After the
Winnipeg Jets relocated to Phoenix in 1996, they spent their first 7+ seasons playing at
America West Arena (AWA) as the Phoenix Coyotes. AWA had been designed as the new home of the
NBA's Phoenix Suns only four years earlier, so it had to be quickly retrofitted for hockey. The arena floor was barely large enough to fit an NHL regulation size hockey rink and some seats on the upper level hung over the boards. That obstructed the views for up to 3,000 spectators. As a result, before the team's second season in Phoenix, its hockey seating capacity was reduced from 18,000+ seats to 16,210 — then the second-smallest capacity in the NHL. After the
Colorado Avalanche moved from
McNichols Sports Arena into the
Pepsi Center in 1999 and the
Toronto Maple Leafs from
Maple Leaf Gardens into the
Air Canada Centre later that same season, America West Arena became the smallest NHL venue. When the Coyotes were sold to a partnership led by Phoenix real estate developer Steve Ellman, they committed to build a new arena in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale. A lease agreement was signed with the City of Glendale in 2001, construction began on April 3, 2002, and the arena opened midway through the
2003–04 NHL season. The
National Lacrosse League's
Arizona Sting hosted the first sporting event in the arena, a 16–12
2004 NLL season opening victory against the
Vancouver Ravens on December 26, 2003. The next evening, the Phoenix Coyotes hosted their first game before a standing room-only crowd of 19,052 ending in a 3–3 tie against the
Nashville Predators. Their first win in Glendale was on December 31, 2003, with a 4-0 victory over the
Los Angeles Kings. On August 19, 2021, the city of Glendale chose not to renew its contract with the team after the
2021–22 season, putting the franchise's future in Arizona into question. The Coyotes announced they would be seeking to build a new venue in
Tempe in response. The final Coyotes home game at the arena was played April 29, 2022, a 5–4 comeback win against the Nashville Predators. After the season, the Coyotes moved their home games to
Mullett Arena at
Arizona State University, where they played for the
2022–23 and
2023–24 seasons. Two years after their move, it was discovered through a report in April 2024 that the team did not collect items bearing the Coyotes branding and left them at the arena, including
Shane Doan's jersey retirement banner. It was recovered by an arena worker, who gave it to Doan when the word surfaced days after the Coyotes' final NHL game.
Concerts and events Desert Diamond Arena has hosted numerous concerts and events since opening in December 2003. A string of concerts in the arena’s inaugural year included performances by
Prince,
Rod Stewart,
Toby Keith,
Britney Spears, and
Usher. Since then, other acts performing there included
U2,
RBD,
Elton John,
The Rolling Stones,
Paul McCartney,
Bruce Springsteen,
Rage Against the Machine,
Billie Eilish,
Kenny Chesney,
Mötley Crüe,
Justin Timberlake,
Katy Perry,
The Eagles,
Taylor Swift,
Miley Cyrus,
Hannah Montana,
The Weeknd,
Harry Styles,
Celine Dion,
Coldplay,
Eric Church,
Justin Bieber,
Kendrick Lamar,
Ed Sheeran,
Shawn Mendes,
Sam Smith,
Demi Lovato,
Bon Jovi,
Khalid,
Madonna,
Pearl Jam,
Red Hot Chili Peppers,
Usher,
John Mayer,
Tim McGraw,
Faith Hill,
The Killers,
Florence & The Machine,
Enhypen,
Lady Gaga,
Zach Bryan,
Benson Boone,
Laufey,
Conan Gray,
5 Seconds Of Summer,
Hatsune Miku and
For King & Country. Desert Diamond Arena events in recent years included
UFC on Fox: Poirier vs. Gaethje,
UFC 263: Adesanya vs. Vettori 2,
Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva,
Nitro Circus Live,
WWE Raw,
WWE SmackDown,
Stars on Ice,
2021 Gold Over America Tour,
Street League Skateboarding, and
WEC 53. The arena has hosted the traveling family-oriented shows
Radio City Christmas Spectacular,
Sesame Street Live, the
Harlem Globetrotters and
Cirque du Soleil. Since 2005, the arena has hosted the Arizona state high school basketball, volleyball, wrestling and cheerleading tournaments in an event called "February Frenzy," resulting from a formal agreement between the City of Glendale and the
Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA). The highest grossing event in venue history was
UFC 263: Adesanya vs. Vettori 2 on June 12, 2021, with 17,208 guests in attendance and $4,281,800 in revenue. The arena was the temporary home of the
Arizona Rattlers arena/indoor football team when their home arena, the
Footprint Center, was unavailable due to other events. It hosted the
Arena Football League's
ArenaBowl XXIX in 2016, the
Indoor Football League's playoffs in 2019 and was scheduled to host the team's IFL home season in 2020 prior to the
COVID-19 pandemic in Arizona. Prior to the 2018–19 NHL season, the Coyotes purchased and installed the center-hung scoreboard that was formerly used by the now-defunct
Palace of Auburn Hills. The arena was a regular stop for the
Professional Bull Riders (PBR)'s Premier Series for several years. Since 2022, it has become the home of the PBR's Arizona Ridge Riders during the PBR Team Series season held from the summer to autumn. The Arizona Rattlers announced that they would be moving to Desert Diamond Arena permanently in 2024 after using the arena as a temporary home previously. This gave the arena its first tenant since the Coyotes left in 2022. On May 25, 2025,
All Elite Wrestling held their
Double or Nothing pay-per-view at the arena. During the
memorial service of conservative activist and Arizona resident
Charlie Kirk at nearby
State Farm Stadium on September 21, 2025 following his
assassination eleven days prior, overflow attendees were sent to Desert Diamond Arena. ==Naming rights==