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History of the Phoenix Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Since December 2003, the Coyotes have played their home games at Gila River Arena after having spent 7½ seasons at America West Arena (now Talking Stick Resort Arena) in downtown Phoenix. On June 10, 2015, the Glendale City Council voted to end their lease agreement with the Coyotes at Gila River Arena. On July 23, 2015, it was announced that the Coyotes and the Glendale City Council had agreed on a resolution, and the next day it was announced that the Coyotes would stay in Glendale for the next two seasons initially.
The Coyotes were founded on December 27, 1971, as the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association (WHA). After the WHA had ceased operations, they were one of four franchises absorbed into the National Hockey League and then granted membership on June 22, 1979. The Jets moved to Phoenix on July 1, 1996, and were renamed the Phoenix Coyotes.
The NHL took over ownership of the Phoenix Coyotes franchise in 2009 after owner Jerry Moyes (who had incurred massive financial losses since his purchase of the team in 2005) turned it over to the league after declaring bankruptcy. Moyes had attempted to privately sell the team to Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie, who wanted to relocate the team to Hamilton, Ontario, but the NHL protested that the attempted sale was a violation of league policy and a court agreed. During the next four years, the league vehemently resisted selling the team to interests that would have moved the team out of the Phoenix area, and on July 3, 2013, reached an agreement that will keep the team in Glendale for the near future. The sale to IceArizona Acquisition Co., LLC. was completed on August 5, 2013.
On June 27, 2014, the team changed its geographic name from "Phoenix" to "Arizona", and modified its secondary logo. On June 26, 2015, the team introduced updated jerseys for the 2015–16 NHL season.