TEMPE, AZ — The proposed move to Tempe for the Arizona Coyotes is actually decades in the making.
Flashback to 2003 - the Coyotes played their first game in Glendale at what was then the Jobing.com Arena.
In 2009, the team filed for bankruptcy and then the NHL took over and started discussing a possible move to Canada.
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The City of Glendale would then pay the NHL to manage the team and keep them in the Valley.
Four years after that, the Glendale City Council ended its agreement with the Coyotes, going with a year-to-year lease at Gila River Arena.
In 2019, billionaire Alex Meruelo became the majority owner and rumors started swirling of moving the team out of Glendale.
The next year, the team was at least $500,000 behind on payments to its arena management company.
That led to the final straw last year when the City announced it wouldn't renew the lease with the Coyotes, setting the team up for a move.
Now, a special election is underway where residents will get to vote on whether they approve of three proposals surrounding the Tempe Entertainment District.
For more information on Tuesday's vote, head to Tempe's website.
