Alex Meruelo talks future of hockey in Arizona with ABC15 after selling the Coyotes

Рет қаралды 5,153

Күн бұрын

ABC15's Javier Soto sat down with Alex Meruelo Thursday to discuss the future of hockey in Arizona after the sale and relocation of the Arizona Coyotes franchise was announced earlier in the day. The NHL confirmed Thursday that the Arizona Coyotes have been sold and the team is moving to Salt Lake City, Utah. Meruelo sold the team to Ryan Smith, the owner of the NBA's Utah Jazz, and the team will make the move ahead of the 2024-2025 season.
More on the interview and what's next: www.abc15.com/sports/watch-al...
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Пікірлер: 80

@RealFM25 26 күн бұрын

Thank you for asking some very hard hitting questions and respectfully holding Alex accountable. I’ve never lived in Arizona yet I’ve fallen in love with this team from the day I became a hockey fan when I attended my first game. This man broke our hearts. We trusted him. He will need to do a lot for me to ever trust him again. For starters win the land auction Alex. Bring back my Coyotes!

@murrayherron6446 26 күн бұрын

the interview was soft... where was his lack of funding with phoenix , tempe and glendale... Missing the game last night... the league now wants him to fail which he will... look to the league to find a new owner... am is dead meat

@iigreatoneii 26 күн бұрын

The state of Arizona is part of the blame, they sure don’t seem to want an NHL arena anywhere because they haven’t made it easy for the Coyotes organization. They want the community support and charity support from the franchise though. It’s mind boggling.

@Chewbachi 25 күн бұрын

You shouldn’t be trusting any owner they are not your friends 😂

@steves1390 26 күн бұрын

He’s full of it, don’t believe him

@81Bayer_DFW 26 күн бұрын

His tone doesn’t demonstrate confidence at all.

@iigreatoneii 26 күн бұрын

He’s a bit scatterbrained but I do think his intentions are there to follow this through. Although in my eyes after what the NHL has done it’s easier to just not follow through but I do believe that he wants to. Maybe it’s a bit of nervousness over having to auction for the land, ideally you’d want to just negotiate and agree on a price and sign on the line so you can move forward with development.

@BAddiesOnDeck 26 күн бұрын

@@iigreatoneii Feel the Same! Man could've taken the $$$ and be like See Ya! Ain't no Billionaire dealing with this BS to only turn around & Backstab!!

@mrpac-man1603 26 күн бұрын

YOTES!!!! ❤️ 4 LIFE!!!!

@elliotmaness9370 26 күн бұрын

I am a huge hockey fan. Had tickets for 21 years. He is our best option for getting a team back quickly. I will give him the benefit of doubt until 6/27. He wins, then he gains a bit more trust from me. He certainly needs to be more visible and vocal than he has in the past. I want to hear from HIM and not XG. Time will tell. We can't just speculate.

@davidmatuschannel5467 26 күн бұрын

Completely agree ! I’m also a season ticket holder and these last 3 years have been some of the most exciting I think he hired the right staff and put all the pieces in place to really get a playoff team.

@elliotmaness9370 26 күн бұрын

It just sucks that we won't get to team in our backyard to be able to root for them. They are talented and they're excitin. I think there are a few players away from being a playoff team

@davidmatuschannel5467 26 күн бұрын

I agree it sucks me and my family love this team and players but if there is an opportunity to bring this back forever and share this experience with my kids and my friends I’m all in.

@CoachMikejvGahr 26 күн бұрын

I believe him, but I am in California not a 602 resident but I spend a lot of time in the area, the Yote's will be back watch. You got to win the land auction

@eddelao2762 26 күн бұрын

Generic basic anwsers. He wants the support of arizona residents so he can stick it to them one...last... Time

@billriordan1489 26 күн бұрын

Pay your bills

@Mr.Quinlan888 26 күн бұрын

I hope a competent owner can bring the Yotes back to Arizona. This clown doesn't deserve to own another franchise again. Such a coward to not even show up to the team's final game.

@dwightbrown 26 күн бұрын

So now the NHL has 33 teams!

@fantasticvoyage262 25 күн бұрын

It will eventually be 36.

@jamesreynolds5776 26 күн бұрын

Can someone clean up the captions? The captions aren't the best here..

@swissbeats2k 26 күн бұрын

I don't understand why they/he just didn't wait until the June land auction to see if they got the land and tell Utah to wait.

@washingtonfootballskins 26 күн бұрын

Because the NHL saw $$$$ signs that the Jazz owners are willing to pay.

