Report: Arizona Coyotes Considering Relocation To Seattle Or Portland
PHOENIX (WWJ/AP) — A report from the Glendale Star surfaced Tuesday, saying officials with the Arizona Coyotes franchise have been touring arenas in Seattle and Portland as potential landing spots if relocation is decided upon.
The Coyotes have played at Gila River Arena in Glendale since 2003.
The Coyotes currently play in the taxpayer-funded arena but the team and the city of Glendale have been at odds over their contract for several years, with the city cancelling the contract in 2015 then agreeing to an interim deal.
Coyotes President Anthony LeBlanc said in a statement that the team is focused on staying in metro Phoenix and "Glendale simply is no longer an option."
Arizona State University and the Coyotes previously had a deal to share a new hockey arena near the university's Tempe campus, but the university backed out of that agreement last week.
The team and ASU had announced in November a plan to build a 19,000-seat arena to be shared by the university and the Coyotes and set a June deadline for finalizing a deal.
The Coyotes signed a new 15-year, $225 million arena lease deal with the city of Glendale in 2013, but the City Council voted to terminate the lease in 2015. The sides agreed to a restructured lease agreement last July to keep the team in Glendale for two more seasons.
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