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Coyotes sale approved, hurdle remains


sarsippius

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Stop me if you've heard this one before......the league has owned this team for 4 years now, will this finally be it? Or will this be another fail that finally convinces the league to desert the desert?

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ap-sources-coyotes-sale-approved-hurdle-remains?utm_campaign=AP_Sports&utm_source=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Twitter

Coyotes sale approved, hurdle remains

PHOENIX (AP) — The NHL has approved the sale of the Phoenix Coyotes to a group of Canadian-led investors, but the deal is contingent on reaching a lease agreement with the city of Glendale, two people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.

The NHL agreed to sell the team to Renaissance Sports & Entertainment, a group headed by George Gosbee, Anthony LeBlanc and Daryl Jones, according to the people, who spoke Saturday on condition of anonymity because there had been no official announcement.

They said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, deputy commissioner Bill Daly and the prospective buyers will meet with Glendale officials on Tuesday for talks on a lease.

The NHL bought the Coyotes out of U.S. Bankruptcy Court in 2009 and has tried without success to find a buyer who would keep the team in Glendale.

The approval of the Gosbee group's sale by the NHL was first reported by Fox Sports Arizona.

LeBlanc and some of this group's partners, among them Daryl Jones, were part of a previous effort to buy the team under the name Ice Edge, Inc. Gosbee, a banker and financier, is chairman, president and chief executive officer of Alberta-based AltaCorp Capital Inc.

The lease with Glendale has always been a sticking point in the sale of the team. Glendale owns Jobing.com Arena, where the Coyotes play and the city has spent tens of millions of dollars to help cover the franchise's operating losses under the NHL's nearly four-year ownership of the team. Any lease deal also likely will cost the financially-strapped city, but losing the team as an anchor tenant may cost much more.

If this effort falls through, Bettman could finally give up on his insistence on keeping the team in Arizona and agree to a move of the franchise, which has lost money since it moved to the desert from Winnipeg in 1996.

Then-owner Jerry Moyes, to the surprise of Bettman, took the team into bankruptcy in 2009, with an agreement to sell to Blackberry founder Jim Balsille, who would move the franchise to Hamilton, Ontario. But the NHL and its band of attorneys, joined by the city of Glendale, vehemently fought the plan in a court-case that dragged out through that summer, and the judge ruled that he couldn't overturn the NHL's authority to determine where its franchises are located. When other bids failed, the NHL stepped in and bought the team.

A bid by former San Jose Sharks owner Craig Jamison to buy the team was the latest attempt to fall through.

Despite the uncertainty and limitations of its ownership situation, the Coyotes had surprising success on the ice, even making it to the Western Conference finals last season. The team failed to make the playoffs in this season.

On Friday, the Coyotes announced it had reached agreement on a long-term contract with general manager Don Maloney and is working to re-sign coach Dave Tippett.

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I'm curious to see how long they are looking to sign a lease with Jobing.com Arena?

Has anyone seen the changes in the sale price of the Yotes over the last couple of years? Not that it really matters, but I'm just curious to see how much the price has dropped or risen thus adding to the difficulty of acquiring a real ownership in Phoenix?

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A couple of things.

Hopefully this works out for Glendale. And the league.

If this works, and the Coyotes are staying out west, and the rumor about expansion being considered to bring the league to 32 teams, which cities would be considered?

As much as Ontario Canada could, IMHO support another nhl club, with the East/West disparity it would cause, I don't see it. Personally, I believe the two best cities for the league would be: Seattle and Kansas City.

Seattle would draw from a nice region, Kansas City had an NHL club, sort of, for two years, in one of the worst expansions in league history. I have always felt it would be a natural rival with the Blues and Hawks to have a club there.

So no offense to Hamilton or Quebec, but in the interest of balancing the league east west wise, these would be my two choices if the league expands again.

Now if the league chooses to retract by two teams.......

