It was no secret that the Coyotes' new ownership group wanted to changed the team name. It was just a matter of when.
The Coyotes have been playing in Arizona since moving to Phoenix in 1996 from Winnipeg. The franchise played in the Arizona capital until 2003 when it moved to Glendale, which is where Arizona's NFL and MLB franchises play as well.
It was announced back in August that the owners wanted to make the change but too many hurdles existed at the time, preventing the change for the 2013-2014 season.
"It will become the Arizona Coyotes," Alternate Governor Anthony LeBlanc told reporters during the August press conference. "That was a request from the City of Glendale, but one that we felt made a lot of sense, and obviously following in the footsteps of other franchises here in the Valley."
The Arizona Cardinals made a similar move when the NFL franchise moved from its long-time home in St. Louis to Phoenix in 1988. For five years, the franchise was known as the "Phoenix Cardinals" until it changed names again to its current "Arizona Cardinals" in 1993.
LeBlanc recently said he hopes the new Arizona Coyotes will become the flagship NHL franchise for the state of Arizona and the greater Southwest.
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