By AZ Family
MESA, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — As the Arizona Coyotes consider the next steps regarding where their team will be based, Arizona’s Family has learned that the team has its eyes now set on Mesa.
Sources within the City of Mesa tell Arizona’s Family political editor Dennis Welch that the NHL team reached out on Wednesday after the loss of a public referendum in Tempe that would have created a new entertainment venue between the Mill Avenue district and Phoenix Sky Harbor airport. Details are still extremely limited on how far the talks have gone or if Mesa would consider such a proposal. Still, any potential arena deal is likely to require a public vote and put forth another referendum and a potential special election.
In the meantime, the Coyotes have announced that they would play at Mullett Arena in Tempe as they battle a tough loss of what would have been one of the largest sports deals in the state’s history. The Coyotes had played this past season at Mullett Arena in Tempe, sharing the brand-new 5,000-seat complex with the Arizona State University Sun Devils, and have a contract to play there through the 2024-2025 season.