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Following the defeat of the Arizona Coyotes in a special election on Tuesday, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has come under criticism from Coyotes fans, with many calling him responsible for the failure.
The Arizona Coyotes' future has now become uncertain after, nearly 56 percent of the vote cast in Propositions 301, 302 and 303 (out of 29,153 ballots) were cast against them to build a new arena and entertainment district in Tempe.
Coyotes fans are concerned about their team's future in the NHL and have blamed commissioner Gary Bettman for the same. One said:
"I wish no ill will towards coyotes fans .... But f*** you Gary Bettman, let it the f*** go and admit you failed."
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Gary Bettman issues statement
Following the announcement of the special election results on Tuesday night, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman issued a statement.
He said that the league is disappointed by the outcome of the public votes on the Coyotes' proposal to build an arena and entertainment district in Tempe. Bettman also said that the NHL will consult with the Coyotes to determine the next course of action:
"The NHL is terribly disappointed by the results of the public referenda regarding the Coyotes' arena project in Tempe. We are going to review with the Coyotes what the options might be going forward."
Meanwhile, as the referendum didn't favor the club, the Coyotes will likely have to start from scratch and find a new permanent home ice.
Initially, the Arizona Coyotes had proposed to build an arena that would boast 16,000 spectators and an entertainment district on city-owned land at Rio Salado Parkway and Priest Drive, West end of Tempe Town Lake.
The Arizona Coyotes' proposal received immense support from the city council and former mayors, but the public rejected the plan, and it was estimated that the cost for the construction would be roughly around $2.1 billion. So, the Coyotes will now have to explore other options.
Following the outcome of the election, the Coyotes released a statement that the steps for the future of the club will be determined by owners and the NHL in the coming weeks:
"What is next for the franchise will be evaluated by our owners and the National Hockey League over the coming weeks."
