In 1996, the NHL arrived in the Arizona desert when the Winnipeg Jets relocated to Phoenix and became the Arizona Coyotes. What was supposed to be a new beginning quickly turned into one of the most turbulent stories in sports. From a bankruptcy battle that nearly sent the team back to Canada, to Wayne Gretzky’s failed coaching experiment, to a gambling scandal that implicated Gretzky’s wife, the Coyotes constantly battled controversy and uncertainty. Add in a decades-long arena curse, and the franchise’s struggle for survival seemed never-ending. In today’s video, we’ll look back at the rise and fall of the Arizona Coyotes.
The Move From Winnipeg
The Coyotes story actually begins in Winnipeg, Canada, where the franchise was founded in 1972 as one of the original members of the World Hockey Association. Known as the Winnipeg Jets, they became the WHA’s most successful team, winning three championships before joining the NHL as one of four WHA clubs admitted during the 1979 merger, alongside the Hartford Whalers, Edmonton Oilers, and Quebec Nordiques.
The Jets initially struggled after the NHL’s disbursement draft stripped away many of their top players, but they recovered quickly, qualifying for the playoffs 11 times over the next 15 seasons. Unfortunately, they played in the same division as two powerhouse franchises: the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames. While Calgary captured the Stanley Cup in 1989, Edmonton won five championships between 1984 and 1990 and eliminated Winnipeg from the playoffs six times during that stretch.
By the early 1990s, rising player salaries were putting significant financial pressure on many Canadian teams, especially those in smaller markets. Winnipeg was one of the league’s smallest cities and played in the aging 15,400-seat Winnipeg Arena. When the Quebec Nordiques relocated to Colorado in 1995, Winnipeg officially became the NHL’s smallest market.
Later that year, the Jets were sold to Richard Burke and Steven Gluckstern, who first attempted to relocate the franchise to Minnesota.
When negotiations to play at Minneapolis’ Target Center collapsed, they instead reached an agreement with Phoenix Suns owner Jerry Colangelo to move the club to Phoenix. In December 1995, the relocation was officially announced.
As the team prepared for its inaugural season in Arizona, fans voted on a new identity. Finalists included the Scorpions, Outlaws, Mustangs, and even “Freeze,” but the winning name was the Coyotes, a fitting symbol of the American Southwest.
The franchise’s excitement over its new home was quickly overshadowed by a major problem. Although American West Arena was one of the NBA’s newest buildings, it had been designed exclusively for basketball. Squeezing an NHL rink into the arena required extensive modifications to the lower bowl, creating awkward sightlines throughout the building. In some upper-deck sections, spectators couldn’t see nearly a third of the ice because the overhanging seats blocked the view. Those sections were eventually closed, reducing hockey capacity from roughly 18,000 to just over 16,000.
The arena’s limitations immediately sparked discussions about finding a permanent home better suited for hockey. Ironically, after leaving Winnipeg’s small arena behind, the Coyotes once again found themselves playing in one of the NHL’s smallest buildings.
Off the ice, the franchise’s financial struggles continued. In 1998, Richard Burke bought out Steven Gluckstern’s ownership stake, so that Gluckstern could pursue buying the New York Islanders. But, the Coyotes’ economic problems continued to persist. Three years later, Burke sold the club after failing to attract enough investors to stabilize its finances. The new ownership group was led by real estate developer Steve Ellman and hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, who also became the team’s head of hockey operations.
One of Ellman’s first priorities was securing a new arena. Plans to renovate American West Arena never gained momentum, so he partnered with the nearby city of Glendale to build a new hockey-specific facility. In 2001, the two sides reached an agreement for a new arena, with construction beginning in April 2002. Less than two years later, the Glendale Arena officially opened on December 26, 2003, finally giving the Coyotes a home designed specifically for NHL hockey and what many hoped would provide the franchise with a stable foundation for the future.
The Peak Before the Fall
With the move to Glendale in 2003, the Coyotes also unveiled a new identity. Their original jerseys featured a colorful Southwestern design with red, green, black, brown, beige, and purple, but the rebrand simplified the look to red, beige, and black. The team also retired its popular Kachina coyote logo in favor of a new howling coyote logo.
