Arizona Coyotes

Arizona Coyotes
Founded	1972
History	Winnipeg Jets 1972–1979 (WHA) 1979–1996 (NHL) Phoenix Coyotes 1996–2014 Arizona Coyotes 2014–2024
Home arena	America West Arena (1996–2003) Gila River Arena (2003–2022) Mullett Arena (2022–2024)
Team colors	Process black, brick red, forest green, sand, sienna, purple[1][2]
Stanley Cups	0
Conference championships	0
Presidents' Trophy	0
Division championships	1 (2011-12)
Official website	www.nhl.com/coyotes

The Arizona Coyotes were a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area, which competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and the Pacific Division (1998–2020) in the Western Conference, and the West Division (2020–2021). They played at America West Arena (now Footprint Center) in downtown Phoenix from 1996 to 2003, at Glendale's Gila River Arena (now Desert Diamond Arena) from 2003 to 2022, and at Mullett Arena in Tempe from 2022 to 2024.

The organization was established on December 27, 1971, as the Winnipeg Jets, a charter franchise of the World Hockey Association (WHA). After seven WHA seasons they were one of four organizations enfranchised by the NHL on June 22, 1979, when the WHA ceased operations. Due to financial troubles, the Jets were sold to American owners who moved the team to Phoenix on July 1, 1996, where they were renamed the Phoenix Coyotes. The franchise was renamed the Arizona Coyotes on June 27, 2014. Alex Meruelo became the majority owner on July 29, 2019, later becoming the franchise's sole owner following the arrest of minority owner Andrew Barroway.

The team failed to gain long-term stability despite the relocation to the state of Arizona, enduring multiple changes in ownership and struggling for a profitable arena for home games. The NHL took over the Phoenix Coyotes franchise in 2009 when then-owner Jerry Moyes gave up the team after filing for bankruptcy. The NHL maintained control of the franchise until 2013 when they found new ownership willing to keep it in Arizona. Despite a difficult working relationship with the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, the Coyotes were able to secure a year-to-year arrangement to play in the facility up until the end of the 2021–22 season. Negotiations with the city deteriorated, and the team subsequently signed an agreement to play their games at Mullett Arena on the campus of Arizona State University, starting with the 2022–23 season. The arrangement was intended to be brief, lasting only until a new arena was built in Tempe, but the arena proposal was rejected by the city's residents in May 2023.

Amid growing pressure to resolve the arena situation and to find an alternative to a college arena considered too small even for temporary use, the Coyotes suspended hockey operations following the conclusion of the 2023–24 season. In a deal brokered by the NHL, the Coyotes were essentially split in half. The team's hockey assets (players, staff and draft picks) were moved to Salt Lake City for the creation of the Utah Hockey Club owned by Ryan Smith, while the Coyotes name, history and other intellectual property were retained by Meruelo, who in exchange intended to build a new arena in Arizona by 2029. Meruelo had hoped to win a parcel of land at an auction in June 2024, but the auction was canceled. Meruelo subsequently left the franchise and abandoned his efforts to revive the Coyotes. If the team folds outright, it will be the first in the four major North American sports leagues to do so since the Cleveland Barons in 1978.