Former Arizona Coyotes franchise kicking off first season in Utah
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The Utah Hockey Club, formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes. Photo: Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
For Valley hockey fans, the sports equivalent of wondering what your ex is up to means checking on how our departed Arizona Coyotes are getting along in Salt Lake City as the 2024-2025 NHL season begins.
The big picture: The Utah Hockey Club, formerly the Arizona Coyotes, kicks off its inaugural NHL season Tuesday.
- The team will host the Chicago Blackhawks at Salt Lake City's Delta Center at 7pm.
Why it matters: For the first time since 1995, the NHL is opening its season without a team in Arizona.
Catch up quick: Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo sold the team in April to Ashley and Ryan Smith, who own the Utah Jazz.
- The relocation was prompted by Tempe voters' rejection of a plan that would have given the team big property tax breaks to build an entertainment district near Tempe Town Lake. Had the project passed, it would have been anchored by a new Coyotes arena.
Zoom in: Teams often pick new names when they relocate — before coming to Phoenix, the Coyotes were the Winnipeg Jets — and Salt Lake City's new team plans to do the same.
- Fans chose six finalists: the Blizzard, Mammoth, Outlaws, Venom, Yeti and the Utah Hockey Club (Utah HC).
- The team is expected to choose a permanent name after this season, and Utah player Clayton Keller told NHL.com last month: "It sounds like it's going to be the Yeti, but I don't know."
What's next: Meruelo retained the rights to the Coyotes' name and branding, with a five-year window to establish a new team in the Valley.
- He eyed a plot of state trust land in north Phoenix as the site of a possible new arena, but the Arizona State Land Department canceled a planned auction for the parcel in June.
- Meruelo officially relinquished his team rights to the NHL in July.
- Since, Phoenix Suns and Mercury owner Mat Ishbia has expressed interest in helping bring a new NHL team to the Valley.
Reality check: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told Sports Business Journal he believes Arizona could again be home to a team and that they've "heard from people," but the league isn't actively pursuing anything.
- And "the arena situation would have to be solved" before the league looked at any possibilities, he noted.