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@yave1964

Kansas City baby, bring back the Scouts!!!! @mojo1917 would have an anuerysm if they brought back this timeless 70's classic:

200px-KansasCityScouts.png

Ok but in all seriousness, you raise a good point on the natural geographical rivalry that could evolve between KC-StL-CHI. Although (I don't think) much of a rivalry has really developed between CHI and StL, but you never know. I can't say that KC would be my first choice for expansion.....well let me back up one step first, i can't say that I think expansion is even a good idea at all! But if we have to, I do believe that Seattle would be a great choice. And my second choice would be (have been) Hamilton, but the Bettman has made his feeling clear about that prospect.

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@yave1964

Kansas City baby, bring back the Scouts!!!! @mojo1917 would have an anuerysm if they brought back this timeless 70's classic:

200px-KansasCityScouts.png

Ok but in all seriousness, you raise a good point on the natural geographical rivalry that could evolve between KC-StL-CHI. Although (I don't think) much of a rivalry has really developed between CHI and StL, but you never know. I can't say that KC would be my first choice for expansion.....well let me back up one step first, i can't say that I think expansion is even a good idea at all! But if we have to, I do believe that Seattle would be a great choice. And my second choice would be (have been) Hamilton, but the Bettman has made his feeling clear about that prospect.

Lol, somewhere along the way I picked up a love for everything defuct franchises. I have especially become a collector of WHA stuff, the Cleveland Barons and the Kansas City Scouts.

I have at least one of every Scout card ever printed, cards for every player who played with them who had a card printed in another uniform, of the fifty players who wore the K.C. sweater I have autographs from 22 of them, plus countless memorabilia, (Ebay, thy paypal is a heartless bitch). don't know how I started, it is a fun, fun hobby though.

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@yave1964

Right on, I love the nostalgia of teams and leagues gone by. My avatar is the logo of the New Jersey Knights, played about two thirds of a season in the WHA at the old Cherry Hill arena. I think my dad and I might be the only two people alive that even remember them. We also caught the the WHA Phila Blazers at the Civic Center (lasted one season) and the Phila Firebirds of the NAHL at the same place. Tons of memorabilia in the basement, programs pennants and ticket stubs, dad swears when he dies I better get to it before my mom tosses it all out!

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@yave1964

Right on, I love the nostalgia of teams and leagues gone by. My avatar is the logo of the New Jersey Knights, played about two thirds of a season in the WHA at the old Cherry Hill arena. I think my dad and I might be the only two people alive that even remember them. We also caught the the WHA Phila Blazers at the Civic Center (lasted one season) and the Phila Firebirds of the NAHL at the same place. Tons of memorabilia in the basement, programs pennants and ticket stubs, dad swears when he dies I better get to it before my mom tosses it all out!

Cherry Hill arena, where you could fire a puck from one end and the other goalie didn't see it until it hit the peak in the ice around the Red line. More dips and bows in that ice than anywhere the game has ever been played. I have read soooo many comments from players about how that is the all time worst place to play hockey ever. Thanks for pointing out your avatar, I feel foolish I never noticed. Now I need to switch mine to the Michigan Stags, lol.
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Cherry Hill arena, where you could fire a puck from one end and the other goalie didn't see it until it hit the peak in the ice around the Red line. More dips and bows in that ice than anywhere the game has ever been played. I have read soooo many comments from players about how that is the all time worst place to play hockey ever. Thanks for pointing out your avatar, I feel foolish I never noticed. Now I need to switch mine to the Michigan Stags, lol.

You sir, have done your homework! Horrible arena, was actually built as a recreational rink that landed an EHL team (Jersey Aces)

in the 60's. That a major professional league trying to supplant the NHL would put a team there still boggles my mind. But basically the

NY Golden Blades got booted from the Garden for nonpayment of rent, and the WHA needed a place to park the franchise until they found a home for it, and they really didn't care where.

