Could Arizona soon lose another hockey team?
According to a report, Alex Meruelo, owner of the Tucson Roadrunners and likely former owner of the Arizona Coyotes brand, plans to move the Roadrunners to Reno, Nevada, when a new arena for the American Hockey League franchise is completed.
The report, from Sportico’s Barry M. Bloom, said: “Meruelo told his staff on Monday that he will no longer seek to build a new stadium to house the (NHL’s) Coyotes in the Phoenix area, and that the franchise should disband within a month. Meruelo will retain the minor league Roadrunners, who will now play their entire home schedule in Tucson, Arizona, before eventually moving to a new stadium when it is completed in Reno, Nevada.”
More NHL:Alex Meruelo’s reaction to Arizona Coyotes ownership report: Is it good news for the NHL in the state?
The Roadrunners, who have served as the Coyotes’ minor league team, play at the Tucson Convention Center Arena.
Earlier this week, the team announced that all 36 of its games next season would be played at its home in Tucson after it was reported that six of the Roadrunners’ games would be played at Mullett Arena in Tempe after the Coyotes vacated the venue following their relocation to Utah.
After selling the Arizona Coyotes franchise assets to move them to Utah, Meruelo reached a deal with the NHL that would have given him the opportunity to bring back the Coyotes franchise as an NHL expansion team if he could build a suitable arena within five years. Meruelo retained the Coyotes brand as part of the deal.
More hockey:The Tucson Roadrunners won’t be at Tempe’s Mullett Arena after all.
PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reported Monday that Meruelo was ending his search for a new arena for the NHL franchise and stepping away from team ownership.
Bloom reported that Meruelo was expected to return the NHL team’s naming rights and branding to the league, writing: “Meruelo is expected to return the team’s trademarks, logo, name and rights in the Phoenix area to the NHL, which it retained in April when the NHL facilitated the sale of the franchise.”
Last year, Meruelo announced plans for a 10,000-seat stadium in Reno as part of an entertainment complex in the city, with the stadium described as “the centerpiece of this visionary project is a state-of-the-art stadium, designed to host various events such as concerts, special events, basketball games and other sports, with a seating capacity of over 10,000 The stadium will span approximately 300,000 square feet and offer contemporary amenities, including premium hospitality suites and clubs.”
Related:Deal will keep Roadrunners playing in Tucson for at least 3 more years
The Roadrunners have been playing at the 6,500-plus-seat Tucson Arena on TCC’s downtown campus since 2016 and typically draw about 4,000 fans per game.
The team is expected to begin playing in Reno as early as fall 2026, when the new facility is completed.
Last month, the Rio Neuvo board approved a new financial agreement aimed at keeping the Roadrunners playing in Tucson for at least three more years, and the Arizona Daily Star reported that “the board voted to pay half of the rent and approximately 18 months of mandate”. costs (amounts that would amount annually to about $180,000 and $60,000, respectively) to attract the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League to continue playing the majority of their games at the Tucson Convention Center for the next three years or further “.
Charles Borla wrote in his Star article: “The team has ‘felt the love they feel in Tucson,’ Roadrunners president Bob Hoffman told the board. He said the team owners want to ‘continue to consider “Tucson as your home.”
Sportico’s report now appears to cast doubt on that claim and the future of all professional hockey in Arizona.
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Contact Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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