Franchise to become Arizona Coyotes for 2014-15

The Phoenix Coyotes announced Wednesday that the franchise will officially change its name to the Arizona Coyotes beginning at the start of the 2014-15 NHL season.

"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," Coyotes co-owner, president and CEO Anthony LeBlanc said. "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 that the name 'Arizona' will encourage more fans from all over the state, not just the valley, to embrace and support our team."

The Coyotes will also be introducing a new shoulder patch for their home and road jerseys in 2014-15 as part of the name change. The patch will be unveiled for the Coyotes' first preseason game next season. The rest of the uniform will not change.

Originally the Winnipeg Jets, the franchise relocated to Phoenix in 1996. The Coyotes played their home games in downtown Phoenix from 1996 until 2003 when they moved to Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz.