If At First You Don't Succeed...

At some point, you'd think the repeated attempts to embarrass one's self would end, but Arizona Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo just can't stop beating the same dead horse over and over again. After having the Coyotes move from Phoenix to Glendale under another group's mismanaged attempt to have this franchise turn a profit, Meruelo got his hockey franchise kicked out Glendale upon where it landed at Arizona State before the people of Tempe told him to kick rocks on paying through the nose to build the Coyotes their own arena. I don't know how many more times the Coyotes can take a loss, but it seems Meruelo is up for at least one more kick at the can after the Coyotes announced today that they were looking at Mesa, Arizona as a potential landing spot for the franchise.

Now you might be saying, "Didn't we already go through this, Teebz?" and I'd reply with "Kinda, but not really" as the city of Mesa was interested in converting a large parcel of land that once housed a mall into something new, but neither the city or nor the Coyotes had discussed any plans to have the hockey team move there. The latest on that parcel of land is that the mall was being torn down, and there had been plans to build some sort of housing in its place. Where we are on that project is anyone's guess, but the Coyotes would have needed to win another referendum vote if they were to receive any public monies or services totalling $1.5 million or more.

And that brings us to today's news.

According to a report from Arizona Sports, Alex Meruelo contacted the city of Mesa to let them know he was wanting to buy 41 acres of land somewhere near Alma School Road and Loop 202. The map to the right shows that there's little development next to the Salt River on the north side of the tributary, so maybe that's where he's looking as a place to house the Coyotes? Whatever the case may be, I should stress that Meruelo has simply submitted a letter of intent to purchase land. He hasn't actually started the process of making a purchase of any land.

If you're first thought is "here we go again", I'll ask you to hold onto that for a moment because this is all part of a grander scheme that Alex Meruelo is planning. The same Arizona Sports article states,

"Meruelo's goal is to have multiple sites under contract so there are options. This is to have a plan in place by the first quarter of 2024, so a target date is hit for a new arena's completion in time for the start of the 2026-27 season. This would continue the Coyotes' efforts and intention of staying in the Valley."

If the part about "multiple sites" strikes you as odd, you're not the only one. It would appear that Alex Meruelo is planning on having several parcels of land ready to be bought where he may build an arena, but it's almost like he's artificially creating competition between these locations when it comes to the perks he may receive for choosing one site over another.

While this may indeed save Coyotes hockey in Arizona, it would seem that Meruelo is now going on offence when it comes to finding a place for a new rink. While Site A in Mesa might offer lower property taxes than Site B somewhere else, perhaps Site B will lower its property taxes in competition with Site A in order to win the Coyotes. This is a very interesting move by Meruelo if this plays out as I just wrote, but we'll see if there are any other letters of intent to purchase issued before spring of 2024. If there aren't, he's only looking at Mesa.

Making a loose promise to a city to buy a 41-acre plot of land also prevents them from developing the land if they believe that Meruelo is operating in good faith. Personally, if he doesn't lay down some soft of deposit on the land, I'd be looking at his "letter of intent" as nothing more than those hand-written notes one finds in one's mailbox that says, "Are you selling? We buy houses!" It's not a scam per se, but it's also not a very good business transaction for the people receiving the letter.

I still struggle with his promise of a "privately-funded arena" while asking for hand-outs, so I'd take Meruelo's letter of intent with an iceberg-sized grain of salt. He likely does have every intention of keeping his beloved hockey franchise in Arizona, but he's going to have to learn to pay for their home if he wants the Coyotes to call Arizona home. After getting destroyed in the Tempe referendum, it's very likely that Mesa will also need a referendum if he asks for anything tangible to be given to him, so someone needs to tell him to put up or shut up regarding his "privately-funded arena".

The same hurdles that existed in Tempe still exist in Mesa when it comes to Meruelo getting past all the red tape, but this move does breathe some life back into the future of the Coyotes in Arizona. One has to wonder, though, if that breath is coming through the final straw for this team in The Grand Canyon State.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!