The Coyotes Have A New Majority Owner, Are They On The Clock In Glendale?

((HT: AZCentral))

Depending on who you talk to these days, either the Phoenix Arizona Coyotes are either half-way to their $50-million loss figure for the escape clause to kick in or everything is fine, the team is losing money, and they're staying anyway.

Either way, this seems to be the league approach to keeping a team there when the league could be served better someplace else


Coyotes president Anthony Leblanc values his team around $300-million and he is selling 51-percent to Philadelphia hedge fund guru Andrew Barroway for something in the neighborhood of $152.5-million.

The Ice Edge guys had an escape clause built into their new deal with the city of Glendale that specified if the team was hemorrhaging money they could leave. Glendale agreed last year to pay the Coyotes $15 million annually to manage the arena- and that isn't helping, either. Revenue from parking and concerts paid to the city in return has so far fallen short of projections. If Barroway's name is familiar to you, it should be. He has had interest in both the Islanders and the Devils before getting this deal.

Reason being- and the HQ has witnessed this first hand- the Glendale City Center is a mixed-use development that has fallen well short of occupancy in the business and residential aspects of the project. It takes far too long to get there from the Phoenix downtown area under normal circumstances and, Gawd forbid, you work in Phoenix and thought you would live in Glendale.

It's just not a feasible suburban location for something to work...

Ice Edge's financing issues came to the fore again just before the season started when it was disclosed that they were sending Max Domi back to juniors so they wouldn't have to pay his entry level salary instead of keeping him up with the parent club so the team could have another scoring threat.

Oh, well...

Here's The Bettman discussing everything Arizona

Apparently, having Barroway involved gives the Coyotes a better interest rate with the NHL credit lines and gets them to wipe out a debt with a previous investment group and, also, may give the team an extra $9-million- which might bring Domi back to the parent club sooner rather than later.

But the HQ still believes that the Coyotes would be better served in the pacific northwest and the Florida Panthers would be better served in Quebec City.

But, that's just us thinking about relocation instead of the poo-pooed expansion talk from the Commissioner earlier this week.

Report: NHL To Las Vegas A "Done Deal..."

((HT: The Score))

After word of Victor Coleman wanting to be a part of the idea of Seattle getting an NHL franchise, there's now word trickling out of Vancouver that Vegas is already there.

In an article in the Vancouver Province newspaper, columnist Tony Gallagher has it pegged that some arena in town will be hosting a team sooner rather than later:

A new team close to the newly renamed Arizona squad and California’s big three is all but assured, the only question being when and with which other city. Or should that be plural?

With all the activity going on in the Seattle area in the last little bit it would be quite a stretch to imagine that much time and effort being spent by so many wealthy men being frittered away for nothing.

Adding two teams in the west to get to an even 32 makes sense- especially if the ECHL reorganization would lead to a 31-team league and the AHL would finally have it's true western division in the 2015-16 season. Also, moving the Florida Panthers to Quebec City to placate the Canadian fan base from all the American movement would also be a solid part of the equation with a teram hemorrhaging money and not getting their way when it comes to the new arena the owners are looking for at present.

The ECHL Wranglers have their niche, and there is a history of NHL games in Las Vegas dating back to 1991.
((HT: NHL Network))


There's simply too much money in place in Quebec with Quebecor Media and the pieces are there for all of this...

And another cash-in day for the National Hockey League...

And The First Commish To Complete The Ice Bucket Challenge Is...??? (Unless, Of Course, He Was Really Third)

((HT: NHL.com))

How many of you had Gary Bettman in your pool...???

Not Goodell, Silver, or Selig...

But the NHL Commish


For those of you who don't know, the Challenge started when Boston athletes wanted to raise awareness for Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS) and support 29-year-old former Boston College baseball captain Pete Frates. Frates is unable to speak and is confined to a wheelchair because of the disease.

Full disclosure...

The HQ knows several folks who suffer from this awful disease and they are tremendous role models for all of us...

We will be making donations to ALS societies instead of catching pneumonia...

Victor Coleman Now Paired With Chris Hansen For Seattle NHL Idea

((HT: KING-TV))

Chris Daniels has an update on the development of possible partners for Chris Hansen, his new arena in Seattle, and the idea of bringing a new hockey franchise to the city of Seattle.

