It’s official. The Arizona Coyotes are no more. The team has been sold to Ryan Smith, who will relocate the team to Salt Lake City, Utah, effective immediately. Here are things you need to know about the relocation.
Ryan Smith Is Dedicated
Smith has been lobbying for an NHL franchise for a while. And now, he gets one.
The native of Eugene, Oregon, has owned the NBA’s Utah Jazz since 2020 and has been eager to expand the sports life of Salt Lake City. He knows the citizens will make sure the team is supported, even though the city has never been home to another professional major league sports team.
“The one thing I do know about Utah is, people show up,” Smith said. “We just had the NCAA Tournament here for basketball, and the entire arena was full. It’s just different. It’s just different here. I mean, [the Jazz have] 291 straight sellout games at the Delta Center. I think every concert that’s come into town has sold out. It’s just what we do. We show up. I have a lot of faith in the people of Utah.”
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Smith built up his name by founding Qualtrics with his brother Jared and his father Scott; the company creates customer and employee experience feedback software. Since then, he’s purchased the Jazz with his wife Ashley, along with investing in MLS’s Real Salt Lake.
Smith has a lot of work to do after purchasing the Coyotes. The first thing that will have to be solved is the Delta Center. The arena is not currently hockey-friendly, only seating around 10,000 for the NHL preseason games that have been played there. Smith is planning on doing something different when he renovates the arena. He still wants the fans to be as close as possible to the action when they’re watching basketball, but he wants his new hockey fans to feel the same way.
“We want to actually use our arena and really spend time creating the best dual-sport arena that exists out there because we want to keep people as close as we possibly can or as vertical as we possibly can to watch both games,” Smith said. “… How do we maintain that while making it really cool and innovative for hockey? And it’s super fun and challenging, but we’re going to do it.”
That thinking is probably one of the reasons why NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and the board of governors want Smith on their team. His creative thinking and devotion to the fans are like no other. His persistence is what got him a dinner with Bettman almost a year ago.
In terms of branding, the Smiths will partner with Doubleday & Cartwright: a creative studio that has also partnered with companies like Apple and Nike. Smith doesn’t want to rush the design process, so he has stated that the new team will most likely play with “Utah” on front of their jerseys.
“We’ll start with ‘Utah’ on the jersey, and we’ll figure out the logo and everything else and what it is that we are,” Smith said. “But that’s a one-way door. You get to do it once. And with this timeline, I think both the League feels better and we feel better to just run the process, and then we’ll drop it when we drop it.”
One thing is for certain, though. Smith is dedicated to winning. He is passionate and will most likely give whoever his hockey operations staff is full reign over spending in free agency. He wants to bring a championship to Utah, and he made it clear when he got the team.
“We are committed to building a Stanley Cup contending team and are thrilled to welcome incredible players, coaches, staff, and their families to Utah,” Smith said. “Today is a great day for Utah, for hockey, and for building a legacy that will have a lasting impact for generations to come.”
Alex Meruelo Has Failed Arizona
Five years after saying he is committed to keeping the franchise in Arizona, Alex Meruelo has sold the team to be relocated to Salt Lake City. With the move, he has broken the trust of fans.
In the deal, Meruelo officially keeps the rights to the branding, logo, name, and records of the Coyotes. He also gets a five-year window to reactivate the franchise as an expansion team if certain stipulations are met. The main one is a new arena. Two weeks ago, the team announced their commitment to building a new arena in North Phoenix. Meruelo plans to continue to bid for the parcel of land.
“I agree with Commissioner Gary Bettman and the National Hockey League, that it is simply unfair to continue to have our players, coaches, hockey front office, and the NHL teams they compete against spend several more years playing in an arena that is not suited for NHL hockey,” said Meruelo. “But this is not the end for NHL hockey in Arizona. I have negotiated the right to reactivate the team within the next five years, and have retained ownership of the beloved Coyotes name, brand and logo. I remain committed to this community and to building a first-class sports arena and entertainment district without seeking financial support from the public.”
The failed Tempe arena deal was where the NHL lost a lot of faith in Meruelo. Despite the potential entertainment district plan looking like a slam dunk with no money being taken from taxpayers and the arena cleaning up a toxic landfill, Meruelo failed to create a strong campaign that would relay the positives the project would do. The opposition, however, created a deceitful and dirty campaign that ultimately was effective. It was one of the biggest failures in the Coyotes’ time in Arizona.
This New Utah Team Will Be Good
The one good thing that Meruelo did during his time in Arizona was build good hockey operations. Now, that will be moving to Utah. It starts at the general manager position with Bill Armstrong. He has created a team that can be deadly next season.
When Armstrong joined the Coyotes, there were already pieces like Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, and Lawson Crouse. Since then, through drafting, trades, signings, and waiver claims, he’s created a talented young team that features the likes of Logan Cooley, Josh Doan, Matias Maccelli, Dylan Guenther, Sean Durzi, Nick Bjugstad, and J.J. Moser.
Another player that Armstrong has picked up is Connor Ingram, one of the goaltenders for the team. Ingram has visited Salt Lake City before on road trips and is excited for his new adventure, even though he will miss Arizona.
“I’m not going to lie to you,” Ingram said. “I really like Salt Lake City. We stop every year on the drive in. I had an Airbnb booked in Sundance for the drive home. I’m excited for Salt Lake City. I will miss Arizona, but I think if you’re going to move, it’s a good place to go.”
Despite “Salt Lake sucks” chants from the Coyotes’ crowd on Wednesday, the players are interested and excited for the opportunity in their new city that lies before them. Smith will make sure the transition is as seamless as possible. On top of visiting the staff and team on Thursday, his main goal is getting the team acclimated to Salt Lake City. He wants them to see that he has all the right intentions and introduce them to the community.
“There’s a good roster and a lot of young talent, and we’ve got to onboard those people into Smith Entertainment Group and show them what that means and what that’s like,” Smith said. “I think that’s a good opportunity for us. [We need to] introduce them to the state of Utah and also bring the community together to receive them, and that’s what we want to do.”
He has also promised to build community rinks in Utah, similar to what the most recent expansion teams, the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken, have done. It’s a sign Smith is committed to growing the sport. It’s already paid off, as Smith announced that Utah collected over 6,000 season-ticket deposits in the first two hours of sales after purchasing the Coyotes.
The NHL is excited to have the Smiths in the league and to bring the league to Salt Lake City. While there is currently a whole fanbase hurting in Arizona, it was time for the league to take action after years of uncertainty. Bettman confirmed that by stating the league’s faith in Arizona has never wavered. However, he and the league are now looking towards the future, and the future is in Salt Lake City.
“As everyone knows, Utah is a vibrant and thriving state, and we are thrilled to be a part of it,” Bettman said. “We are also delighted to welcome Ashley and Ryan Smith to the NHL family and know they will be great stewards of the game in Utah. We thank them for working so collaboratively with the League to resolve a complex situation in this unprecedented and beneficial way.”
Bettman will meet with Meruelo and the media in Phoenix on Friday morning. Bettman will then fly to Salt Lake City and meet with the Smiths and the media on Friday evening.
