NHL commissioner Gary Bettman recently met with a newly formed committee of Maricopa County “political and business leaders” interested in pursuing an expansion franchise to bring the league back to the Arizona market, former Coyotes beat writer Craig Morgan reports. The now-deactivated Coyotes franchise’s hopes of a revival, at least under former majority owner Alex Meruelo, … [Read more...] about Gary Bettman Meets With Group Regarding Arizona Expansion Franchise
Anton Strålman To Retire
Longtime NHL defender Anton Strålman has retired, as noted by Robin Olausson of Hockey Sverige. Neither he nor the NHL Alumni Association have made an official announcement, but he’s now joined Swedish women’s soccer club Skultorps IF as a coach, Olausson said. Strålman’s NHL career all but ended over a year ago. After managing to land a contract off a PTO with the Bruins in … [Read more...] about Anton Strålman To Retire
Alex Goligoski Confirms Retirement
Free agent defenseman Alex Goligoski is hanging up his skates, he confirmed to Joe Smith of The Athletic. It’s the expected outcome after reports in June indicated he wasn’t expected back with the Wild, where he spent the final three seasons of his career. “I think I’ve known for a while,” Goligoski told Smith. “Do you hang around and see if some team wants to throw some money … [Read more...] about Alex Goligoski Confirms Retirement
NBA Owner Mat Ishbia Expresses Interest In Bringing NHL Back To Phoenix
With former Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo out of the picture, most have turned their focus to NBA Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia as the likeliest option to bring an NHL franchise back to the Phoenix area. Speaking with Sportico’s Barry M. Bloom, Ishbia confirmed acquiring an expansion franchise for Phoenix is something he’s “interested in.” Doing so would require a new home. After … [Read more...] about NBA Owner Mat Ishbia Expresses Interest In Bringing NHL Back To Phoenix
Phoenix Land Sale Cancelled Until Coyotes Receive Zoning Permit
The Arizona Coyotes have, for now, lost their last bit of hope for a new arena, with the Arizona State Land Department (ASLD) canceling the Phoenix land auction that was scheduled for June 27th, shares Craig Morgan of Go PHNX (Twitter link). The Coyotes, now reduced to a short team behind ex-owner Alex Meruelo, were hoping that this land auction would provide the ground for … [Read more...] about Phoenix Land Sale Cancelled Until Coyotes Receive Zoning Permit