Bettman reportedly meets with Coyotes, civic leaders on arena options
Craig Morgan of ArizonaSports.com reported Monday that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was in town for meetings with Coyotes president and CEO Anthony LeBlanc and various civic officials for discussions regarding a new arena for the Coyotes.
Morgan reported that officials from the state government, Arizona State University and the city of Phoenix, including mayor Greg Stanton, were involved in the conversations.
The Coyotes' lease of Gila River Arena with the city of Glendale expires at the end of the 2016-17 season, and LeBlanc said at a town hall meeting on Saturday that the chances of the team remaining in Glendale are "highly, highly unlikely."
LeBlanc also said Saturday that he expects to make some sort of arena announcement in the next six weeks.
There has been persistent speculation that ASU is interested in partnering with the Coyotes on an arena to serve as home for its basketball and ice hockey programs, while the city of Phoenix could be interested in exploring a dual-purpose home for the Coyotes and Phoenix Suns.
