Back in early May, Coyotes president and CEO Anthony LeBlanc said he’d be “shocked if we get to the draft on June 24 without a significant announcement in regards to the new arena.”
Well, today is June 24, and yesterday the Coyotes made an announcement about their new arena.
Sort of.
Per Arizona Sports, the Coyotes have apparently picked a site to build the rink, but they were still “working through the legal documentation of the real estate agreement.”
More from the report:
LeBlanc declined to provide any other details, or name the site, but the previously reported potential sites include one at the intersection of the 101 and 202 freeways just north of Tempe Marketplace, one on the campus of Arizona State University on its newly-created athletic district where Karsten Golf Course currently sits, one along the 101 corridor in Scottsdale — across from Talking Stick Resort — and downtown, although Suns owner Robert Sarver is a major stumbling block to a Phoenix site.
The Coyotes’ lease in Glendale only runs through next season, and they’ve been adamant they won’t be staying at their current home any longer than they have to.
More details could be coming today, so stay tuned.
Update:
Coyotes CEO Anthony LeBlanc had preliminary talks with AEG about extending lease 2 more years at Gila River Arena while new arena is built.
— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) June 24, 2016
Anthony LeBlanc says arena financing will likely be public/private but more than 50% of funding will be privately financed by Coyotes.
— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) June 24, 2016
LeBlanc also notes there is a backup plan if this plan does not pan out.
— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) June 24, 2016