PHOENIX (AZFamily) — It’s been one year since the Arizona Coyotes played their final game before the franchise was sold and moved to Salt Lake City.
But was that the last time an NHL game was played in the Valley? The chair of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors hopes it’s not.
When Thomas Galvin was sworn in as chair in January, he announced that he would form an advisory committee to explore bringing an NHL team back to Arizona.
“What I’ve really been struck by is people miss the team. People miss having a professional hockey franchise here in the Valley,” he said.
More than three months after Galvin was sworn in, the advisory committee is still being formed. Galvin says it will consist of hockey experts, business leaders, and politicians, and hopes to have the committee formed within the next few months, at the latest, by the end of the year.
“There’s two mandates that we have. One is to find an owner, and one is to find a proper location for a venue,” he said.
Regarding an owner, Galvin hopes to find someone who loves hockey, has credibility in the community, and has enough money to lead a franchise. The ideal location is still to be determined, with limited options in Maricopa County for sites that could be big enough for a new arena.
Galvin also says there has been a dialogue with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, and the two last met as recently as a few months ago.
“I’m optimistic we will get one in the future, in the near future, and so I tell hockey fans, keep the faith,” said Galvin.
By near future, Galvin acknowledges getting a franchise will be a years-long process but not one that he says will take decades.
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