Gary Bettman seems fine with a 5000 seat arena for the Arizona Coyotes; Suns reject arena-sharing idea

While on ESPN's The Point on Friday, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman commented on the Arizona Coyotes' arena situation, and the possibility of them playing in ASU's 5,000-seat venue.

The Coyotes need to vacate Gila River Arena by the end of June 2022 after the City of Glendale opted to not renew their lease beyond this season. Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo is determined to keep the team in Arizona, with an arena proposal for the City of Tempe currently being examined by city council.

It would likely take at least four years for a new arena to be built, so in the meantime, the Coyotes will need a temporary home and that may be Arizona State University's rink which only holds 5,000 fans. It would be the smallest rink in the NHL by far, but given that it's only a temporary solution, Bettman said that he doesn't really have any issues with the team playing there.

"It's not a permanent solution," Bettman said. "As long as it's only temporary, I think fans can have a lot of fun with it. [Coyotes owner] Alex Meruelo is committed to getting a new arena. He's very focused on [building one in] Tempe, which is the right place for the arena to be. And since [the City of] Glendale decided, because he wouldn't sign a 20-year lease [in their venue], that they weren't going to renew his lease beyond this year, and the Phoenix Suns aren't cooperating because they don't want them playing in their building because I assume they'd like to get them out of town, this is what we're confronted with."

He added, "But the opportunity, particularly with the possibility of a new arena in Tempe, really will solidify that market, which is a good hockey market, just ask [Scottsdale native] Auston Matthews. So sometimes you have to look at the long term and not look at the short term. And think about the 5,000 people, the type of intimate experience they are going to have."

Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports explained that local media have known for some time that the owner of the NBA's Suns doesn't want to share an arena with the Coyotes. However, Bettman's reasoning for it seems suspect. Several NBA and NHL teams share arenas throughout the United States, as well as by the Toronto Raptors and Maple Leafs.

Source: ESPN

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