Gary Bettman issues a statement on reported relocation of Arizona Coyotes

This just in courtesy of Forbes sports business reporter Mike Ozanian, the Arizona Coyotes are reportedly for sale with the ultimate goal of moving the team from Arizona to Houston, Texas.

The Coyotes though maintain that this report is false: 

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has also denied the report:

But, I mean... what else are they going to say? They have to say that they're committed to Arizona even if they're working behind the scenes to facilitate a move. Bettman and the NHL were denying reports that the Atlanta Thrashers were moving to Winnipeg just 48 hours before the team ultimately made their announcement. I fully expect Bettman and the Coyotes to tow the company line until all of the paperwork is signed and verified.

So... is this it? Is this finally, mercifully the end of the ill-fated Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes?

Excuse me if I'm a bit skeptical because I've read reports on the Coyotes moving for two decades now and yet they still remain in the Arizona desert, unable to turn a profit despite having a quarter of a century to do so.

Frankly, I'm done with this franchise. Would I like to see them moved? Yes. Would I prefer to see them moved to a more traditional hockey market like Quebec City? Yes, also. But at this point you can move them to Dubai and I wouldn't care. Any place seems better than Arizona at this point, so if the end destination is Houston then giddy up.

Houston, of course, has long been a locale that the NHL has been interested in. When the Seattle Kraken were granted an expansion franchise there were a lot of industry experts who predicted the Seattle bid would come up short in favor of Houston. Now it appears though that Houston will finally get the NHL team that the NBA's Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta has been pining for for years. The Rockets play in the 17,800 capacity Toyota Center, an arena that is perfectly built for an NHL team. The AHL's Houston Aeros played in the building from 2003 until 2013 and it's clear that the arena has all the amenities of an NHL building.

As for Arizona... well... again I'm showing my true colors here but good riddance.

What have the Coyotes accomplished in the 25 years since relocating from Winnipeg? They're a constant drain on the NHL's economic system and they've advanced past the first round of the playoffs only twice. They're a perennial bottom feeder in league standings and they can never seem to get their feet under them despite being in a perpetual state of rebuilding. I understand that this is not impartial reporting but... when is enough enough? Time to turn off the taps of this poverty franchise and for NHL Gary Bettman to admit that he made a giant mistake moving this team from Winnipeg back in 1996.