In 2005, Steve Ellman sold his ownership stake to Arizona Diamondbacks part-owner Jerry Moyes. Around the same time, Wayne Gretzky named himself head coach despite having no previous coaching experience. During the franchise’s first six seasons in Arizona, the Coyotes enjoyed moderate success, reaching the playoffs in every year except the 2000-01 season. However, from 2002 through 2009, the team struggled near the bottom of the standings.
During this period, the franchise also faced serious troubles off the ice. Operation Slapshot, the code name for an undercover investigation led by New Jersey State Police targeting an illegal nationwide gambling ring, became public on February 6, 2006. The investigation implicated Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach Rick Tocchet and Janet Jones, wife of Wayne Gretzky, in an illegal sports betting ring allegedly connected to organized crime. Former New Jersey state trooper James Harney, Tocchet’s alleged partner, pleaded guilty in 2006 and later received a six-year prison sentence. Tocchet pleaded guilty to conspiracy and promoting gambling in May 2007, receiving two years of probation without jail time. Gretzkyes wife never faced any criminal charges connected to the gambling ring.
The 2006-07 season was especially difficult, as Phoenix finished with the NHL’s second-worst record, ahead of only the Philadelphia Flyers. Although the team improved slightly afterward, Gretzky resigned just before the 2009-10 season. His replacement, Dave Tippett, immediately turned the franchise around, leading the Coyotes back to the playoffs for the first time since 2002. Despite the improvement, Phoenix was eliminated by the Detroit Red Wings in the first round in both 2010 and 2011.
The Coyotes reached their peak during the 2011-12 season. They captured the first division title in franchise history before defeating the Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators to reach the Western Conference Final for the first time. Their playoff run ended against the eventual Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings, who defeated Phoenix in five games. It would also mark the franchise’s last playoff appearance for seven years.
While the team was improving on the ice, its financial situation had become increasingly unstable. By late 2008, the Coyotes were in such severe financial trouble that the NHL stepped in to help pay the team’s bills, while owner Jerry Moyes gave the league partial control over financial decisions. In May 2009, the Coyotes filed for bankruptcy as Moyes attempted to sell the franchise to Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie, who intended to relocate the team to Hamilton, Ontario.
The proposed sale immediately sparked a legal battle with the NHL. Commissioner Gary Bettman opposed the move and instead worked to sell the team to Chicago White Sox and Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf. The league stripped Moyes of his remaining decision-making authority, and the bankruptcy court ultimately rejected Balsillie’s bid, ruling that it violated NHL rules. However, the court also found Reinsdorf’s offer inadequate, forcing the league to continue searching for a buyer while temporarily operating the franchise itself.
Over the next several years, the Coyotes became the center of one failed ownership bid after another. Reinsdorf and Ice Edge Holdings initially emerged as the leading candidates, but Reinsdorf eventually withdrew, leaving Ice Edge as the frontrunner. Hoping to keep the team in Arizona, the city of Glendale worked with Ice Edge on a deal that reportedly relied on local taxpayers covering future financial losses. The proposal quickly drew public criticism, and by the summer of 2010 the bid collapsed, leaving Glendale responsible for helping cover the team’s ongoing losses.
In 2011, another investment group led by Chicago businessman Matthew Hulsizer appeared close to purchasing the Coyotes. That deal also unraveled after the Goldwater Institute threatened legal action over Glendale’s proposed financial incentives for the sale, which critics argued would unfairly burden taxpayers.
Meanwhile, another potential buyer was waiting in the wings. After the original Winnipeg Jets relocated to Phoenix in 1996, Canadian businessman Mark Chipman had formed True North Sports & Entertainment with the goal of bringing the NHL back to Winnipeg. As the Coyotes’ ownership saga dragged on with no permanent solution in sight, True North stood ready to seize the opportunity if the franchise became available.
Question:
Also, although the Arizona Coyotes moved to Utah in 2025, and became the Mammoth, the NHL officially recognizes Utah as an expansion franchise, despite the Mammoth inheriting many of the same players, coaches, and hockey operations. So do you think that the Utah Mammoth should be considered a continuation of the Arizona Coyotes, or was the NHL right to treat them as a brand-new expansion franchise? Let me know in the comments below! Ok let’s get back to the video.
