Actions

Arizona Coyotes co-owner Anthony LeBlanc provides update on new arena

Posted at 5:17 PM, Oct 04, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-05 00:38:45-04

Credit ABC15's Craig Fouhy for getting Coyotes co-owner, president and CEO Anthony LeBlanc to crack under the pressure of his questioning!

Well... that's not exactly what happened. But during their interview Tuesday, LeBlanc did give us a timeframe for when he and the Coyotes hope to announce where the site of their new arena will be.

"I know there's (people on) social media that joke about me, saying I sound like a contractor: 'It'll be ready in two weeks,'" LeBlanc said. "I'm not going to sit here and tell you a time, but I can tell people we will have something out on the market very soon."

But moments later, LeBlanc said an announcement on a location could coincide with the beginning of the NHL regular season.

"We are very hopeful and expect that we'll be able to (make an announcement) here in the next couple of weeks," he said.

One thing is certain: The Coyotes don't expect to stay in Glendale beyond the 2018-19 season when arena contract with the city is set to expire.

In July, the Coyotes announced they secured a location for a new arena,though that location has not been publicly revealed. 

Sources say the arena will be built in Tempe or Scottsdale, and it could possibly be a shared venue with the Arizona State University hockey team.

The Sun Devils are also looking for new arena after joining the NCAA Division I ranks last season. For the second straight season, ASU will play four games on the Coyotes' current home ice, Gila River Arena in Glendale.

In a letter to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, ASU athletic director Ray Anderson wrote that the Sun Devils intend to have a new arena in place within two years.

LeBlanc didn't address any of those rumors but said he's excited about the future of hockey in the Valley. He said the reason an arena announcement has yet to be made is due to the enormous amount of legal issues that need to be ironed out.

"We have never been more excited and more optimistic about the process," he said. "I think it's been an education for many of us -- in particular, myself -- that these processes, they take a lot of work. They take a lot of time."