from Craig Harris of azcentral,
The Arizona Coyotes and National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman on Tuesday threatened to move the franchise out of Arizona if the Legislature does not approve $225 million in public financing for a new arena in downtown Phoenix or the East Valley.
Bettman sent a three-page letter to state Senate President Steve Yarbrough and House Speaker J.D. Mesnard encouraging them to push through a public-financing bill that is stalled in the Senate amid a lack of support from lawmakers. The struggling NHL franchise wants out of Glendale, saying it's not economically viable to play there even though that West Valley city financed its 13-year-old Gila River Arena specifically for the Coyotes.
"The Arizona Coyotes must have a new arena location to succeed," Bettman wrote. "The Coyotes cannot and will not remain in Glendale."
Team owner Andrew Barroway also issued a statement saying Glendale no longer is an option because the team loses tens of millions of dollars playing in Gila River Arena. He added that if the team reaches a point where "there is simply no longer a path forward in Arizona," then "we will work with our partners in the league office and across the NHL to determine our next steps."
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