The End in Arizona
After years of financial instability and bankruptcy, the NHL warned that the Coyotes could be relocated if a new ownership group and arena lease were not secured by 2013. On July 2, 2013, the Glendale City Council narrowly approved a 15-year lease agreement with Renaissance Sports and Entertainment (RSE), which purchased the franchise from the NHL for $225 million a month later. The agreement appeared to secure the team’s future in Arizona, although it also contained a clause allowing the owners to relocate the franchise after five years if financial losses became too great.
On January 29, 2014, the organization announced it would officially become the Arizona Coyotes beginning with the 2014-15 season. According to team president Anthony LeBlanc, the new name better represented fans across the entire state since the team had long since moved outside Phoenix city limits. Aside from a new shoulder patch, the uniforms remained largely unchanged.
Despite the ownership change, instability continued. During the 2014-15 season, the Coyotes finished last in the Pacific Division, while disputes between the team and the City of Glendale over the arena lease created further uncertainty. In June 2015, Glendale voted to terminate the 15-year agreement, though both sides eventually reached a temporary two-year deal that allowed the Coyotes to remain at Gila River Arena.
The franchise also underwent major changes off the ice. In 2016, 26-year-old John Chayka became the youngest general manager in NHL history, while Dawn Braid was hired as the league’s first full-time female skating coach. The organization also explored plans for a new arena in Tempe, but an early proposal involving Arizona State University collapsed in 2017.
That same year, longtime captain Shane Doan was not re-signed after more than two decades with the franchise, marking the end of an era. Head coach Dave Tippett also departed after eight seasons and was replaced by Rick Tocchet, the same man who was implicated in the illegal gambling ring ten years earlier. In 2019, ownership changed once again when billionaire Alex Meruelo purchased controlling interest in the franchise, eventually becoming the team’s sole owner.
During the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, the Coyotes found themselves at the center of national controversy after selecting Mitchell Miller in the fourth round. Reports quickly resurfaced detailing Miller’s past bullying of a Black classmate with a learning disability, triggering widespread backlash. Within days, the organization renounced his draft rights in an effort to distance itself from the controversy.
The COVID-19 pandemic soon created even greater challenges. The shortened 2020-21 season featured temporary divisional realignment to reduce travel, with Arizona competing exclusively against teams in the newly formed West Division. The Coyotes finished fifth and missed the playoffs before Rick Tocchet and the organization mutually agreed to part ways. Andre Tourigny was hired as the club’s new head coach ahead of the following season.
As the team returned to the Central Division in 2021 following the arrival of the Seattle Kraken, the Coyotes’ greatest challenge shifted away from the ice. In August 2021, the City of Glendale announced it would not renew the team’s operating agreement beyond the upcoming season, forcing the franchise to find another home.
Arizona again proposed building a permanent arena in Tempe, but while negotiations continued, the organization was hit with another embarrassment in December when Gila River Arena threatened to lock the team out over more than $1 million in unpaid taxes and bills. The Coyotes quickly paid the outstanding balance, calling the issue an administrative error.
With no permanent arena ready, the franchise reached an agreement with Arizona State University to temporarily play at the newly built 5,000-seat Mullett Arena beginning in the 2022-23 season. On April 29, 2022, the Coyotes played their final game at Gila River Arena, defeating the Nashville Predators 5-4 before moving into what became the NHL’s smallest arena. Their first game at Mullett Arena came on October 28, when a sellout crowd of 4,600 watched Arizona lose 3-2 in overtime to the Winnipeg Jets.
The Coyotes hoped Mullett Arena would be only a temporary stop while a permanent home was built in Tempe. However, those hopes were dashed in May 2023 when Tempe residents overwhelmingly rejected the proposed $2.1 billion entertainment district that would have included a new arena. Other potential locations around the Phoenix area also failed to gain traction, leaving the franchise without a long-term home and fueling growing speculation that the NHL’s long and difficult experiment in Arizona might finally be coming to an end.
The Move To Utah
On April 10, 2024, reports emerged that the Coyotes were pursuing relocation to Salt Lake City with the NHL’s approval. Concerns over indefinite arena timelines and the limitations of Mullett Arena prompted decisive action. The NHL purchased the franchise and resold it to Ryan Smith, owner of the Utah Jazz and co-owner of Major League Soccer’s Real Salt Lake, for a reported $1.2 billion. Of that amount, $1 billion went to Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo, with the remainder distributed to the NHL’s other 31 owners as a relocation fee. Renovations at the Delta Center, home of the Jazz, were planned to accommodate NHL play.
