The Suns and Mercury owner says eventually Phoenix will need a new building.

Could the demise of the National Hockey League’s Arizona Coyotes franchise ultimately lead to the city of Phoenix building a new arena for the National Basketball Association’s Phoenix Suns and the Women’s National Basketball Association’s Phoenix Mercury franchises? There is an interesting quote from Suns and Mercury owner Mat Ishbia that may shed some light on what is going on within the Phoenix sports community. “I’m definitely going to be part of the community, and if I can help bring hockey back, I’ll look at that,” he said. “It’s definitely something I’m interested in. It’s a four-sport town. I’m disappointed we don’t have a hockey team, but I understand what happened, and we’re going to try to fix that one day,” said Ishbia. But here is the kicker. “I think our arena is first-class right now. I love our arena,” he said. “But at some point we’re going to have to get a new arena.”

The Phoenix arena was built for basketball and not hockey. It had a bad design that meant about 4,000-seats for hockey had obstructed views. The arena opened in 1992 so it is now considered an old facility although the building has been renovated twice in the past two decades. Ishbia is not saying he wants a new arena now but he has now laid the groundwork in the stadium and/or arena game but saying at some point we are going to have to have a new arena. The last renovation recently took place. The National Hockey League apparently does not want to leave the Phoenix market barren. The NHL needs two things, an owner with deep pockets and an arena. Ishbia seems to fit the owner profile and NHL brass must have enjoyed hearing him say Phoenix is going to need a new arena.

Mat Ishbia

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