Coyotes on ‘precipice’ of announcing location organization will focus on for new arena

The Arizona Coyotes are close to announcing a location the organization will focus on for its new arena, president and CEO Xavier Gutierrez told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Friday.

Gutierrez said the Coyotes have looked at multiple locations but have a good sense which direction they are going months after Tempe voters rejected plans to build an entertainment district back in May.

“It comes from the requirements that were imposed on us by the NHL that we find a location and pursue a path that would not subject us to a public referendum vote, and really that has squared in finding a piece of land that that is zoned for an arena so we can still move forward,” Gutierrez said.

“We still envision this to be a landmark project, privately funded, we’re gonna buy the land and build the buildings and maintain them ourselves like we’ve said all along,” he added.

TSN’s Darren Dreger reported on Dec. 5 the Coyotes were “finalizing the purchase” of land within Phoenix after PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reported the team planned to pursue a plot in northeast Phoenix near the Scottsdale border.

Gutierrez told Burns & Gambo after the Tempe vote the Coyotes remained “committed to finding a location in the Valley, specifically in the East Valley.”

He said on Friday the goal remains to have a deal done by the end of the season.

“We did commit to the NHL that by the end of this season we would have this in place,” Gutierrez said. “But the first step is to just make that public announcement of saying ‘Here’s the location, here’s the project, here’s the deal,’ and then get it done and closed by the end of the season. That’s still our timeline.”

For the time being, the Coyotes remain at Arizona State’s Mullett Arena, which has provided a unique fan experience close to the action in a 5,000-seat venue. The Coyotes are 12-7 at home this year.

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