Arizona Coyotes are no more. Here's how AZ lost its NHL hockey team

Arizona Coyotes are no more. Here's how AZ lost its NHL hockey team

By Amanda Luberto

For the first time in nearly three decades, Arizona is not gearing up for hockey season.

It's not that fans have lost interest; it's that they no longer have a team to gear up for. At the end of the 2023-2024 season, the Arizona Coyotes announced their relocation to Salt Lake City ending professional hockey in the state. The National Hockey League's Board of Governors unanimously voted to approve the sale of the team to Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith.

This wasn't the first time the Coyotes had dealt with ownership instability or rumors of relocation. The team has been riddled with complications since they arrived in 1997.

So why was this the time that it actually happened?

Remembering desert hockey: Greatest memories from Phoenix and Arizona Coyotes history

This week on Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we sit down with Craig Morgan, a senior writer for PHNX Sports and All City Network, who broke the story of the Coyotes relocating to Utah. From burned bridges and surprising elections, we take a peek at how the team's complex history led them to leave Arizona, and predict when fans can once again expect hockey in the desert.

Final thoughts:

The departure of the Arizona Coyotes marks the end of an era for hockey in the state, leaving fans wondering when, or if, professional hockey will return to the desert. The team's relocation to Salt Lake City is a reminder of the delicate balance between ownership, city support, and fan loyalty. While this chapter may be closed, the passion of Arizona's hockey fans suggests that this may not be the last we hear of the sport in the state. Until then, we'll be keeping an eye on any puck drops in the future and hoping for the day when hockey makes its way back to Arizona.