@vithursan.b 26 күн бұрын

@@washingtonfootballskins smith group overpaid for the team in my opinion

@boootybounce420 26 күн бұрын

because even if ownership won the auction they have done absolutely nothing to demonstrate that they would actually be able to develop the land based off that ridiculous rendering they posted. It was a hail mary attempt.

@andrebailey6676 26 күн бұрын

@@vithursan.b yeah they did they they overpaid way too much

@jimmygreen281 26 күн бұрын

The team requires political support from the city and State to get this new Arena built. Given voters turned down the last arena plan the NHL has decided its too risky to wait and see.

@joevincentcastro3363 26 күн бұрын

3:49 the fact they didn't pan the camera to Meruelo right away is so telling that his body language is clearly saying otherwise

@ShawnTempesta 25 күн бұрын

You kept the branding. Not the team.

@darinkaintz386 26 күн бұрын

This guy blows goats.

@rajivunome 26 күн бұрын

Ridiculous city of Glendale kicked the team out of their arena

@joeydearborn6883 26 күн бұрын

The Coyotes didn't pay their bills, typically you get evicted when you don't pay rent.

@rajivunome 26 күн бұрын

@@joeydearborn6883 I agree but they should of at least Renew the lease with a spitulation if they miss a payment one time they will be removed indefinitely.

@ki2726 25 күн бұрын

They didn’t want to sign a 20yr contract when they wanted to move the team closer to Phoenix/Scottsdale.

@rajivunome 25 күн бұрын

@@ki2726 Could of signed a 3-5 year contract until the new arena is built

@jeffhambro 23 күн бұрын

@@rajivunomewhy would you want to continue a business relationship with someone that doesn’t pay their bills?

@carparthero 26 күн бұрын

i'm canadian born. but idgaf if quebec or another canadian city gets a team in the future or not. what i'm amazed is that ari-zo-na was able to have the coyotes for 27 seasons. with all the failed ownerships, pylon teams, fiascos (unpaid bills, toxic work environment) and indifferent support both at the arena and when it came time to find a permanent home. loved how the idiot meruelo didn't make much of an effort when it came time to promote the tempe arena and then it got voted down. *pikachu face* the nhl owning the team for 4 years (2009-2013) was pathetic, because nobody during that time wanted to buy the team. if the idiot nhl decides to give arizona another shot, at least vet a person who is competent and can actually run a franchise. doesn't surprise me one bit that meruelo is going to be allowed to be the owner again, if there is a nhl-approved arena built in the phoenix area within 5 years. 💩

@Smart-Towel-RG-400 26 күн бұрын

2:33 hes acting like hes choosing to not take money from tax payers they told him no ..if tm they had heres 500 million hes taking it

@shanegrogan6834 26 күн бұрын

But they refused to give him anything. A serious local government would provide public funding for the arena like basically every other team's city does (especially in Utah). But the boomers in Tempe would rather have a landfill than part with miniscule amounts of their hoarded wealth to keep their hockey team for future generations.

@cailinanne 26 күн бұрын

A tax break is hardly close to getting funding from the state…

@cailinanne 26 күн бұрын

@@shanegrogan6834what you said.

@Smart-Towel-RG-400 26 күн бұрын

@@shanegrogan6834 it's proven city's and states never make back what they put into sports teams it's a net negative

@Smart-Towel-RG-400 26 күн бұрын

@@shanegrogan6834 can't believe u wanna give hand out to billionaires 🤡

@steves1390 26 күн бұрын

He wasn’t paying vendors at Gila, he was forced to pay for the teams hotel bills in advance because he wasn’t paying them, he’s not going to change. He’s bad for any team and he’s bad for hockey. Get someone else here so it can work

@iigreatoneii 26 күн бұрын

After hearing this, it just backs up my original thoughts on the Coyotes moving to Utah.. it’s just plain stupid of the NHL to not let the situation play out until after next season, if they get the land and build the building the Coyotes will be back so not being able to wait out the construction for 2-4 years while that is underway is just stupid. When you bring them back their players and draft picks will all belong to Utah, so they’re going to be at a disadvantage again from the start of having to build a good team. In reality the NHL should have taken more money from the Smith’s and made them start from scratch.

@vladislavsergeyev5736 26 күн бұрын

NHL couldn't let the Yotes play another 2 years at 5k area, no major sports league would ever even put up with this for as long as NHL did. If you don't meet the franchise requirements, you lose a franchise. I feel for Yotes fans, but Meruelo screwed them over, and he should never be allowed any expansion franchise in the future. Quebec City has a new 18k arena, which can be sold out tomorrow, they should be the first one to get their team back.

