Voters reject plan for new Arizona Coyotes arena in Tempe: Will the franchise

Voters in Tempe, Ariz., rejected an entertainment district proposal Tuesday that included plans to construct a new home arena for the Arizona Coyotes, early returns indicate. Here’s what you need to know:

• “We are very disappointed Tempe voters did not approve Propositions 301, 302, and 303,” Coyotes president and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez said Tuesday. “What is next for the franchise will be evaluated by our owners and the National Hockey League over the coming weeks.”
• NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league is “terribly disappointed” in a statement of his own, and will “review with the Coyotes what the options might be going forward.”
• The proposed $2.1 billion privately funded project included a 16,000-seat arena, two hotels, retail shops, restaurants and up to 1,990 residential units.
• The Coyotes played the 2022-23 season in the 5,000-seat Mullett Arena, home of the Arizona State University Sun Devils, after they were evicted from their longtime arena in Glendale, Ariz.

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

Where do Coyotes go from here?

The most important part of the statements coming out of Tuesday’s referendum, from both the team and the NHL, is what was left unsaid. There have been plenty of pivot points for the Coyotes over the last two decades, and plenty of official releases from the major stakeholders.

They’ve always contained some variation on the phrase, “our focus remains on securing a future for the franchise in Arizona.” This time, its absence is conspicuous. — Gentille

Assessing relocation options

Relocation talk had already swirled, and now it’s likely to kick into overdrive. Houston and Atlanta are, no doubt, on top of the list.

Both are gigantic U.S. media markets. The former has a hockey-ready arena in the Toyota Center and, in Rockets owner Tillman Fertitta, a potential buyer. Atlanta has an in-the-works arena deal in suburban Alpharetta, spearheaded by a group that would love to give the area a third shot at the NHL.

Quebec City will pop up too, as it did during the Vegas and Seattle expansion process, but the feeling there is that the city’s time has passed. There’s an arena, sure, but no corporate base to speak of and a metropolitan area of about 800,000 people. — Gentille

Salt Lake City is a relocation possibility if indeed the Coyotes move, which isn’t a certainly at this point yet. — LeBrun

Why this isn’t surprising

The result here, for hockey fans in the Valley, is sad — but it shouldn’t be surprising. The Coyotes’ long-term success has, to date, been knee-capped by some combo of arena drama, poor ownership and mediocre (or worse) on-ice product.

Is there a lot to like about the concept of the NHL in Arizona? Sure. The area produced Auston Matthews, among other NHL players, Phoenix is a huge TV market. The fans there who care, care.

In a league starved for diversity, the Coyotes are led by Latinos (owner Alex Meruelo and Gutierrez). A wild amount of…