans, the franchise’s recent efforts (Tempe Entertainment District and land auction cancelation) failed to pan out.
On the other side, Utah’s owner Ryan Smith will bring the second major league sports franchise to Salt Lake City. Smith’s NBA team, the Utah Jazz, offers over 18,000 seats at the Delta Center. The NHL hopes to have a 17,000-seat capacity this upcoming season at the Delta Center.
Opening Night at Mullett Arena: Oct. 28, 2022 vs. the Winnipeg Jets
After opening the 2022-23 season with a six-game road trip, Mullett Arena opened its doors for NHL hockey. The Coyotes took on the Winnipeg Jets in a thrilling game that went to overtime. Coyotes forward Christian Fischer scored the first two goals in Mullett Arena’s history in the first period. The…
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