Side note, the guy responsible for offering up Cherry Hill to the WHA also had grand plans to build an 18,000 seat arena there and lure an NHL or NBA team to play there. Literally 10 minutes from Philadelphia. Neighboring Moorestown fought tooth and nail against it, I think it actually went to the NJ Supreme Court before they finally gave it up. Which is likely a good thing, no way it would have ever worked.

Edit: Sorry @hf101, I derailed my own thread

Edited by sarsippius
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We are at a real crossroads here, just do SOMETHING either way.....this has gone beyond ridiculous!!! Either move or get this deal in place....so sick of it dragging on FOREVER>

Talk about a league desperate to keeping the Yotes in Phoenix.....the NHL is now willing to Loan $85M to Renaissance Sports and Entertainment to complete the sale.

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@yave1964

Right on, I love the nostalgia of teams and leagues gone by. My avatar is the logo of the New Jersey Knights, played about two thirds of a season in the WHA at the old Cherry Hill arena. I think my dad and I might be the only two people alive that even remember them. We also caught the the WHA Phila Blazers at the Civic Center (lasted one season) and the Phila Firebirds of the NAHL at the same place. Tons of memorabilia in the basement, programs pennants and ticket stubs, dad swears when he dies I better get to it before my mom tosses it all out!

My avatar. viva la WHA!!
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Talk about a league desperate to keeping the Yotes in Phoenix.....the NHL is now willing to Loan $85M to Renaissance Sports and Entertainment to complete the sale.

This is what I don't understand. I could see the league or the city floating loans to entice ownership.....like the first couple if years. But how long has this failed experiment been going on, and everything I read STILL has to do with Phoenix indemnifying new ownership against losses. How critical is it to league success to have a team in that market???

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  • 3 weeks later...

This is what I don't understand. I could see the league or the city floating loans to entice ownership.....like the first couple if years. But how long has this failed experiment been going on, and everything I read STILL has to do with Phoenix indemnifying new ownership against losses. How critical is it to league success to have a team in that market???

Well it looks like the NHL is trying to play tough with the city of Phoenix after bending over backwards to try and keep them there. I don't know if Phoenix can take the NHL seriously because they always cave to keep the Phoenix experiment rolling along. And how serious is the Seattle option? They don't have an arena yet, so they would play in a 11,000 seat rink for at least 2 years. At least it won't play out too much longer because something needs to be done for next season. The funny thing will be if it's the Phoenix Coyotes at the Draft and Seattle Starbucks when free agency opens!

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The funny thing will be if it's the Phoenix Coyotes at the Draft and Seattle Starbucks when free agency opens!

Ag

What about the Seattle Espressoes , or the Seattle CLT + ALT +DELETES; too bad Winnipeg already has the Jets.

Maybe they could be the Super Sonics no one has tried that :ph34r:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Lol, somewhere along the way I picked up a love for everything defuct franchises. I have especially become a collector of WHA stuff, the Cleveland Barons and the Kansas City Scouts.

I have at least one of every Scout card ever printed, cards for every player who played with them who had a card printed in another uniform, of the fifty players who wore the K.C. sweater I have autographs from 22 of them, plus countless memorabilia, (Ebay, thy paypal is a heartless bitch). don't know how I started, it is a fun, fun hobby though.

That is awesome. I was like that at one point with hockey cards. The pure unadulterated joy of opening up a new pack and feverishly searching for cards that you *need*, was one of my very fondest memories as a child. Became a fan from birth really, my family used to all get together on Saturday night and watch Hockey Night In Canada religiously. What an awesome thing they did for me, exposing me so young. Because of them, I remember the Orr flying goal. Cards was a natural progression. Have not opened up a new pack in decades, but I suspect I'd have the same adrenalin rush as an adult!!

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Jammer,

I LOVE the old WHA, it is one of my unhealthy obsessions. I could write a book, have actually thought about it a time or two. Maybe I will throw a MVRP team history on the Crusaders or Stingers or one of my old favorites.

Hope your doing well, glad your posting again.

Dave

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