Meruelo: 'I'll do everything I can in my heart' to keep Coyotes in Arizona

The Arizona Coyotes' new owner made it clear Thursday he'll do his best to ensure the club doesn't relocate.

"I am committed to stay(ing) here," Alex Meruelo told reporters at his introductory press conference. "I will do everything I can in my heart, and in my hard work, to make sure that we can make it viable."

Meruelo, who assumed majority ownership of the team Monday, also expressed his desire to build a championship winner.

"I will not stop, I will not stop until we bring a Stanley Cup to the Valley," the billionaire businessman said.

As if that wasn't enough, Meruelo had an emphatic message for Coyotes fans.

"I believe that I have to earn their trust and loyalty. That's on me," he said, according to The Athletic's Craig Morgan. "If I do that I know they'll respond by coming out and watching us and supporting us. At the end of the day, we're Coyote nation and we all want to win, and I sure as shit want to win."

Meruelo, who became the first Hispanic majority owner in the NHL with Monday's transaction, explained Thursday that it was a dream come true.

"It's been a dream of mine since I was six (or) eight years old," he said. "I'm just a Hispanic kid from Brooklyn, New York, so if I can do it, anybody can do it."

Meruelo reportedly bought a 95 percent stake in the club from the previous owner, Andrew Barroway, who retained the remaining five.

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