Can Phoenix be home to the Coyotes? What City Council members are saying

Any question of whether the Coyotes hockey team could end up in Phoenix comes down to one person: Suns owner Mat Ishbia.

Conversations are swirling over whether the hockey franchise could move into downtown Phoenix’s Footprint Center, where the Suns basketball team plays. That notion gained traction within hours of Tempe voters overwhelmingly rejecting a proposal to build a hockey arena and entertainment district.

Tuesday’s election results have left the sports team with no permanent place to call home. The Coyotes have temporarily been playing at the Arizona State University’s Mullett Arena. Xavier Gutierrez, Coyotes president and CEO, said Wednesday the team is committed to Arizona and has “already started re-engaging with local officials and sites to solidify a new permanent home in the Valley.”

State Sen. T.J. Shope quickly weighed in after the election results were announced.

“Alright @MayorGallego, it’s time for you to save our @NHL franchise and the only way to do so is working with @Mishbia15 on bringing @FootprintCNTR in to line as being a potential home for the @ArizonaCoyotes,” Shope posted to Twitter.

The idea of a joint basketball-hockey arena was last floated in 2016, when Phoenix wanted the Coyotes and engaged in a tug-of-war against Glendale over the team. Former Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton said in his fifth state of the city address, “I, as mayor, will do everything I can to pursue a course that makes a new facility home to the Suns, the Mercury and the Coyotes.”

Former Suns Owner Robert Sarver wasn’t interested, though, and killed the possibility.

After the Coyotes project was rejected in Tempe, some Phoenix City Council members expressed interest in starting the discussions anew.

“I woke up this morning thinking, ‘Should we reconfigure the Suns stadium?'” said Councilman Jim Waring, whose district oversees northeast Phoenix. “We are now a potential lifeboat” for the team, he added.

Waring has been a notoriously vocal critic of taxpayer-funded sporting arenas and voted against renovating the Footprint Center for the Suns in 2019, which cost the city $230 million.

Since the arena already exists though, it may be worthwhile to welcome the Coyotes and “maximize the investment … if it pencils out,” Waring said. “We may get some tax revenue from this from extra games.

Councilman Kevin Robinson of north central Phoenix said, “Under the right set of circumstances, I’d love to see it happen.” By Wednesday afternoon, Robinson said he had requested information from City Manager Jeff Barton to discuss the prospect.

Mayor Kate Gallego, through a spokesperson, said, “Should the Coyotes be interested in working together to find a solution for them to keep playing in the Valley, I’m happy to discuss potential options with them.”

Councilwoman Debra Stark said she wasn’t supportive of the Coyotes coming to Phoenix, citing concerns over the potential costs.

‘Best of luck’:Glendale, Coyotes officials react after Tempe voters reject hockey arena deal

Councilmember Ann O’Brien said she loves hockey, “but I’m not sure we have a place for them to play at this time. I’m sure our economic development department is open to a conversation.”

Councilmembers Laura Pastor and Yassamin Ansari did not respond to requests for comment. Councilmembers Betty Guardado and Kesha Hodge Washington declined to comment.

Regardless of what City Council members want, the decision may ultimately lie with Ishbia and Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo.

Phoenix communications director Dan Wilson said if the Coyotes wanted to come to the Footprint Center it would be a business decision for the Suns because the team operates the facility. The Coyotes would be a tenant to the Suns, which the city would support, Wilson said.

The sports teams would need to privately pay for renovations to accommodate the Coyotes, though, Wilson said.

The renovations would be considered a “tenant improvement,” meaning the teams would need to seek approval from the city’s Economic Development Director Chris Mackay, not the City Council, because of the way the lease agreement between the city and the team was crafted, Wilson said.

Barton, the city manager, has “no intention” to ask the City Council for public money to fund arena renovations, Wilson added.

A representative for the Suns said Wednesday that the team had not yet had any conversations with the Coyotes or the National Hockey League about the usage of Footprint Center.

(Written by Reporter Taylor Seely covers Phoenix City Hall for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at tseely@arizonarepublic.com, by phone at 480-476-6116, or on Twitter @taylorseely95.)