Coyotes bid Arizona farewell with bittersweet win over Oilers - ESPN

TEMPE, Ariz. — Mullett Arena buzzed like few times in the two years since the Arizona Coyotes moved in, the fans amped for one last desert hurrah.

For 60 minutes, they got one last chance to watch the team they came to love before the franchise as they know it is no more.

The Coyotes are moving to Salt Lake City in a deal that could be signed less than 24 hours after Wednesday night's 5-2 win over Edmonton. Hockey could return, perhaps within five years, but the stark reality is this is the end for the foreseeable future.

«It's sad, it's upsetting,» said Ryan Travis, a Coyotes season-ticket holder since 2001. «I can't believe it's finally come to an end. I can't believe this is how it's going to end.»

Coyotes fans had been dreading this moment, hoping it never would happen.

They remained loyal through multiple ownership changes. They followed the team to three different arenas. They shrugged off the near-constant relocation rumors.

Reality hit this week.

There will be a new owner. Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith is expected to buy the franchise from current owner Alex Meruelo in a $1.2 billion deal through the NHL, as early as Thursday.

The team is moving. The deal, once signed and approved by the NHL Board of Governors, will turn over the franchise's hockey operations to Smith, who intends to move it to Salt Lake City.

There could be a new arena — eventually. Meruelo had been pursuing a tract of land in north Phoenix to build it. When delays pushed the land auction until June, the NHL and the players' association got cold feet about continuing to play at Mullett Arena, the loud-but-bandbox-sized venue shared with Arizona State University.

Meruelo was adamant about not selling the team despite constant offers since he bought