Business of Sports
Billionaire Ryan Smith Gets His NHL Team, Moving Arizona Coyotes to Utah
NHL owners approved Smith acquiring and relocating the franchise to Salt Lake City under a new name for next season.
The Arizona Coyotes will relocate to Salt Lake City and play under a new name for next season.
Photographer: Derek Cain/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith has officially landed a National Hockey League franchise.
Earlier this afternoon, the league’s board of governors approved a plan to relocate the Arizona Coyotes to Utah for next season. In an unusual deal that helps the NHL avoid a potential arena crisis in Arizona, Smith and his wife Ashley bought the Coyotes’ hockey operations, including player roster and draft picks, from billionaire developer Alex Meruelo, but not the team’s name, logo, uniforms or other intellectual property.