Last week the Arizona Coyotes were dealt a blow in their efforts to build a new $2.3 billion entertainment district that would also include a brand new arena for the Coyotes.
Voters in Tempe, Arizona, comprehensively voted no on a ballot initiative for the new entertainment district that would have been a lifeline for the hockey team.
While all hope isn’t lost, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman didn’t sound too optimistic about a change in the city of Tempe’s decision.
“The National Hockey League is terribly disappointed by the results of the public referendum regarding the Coyotes arena project in Tempe. We are going to review with the Coyotes what the options might be going forward.”
The announcement also started a bit of an unexpected Twitter spat. Although one-sided at the moment, it’s still something to monitor.
Kansas City Mayor And Patrick Mahomes Suggest Team Move To K.C., Coyotes Social Media Director Responds
Upon hearing the Coyotes were having trouble securing an arena deal, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and reigning NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes took to Twitter to tell them to come to Missouri.
Lucas was at it first thing Wednesday morning with this tweet.
“Good morning, KC, surrounds, and Gary Bettman.”
Mahomes tweeted this later in the afternoon, sort of piggybacking on what Lucas did earlier:
Those tweets didn’t sit well Phoenix Sports social media director Makayla Perkins, who used the opportunity to take a very lame and unnecessary dig at Mahomes’ brother Jackson’s legal troubles.
“Maybe you should focus on keeping your little brother out of jail and less on our team.”
Her response while defending her team was totally out of line, when all Mahomes did was say hey, if y’all can’t find a home for them we have one in K.C. for them.
Perkins didn’t stop there, as she changed her Twitter profile pic to this:
Coyotes Play In Smallest Arena In NHL
The Coyotes, who began play in Arizona as the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996, saw their lease at Gila River Arena in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale end following the 2021-22 season, and the city decided to end its relationship with the team. With nowhere to play, in February 2022 the Coyotes announced a partnership with Arizona State University to use their hockey facility in Tempe.
Mullett Arena holds only 5,025 fans, and that would shrink even more for hockey. And it’d be three times smaller than any other NHL arena. As of now the Coyotes are slated to play there for at least three or four years.
Previously the Winnipeg Jets, the Coyotes haven’t endured much to cheer about since their 1996 arrival in the Valley of the Sun.
A record of 882-898 with 196 ties doesn’t exactly scream success.