The team’s sale and relocation were formally communicated to players and staff on April 12, 2024, ahead of a 3–2 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers. Five days later, the Coyotes played their final game at Mullett Arena, a 5–2 victory against the same Oilers team, accompanied by an emotional farewell from fans. Longtime equipment manager Stan Wilson, a franchise fixture since its Winnipeg Jets origins in 1996, received heartfelt recognition, and players spent over an hour on the ice giving away merchandise and signing memorabilia.
In an unbelievable story, the team’s legendary captain Shane Doan had his jersey number retired in a ceremony in 2019, but when the Coyotes left Gila River Arena in 2022, the team left the banner behind. Apparently staff members of the arena decided to throw the banner away rather than preserve it. Fortunately, a fan named Matthew Jacobson was able to recover the banner from a dumpster. Doan was then reunited with the banner during the teams’ final game at Mullet Arena, ensuring that the team’s legacy was honored. The sale and relocation were officially approved the next day, rendering the franchise inactive pending the creation of a new arena.
The Utah club was officially classified as an expansion team, not a direct continuation of the Coyotes. Smith acquired player contracts, draft picks, and hockey operations, while the Coyotes franchise remained dormant under Meruelo, who retained intellectual property and franchise rights, including the history of the Winnipeg Jets. A five-year window was granted to reactivate the team in Arizona; failure to secure a new arena would result in permanent cessation of the franchise. The NHL Board of Governors approved the expansion to Utah on April 18, 2024, raising the total number of NHL teams to 33, contingent upon the Coyotes’ eventual reactivation.
The new team, initially branded simply as the “Utah Hockey Club,” underwent a fan-driven naming process. Multiple potential names, including Mammoth, Yeti, Outlaws, and Fury, were submitted for public consideration. In May 2025, the franchise officially adopted the Utah Mammoth identity, unveiling new logos and uniforms in black, blue, and white, with a primary “Mountain Mammoth” logo inspired by the Wasatch Mountains. Home jerseys featured the mammoth emblem, while road uniforms retained a diagonal “Utah” wordmark.
Meanwhile, Meruelo formally relinquished rights to the franchise and its intellectual property in July 2024, ending his pursuit of reactivation. In 2025, Maricopa County formed an advisory panel led by Andrea Doan to explore the return of professional hockey to Phoenix. The NHL has expressed interest in reestablishing a team in the region, supported by fan enthusiasm and player polls. While the original Arizona Coyotes concluded their tenure in 2024, the groundwork for future hockey in the state remains a focal point for both local stakeholders and the league.
On September 24, 2026, the NHL officially reclassified the Coyotes as a 1996 expansion franchise. As part of the change, the league transferred the original Winnipeg Jets’ history and records to the current Winnipeg Jets franchise, which had previously entered the NHL as the Atlanta Thrashers in 1999 and then moved to Winnipeg after True North Sports & Entertainment bought the team in 2011. The NHL’s decision effectively put the Coyotes franchise into dormancy. While Utah inherited the team’s hockey assets, the Coyotes’ history from 1996 to 2024 remains preserved as its own inactive franchise, leaving open the possibility that the Coyotes could one day be revived as an NHL team in Arizona.
The story of the Arizona Coyotes is one of constant uncertainty. From their beginnings as the Winnipeg Jets to decades of arena issues, ownership changes, and financial instability in Arizona, the franchise never quite found lasting stability. Despite brief moments of on-ice success and a loyal fan base, the Coyotes were repeatedly overshadowed by off-ice problems. And after years of failed arena proposals and temporary homes, eventually the NHL approved the team’s move to Utah, bringing the Coyotes era to an end. While the franchise is gone for now, few teams have experienced a journey as chaotic, controversial, and unforgettable as the Arizona Coyotes.
If you enjoyed this post, check out my article on the original Winnipeg Jets, where I explore how a small market, financial struggles, and rising player salaries led to the franchise’s relocation to Phoenix in 1996, where they became the Arizona Coyotes. As always, please like and subscribe if you haven’t already, and thanks for reading!
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