Clayton Klapper is a Real-Time Editor at ABC15 Arizona.
TEMPE, AZ — The domino effect of the Arizona Coyotes' departure from the desert comes with some silver lining for hockey fans. There will still be hockey in the Valley as the Tucson Roadrunners are reportedly moving to Tempe to play at Mullett Arena.
Alex Meruelo, who still owns the minor league hockey team, confirmed the move to Arizona Sports Thursday. The NHL confirmed Thursday that Meruelo has sold the Arizona Coyotes and the team is moving to Salt Lake City, Utah. However, there's also still a chance that in five years, Meruelo and his group of partners could be granted an NHL expansion team that would bring the Coyotes name back to Arizona. Meruelo says he remains committed to winning the north Phoenix public land auction in June to build a new stadium as part of a massive entertainment complex. While Meruelo sold the right to the NHL franchise, he keeps the intellectual rights to the Coyotes name. He also retains ownership of the Roadrunners, who have played in Tucson in recent years. Meruelo tells Arizona Sports that he intends to move the Roadrunners to Tempe and have them play at Mullett Arena, where the Coyotes had recently played. The Roadrunners' move to Tempe is part of an effort to keep Valley youth hockey programs alive until an expansion NHL franchise could hopefully return to Phoenix. The Roadrunners bring their own line of history to the Valley as many natives will remember the Phoenix Roadrunners. The team played on and off in Phoenix from 1967 to 2009 in different league levels before ceasing operations. In 2016, the Coyotes announced it purchased its American Hockey League affiliate that played in Springfield, Illinois, and moved the team to Tucson.On Wednesday night, during the Coyotes' last game of the season, ABC15 was there when the team received a standing ovation following their win against the Oilers. Watch the emotional moment in the player below. Emotional standing ovation for the Arizona Coyotes last game The Coyotes started playing at Mullett Arena last season after the City of Glendale did not renew its agreement with the team for them to play at what is now Desert Diamond Arena.
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