@just_another_guy_with_opinions 26 күн бұрын

@@vladislavsergeyev5736 the Videotron Centre was built in 2015, 9 yrs old isnt new

@vladislavsergeyev5736 26 күн бұрын

@@just_another_guy_with_opinions It's newer than majority of current NHL arenas.

@AhusluhXXXratedEmpireTV 26 күн бұрын

NHLPA complain to NHL 2 months ago and NHL finally aware of it and ask Alex what he doing. he told them to be patient but NHL didn't want wait..

@iigreatoneii 26 күн бұрын

@@vladislavsergeyev5736 I don’t see the reason for not doing it given how dedicated they were to keeping the team there in the past. Developments that size don’t happen over night so you have to be understanding. The Calgary Flames need a new arena too, but until then they’re playing out of that falling apart arena. I know the capacity size is much different but if there’s progress then you tough it out. Now if they don’t get the land then you leave after next season. I can’t believe we have the Utah Mormons in the league now.

@postreading6889 25 күн бұрын

Doesn’t strike me as very bright.

@IMagnus123123123 25 күн бұрын

no nhl expansion

@danielburt7849 26 күн бұрын

In 2018 I surmised that an NHL franchise would be the prize of any U.S.A. city, simply because the sport is the best kept secret in sports, period. I became a big fan just a year before the NY Rangers (my favorite) won the Stanley Cup, but I became avid when the NFL became so unwatchable it physically hurt to watch refs take forever deciding what everyone else could clearly see, five minutes earlier... Hockey players in the NHL are tremendous. The action is frenetic but artful, tough but precise. To have a genuine NHL team in Salt Lake City is to me a dream come true. A good team takes time, patience and dedicated management with money and knowledge to build and maintain. TO LOSE AN NHL FRANCHISE IS AN UNTHINKABLE EMBARRASSMENT. I feel bad for the good fans in Phoenix. It can't be lack of enthusiasm that lost the Coyotes to them. I hope our Utah enthusiasm for our NHL team never wanes.

@EinSofQuester 26 күн бұрын

I wish the Utah Saints the best of good fortune in Utah.

@lmpeter3 9 күн бұрын

If you are obligated to the team, fans, etc, why hire a recent college grad with one-year experience to be your chief brand officer? And then have him tell Shane Doan, that HE is not experienced enough to run hockey ops for the team which he put on the map.

@JazzGMoney 26 күн бұрын

I won’t ever be happy again in my life til my coyotes return to Arizona. I will be the first season ticket holder and show up to every game even if they are poverty for eternity.

@steves1390 26 күн бұрын

Bad business decisions like not paying hotel bills or rent will not change, he lied to us that everything was fine and they would stay up until the last minute, he did t go to the last game. Don’t support this man. Remember he owns the roadrunners too, don’t give him your money. Make him sell

@QuietAZdesert 26 күн бұрын

The typical family can't afford to enjoy these teams anymore, yet tax dollar of those same "fans" are constantly at stake.

@fantasticvoyage262 25 күн бұрын

He's building it himself.

@QuietAZdesert 25 күн бұрын

@@fantasticvoyage262 "Building it himself"? More likely taking out loans, getting millions in tax brakes, then charging gouging prices to the public to pay for it all. Pfsss... building it himself... I'll believe that when I see free Coyotes games for the public. The least they could do is have them reasonably priced - with reasonable food prices. Instead - it's a big gouge fest. Those people aren't stupid - they know how to make the big bucks & if you believe the community is their first thought you're fooling yourself.

@fantasticvoyage262 25 күн бұрын

@@QuietAZdesert He isn't using tax payer funding to build it. Which is why there's no referendum. If you don't go to the facility, you aren't paying taxes on it. You sound like you want him to spend billions of his own money to build it, and then give away free tickets and concessions. Tickets and concessions won't cost anymore there than any other NHL rink. The simplest resolution is to sit in the nosebleeds, and eat at home before or after the game. Problem solved.

@shanewilson8728 23 күн бұрын

Hockey is done in Arizona. To build this entertainment center that Alex Meruelo wants to build is going to cost about 3 billion dollars. Alex Meruelo doesn't have 3 billion dollars to build this entertainment center. I doubt anyone else is going to help finance to build this 3 billion entertainment center.

@user-wt3ox1hq7h 14 күн бұрын

Get the land in queen creek it's been growing

@mercywilliams2698 25 күн бұрын

I listen to many of this Era’s billionaires and really pretty unimpressive trend..lack basic communication and management delegation skills. In person real-time relationships lacking.