IceArizona, the former ownership group of the NHL's Arizona Coyotes, is lacing up for a legal face-off with the Arizona Board of Regents. The contention is a hefty $3.5 million security deposit for the use of Mullett Arena at Arizona State University, Phoenix New Times reported.
The Coyotes played their final two seasons in the desert at the 5,000-seat on-campus arena before skating off to Salt Lake City. Displeased by the change in scenery, IceArizona is now demanding that their security deposit be returned, citing their ousting as out of their hands. According to the lawsuit obtained by Ground News, the company was "compelled by the NHL to agree to suspend its franchise rights and sell its hockey operations assets," which, as they argue, smacks of a "force majeure" scenario, nullifying further lease obligations.
The legal tussle takes place against an emotionally charged backdrop. Last year, the franchise's shocking $1.2 billion sale and subsequent relocation took fans by surprise, effectively icing nearly 30 years of NHL presence in Arizona. The purported "force majeure" has become the linchpin of IceArizona's argument, as reported by Phoenix New Times. This, they claim, occurred when the NHL stepped in to facilitate the sale, thus triggering the lease's clause and rendering it void.
On the other side of the rink, neither lawyers for IceArizona nor spokespeople for OVG Venues, which manages the arena, nor the Roadrunners, which Meruelo still owns, have given comments on the pending litigation. A spokesperson for the board of regents kept it close to the chest, stating the board "does not comment on pending litigation."
