(Photo via Arizona Coyotes)
By Paulina Pineda | Arizona Republic
The NHL’s Arizona Coyotes will play their last year in Glendale’s Gila River arena this year.
The Arizona Coyotes submitted a bid to transform 46 acres of land near Tempe Town Lake into an arena and entertainment district, a move that was highly anticipated especially as the team searches for a new home.
“We remain incredibly excited about this extraordinary opportunity,” the team said in a statement Thursday confirming it had submitted a proposal. The team said it could not comment further.
The National Hockey League team, owned by billionaire Alex Meruelo since 2019, has been in talks with Tempe for at least two years to secure an East Valley venue.
The stakes in bringing a Tempe deal to fruition got higher for the Coyotes last month when Glendale announced it wouldn’t renew the team’s lease at Gila River Arena after the upcoming season, which runs from October to April. The Coyotes have called Glendale home since 2003.
Tempe said it received one bid from Bluebird Development by the 3 p.m. Thursday deadline.
