Coyotes could be locked out of home arena due to unpaid city bill charges; team releases statement

The Arizona Coyotes are currently in more hot water. The team isn't winning, was rumored to be for sale, and now they may be locked out of their home arena.

The Athletic reported that the city of Glendale is threatening to close the doors to Gila River Arena since the team has delinquent tax bills and unpaid arena charges.

The Arizona Department of Revenue filed a tax lien notice on December 3 against IceArizona Hockey LLC, which is the company that owns the Coyotes, for more than $1.3 million in unpaid state and city taxes.

The Coyotes reportedly owe the city roughly $250,000 in unpaid taxes, and they will have until 5 p.m. MST on December 20 to pay the outstanding charges. If this term is not met, Glendale has told ASM, the Gila River Arena management company, to not allow team employees have access to the arena and its offices.

The team does have the right to an informal hearing, but they must file a written request within 10 days.

Along with this, Rick Westhead reports that the NHL has lost a ton of money on Arizona. Forbes reported that the Coyotes lost approximately $33 million in 2021 and have lost $141.6 million in the past 10 years.

The Coyotes are currently last in the Central division with 12 points (5-18-2) and will likely be looking to relocate and continue rebuilding sooner rather than later.

Since this news first broke, the Coyotes have released a statement saying they intend to make good on all money owed.

«We have already launched an investigation to determine how this could have happened and initial indications are that it appears to be the result of an unfortunate human error. Regardless, we deeply regret the inconvenience this has caused," said the team.

"We will make sure that by tomorrow morning, the Arizona Coyotes are current on all of our bills and owe no state or local taxes whatsoever. And we will take immediate steps to ensure that nothing like this can ever possibly happen again."

"We will make sure that by tomorrow morning, the Arizona Coyotes are current on all of our bills and owe no state or local taxes whatsoever. And we will take immediate steps to ensure that nothing like this can ever possibly happen again.»— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) December 9, 2021

The Arizona Department of Revenue have filed a tax lien notice vs the company that owns the Coyotes for more than $1.3M in unpaid state and city taxes.
If the Coyotes don't pay by Dec. 20, the team may be locked out of its home arena.
Great reporting from @KatieJStrang. https://t.co/n3LwMZfRLh— Rick Westhead (@rwesthead) December 9, 2021

How much $$ has the NHL left on table by remaining committed to Phoenix?
Forbes reported today Coyotes lost estimated $33M in 2021 & have lost a combined $141.6M over past 10 years.
Sports bankers I've talked to over the years have said they're at a loss to understand NHL logic. pic.twitter.com/bIQhqiZ78k— Rick Westhead (@rwesthead) December 9, 2021

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