The
Arizona Coyotes may not find themselves barred from their own building, after all.
On Wednesday evening,
The Athletic's Katie Strang reported the city of Glendale told the Coyotes it would lock them out of Gila River Arena if they failed to settle up a significant amount in unpaid fees by Dec. 20.
Last Friday, the Arizona Department of Revenue filed a tax lien notice in Maricopa County against IceArizona Hockey LLC - which owns the NHL club - stating the team owes $1.3 million in state and city taxes, Strang reported.
Later on Wednesday night, the Coyotes blamed the debt on apparent "human error" and said they're looking into it, according to the
Arizona Republic's Jose M. Romero.
"We will make sure that by (Thursday) morning, the Arizona Coyotes are current on all of our bills and owe no state or local taxes whatsoever," the team
said in a statement. "And we will take immediate steps to ensure that nothing like this can ever possibly happen again."
If the Coyotes fail to settle their debt by the deadline, the city has told ASM - the company that manages Gila River Arena - not to let team employees or arena vendors into the facility, according to Strang.
A letter from city manager Kevin Phelps to Gutierrez said the team owes Glendale about $250,000 of that amount, with the rest owed to the state.
The Coyotes are entitled to an informal hearing if they request one in writing within 10 days. The Coyotes owe taxes dating back to June 2020, according to the tax lien notice.
Phelps said he apprised NHL commissioner Gary Bettman of the situation Wednesday.
"It was a fairly short conversation," Phelps said, according to
PHNX Sports' Craig Morgan. "I told him I was calling as a courtesy to the league because potentially it would impact teams that are making schedule and flight arrangements. I felt like the league should be made aware as soon as possible."
Phelps said Bettman thanked him and said: "This isn't very good news."
The Coyotes' first home game after Dec. 20 is scheduled for three days later versus the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Glendale said in August that it planned to opt out of its lease agreement for Gila River Arena after this season, meaning the Coyotes will need a new building after June 30, 2022.
Two weeks after the city revealed its plans, the team filed a bid for land in nearby Tempe to be the site of a new arena.
, they will be sold to an American billionaire who will either keep them in the desert 🏜 or move them to another big American market such as Houston.
