For the first time in nearly three decades, Arizona is not gearing up for hockey season.
It’s not that fans have lost interest; it’s that they no longer have a team to gear up for. At the end of the 2023-2024 season, the Arizona Coyotes announced their relocation to Salt Lake City ending professional hockey in the state. The National Hockey League’s Board of Governors unanimously voted to approve the sale of the team to Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith.
This wasn’t the first time the Coyotes had dealt with ownership instability or rumors of relocation. The team has been riddled with complications since they arrived in 1997.
So why was this the time that it actually happened?
This week on Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we sit down with Craig Morgan, a senior writer for PHNX Sports and All City Network, who broke the story of the Coyotes relocating to Utah. From burned bridges and surprising elections, we take a peek at how the team’s complex history led them to leave Arizona, and predict when fans can once again expect hockey in the desert.
Listen to Valley 101 on your favorite podcast app or stream the full episode below.
Submit your questions to us about metro Phoenix and Arizona for a chance to be chosen for the podcast.
Note: Valley 101 is intended to be heard, but we offer an AI transcript of the episode script. There may be slight deviations from the podcast audio.
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Reach the reporter at aluberto@gannett.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @amandaluberto.

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