Phoenix Coyotes' Shane Doan, who got his 500th career assist, smiles as he gets high-fives from the crowd after an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2014, in Glendale, Ariz.The Associated Press
The Phoenix Coyotes will go by a different name next season.
Anthony LeBlanc, the club's co-owner, president and CEO, announced Wednesday the franchise will change its name to the Arizona Coyotes next year.
"We are very excited to announce our franchise name will change to Arizona Coyotes for the start of the 2014-'15 NHL season," he said in a statement. "Becoming the Arizona Coyotes makes sense for us since we play our games in Glendale and the city is such a great partner of ours.
"We also want to be recognized as not just the hockey team for Glendale or Phoenix, but the team for the entire state of Arizona and the Southwest. We hope the name 'Arizona' will encourage more fans from all over the state, not just the valley, to embrace and support our team."
The franchise has been known as the Phoenix Coyotes since relocating from Winnipeg in 1996. The Coyotes played their home games in downtown Phoenix from 1996 until 2003 when they moved to their current home, Jobing.com Arena, in Glendale.
As part of the name change, the Coyotes will feature a new shoulder patch for their home and road jerseys in 2014-'15. It will be unveiled for the team's first exhibition game next season.