Vancouver-based real estate magnate Victor Coleman has apparently signed a "non-binding" (translation: no cash changing hands publicly) agreement on the South Downtown area that Hansen wants to put an arena in for his NBA franchise that he wants to bring to town-that he doesn't have yet.

Coleman was part of the gaggle of city leaders that met with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Bill Daly secretly to talk about the Seattle destination for any hockey franchise that wants to relocate.

Are you listening Phoenix...???

Coleman has even put ideas about revenue streams on paper for Hansen to look at...

Here's the latest from Daniels on Coleman
The team that is playing at Jobing.com/Gila River Casinos Arena is on a very short leash with its owners at present with no end of money hemorrhaging- at present.

The folks down on Glendale need to pay serious attention to all that's going on up there as they get closer to solutions for bringing a team to Seattle and creating a natural rivalry with Vancouver- Coleman's home base...

Round 47 Of "Are The Coyotes On The Clock?"

((HT: Sports Exchange))

Glendale (Arizona) Mayor Jerry Weiers is asking the state attorney general to investigate the closed door meetings that the City Council had with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and League Number Two Bill Daly last year.

After days of meetings in 2013, the Council voted by a slim margin to approve the $225-million agreement that keeps the Coyotes in Glendale and the Jobing.com Arena. Weiers voted against the deal and is concerned that the City Council and the NHL violated Sunshine Laws.

If an investigation is opened and a violation is found, the deal could be voided- an issue the HQ raised when all of this went down in the first place. If the deal is torched, the city council would have 30 days to do everything all over again- in an open meeting this time around.

"I think it's a clear violation," Weiers told The Arizona Republic in a Tuesday article. "That meeting is wrong on so many levels. It's like playing poker and showing your opponents all your cards."

Here's the short version from News 12
And the HQ wonders again if the folks in Seattle are watching the activity in town... The full article from the Republic is hyah and is an nice, in-depth look what may be a bad situation for all parties involved.
As we have maintained from the beginning...

Chris Hansen Unchanged In Seattle Arena Plans, Bettman Acknowledges Shortcomings

((HT: KING5-TV))

Chris Daniels has been at the forefront of the Seattle Arena-bringing a team to Seattle whether it's at Key Arena for a while, then moving to a new arena-Clippers teaser when Steve Ballmer bought the team and kept them in LA, anyway- stories over the last month or so.

The larger questions go to Seattle Arena project developer-hopeful pro team owner Chris Hansen from now on...

Are you stopping...?
Where is the environmental survey standing right now...?
Are you looking to buy like Ballmer has and hold on to a property...?

Daniels caught up with Hansen
Then, as the Rangers and Kings get ready for the Stanley Cup Final, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman caught up with Bob McCown on "Prime Time Sports" to discuss everything hockey going into the last series of the year. ((HT: Sportsnet))

More On Bettman's Visit To Seattle, Phoenix Already On The Clock...??? (UPDATED W/Prospective Owners)

((HT: KING-TV))

Chris Daniels broke the news about the Gary Bettman-Bill Daly visit to Seattle last week and now there's a bit of an update...

Here's Daniels original salvo


Now, in a series of Tweets, Daniels has a little more info...

NEW: Seattle Mayor Ed Murray tells me #NHL initiated last wk’s meeting, & asked city to alter #SeattleArena MOU. Murray says he told them No 

MORE: Mayor Murray says he believes the Seattle City Council has no interest in changing MOU, said he brought up Key Arena. 

Seattle Council President Tim Burgess reiterated that he believes #SeattleArena won’t work with an #NHL first scenario.

The HQ's feelings here are that they're trying to find a quick home for somebody if something falls down. Phoenix makes the most sense with the attendance out that the LeBlanc group has. But keep an eye on the Florida Panthers and their wont to have the city pony up to $60-million for improvements to their arena in the town of Sunrise.

What makes the most sense over time is Phoenix slides up to Seattle and Florida will go to Quebec City- but that's just us thinking out loud now...

PM UPDATE: The Score, reporting Daniels again, has the proposed ownership group all figured out.

Victor Coleman and Jonathan Glaser are thought to be the driving force behind the bid. Coleman is CEO of Hudson Pacific Properties, which owns a long list of properties in and around Seattle.

Coleman and Glaser, along with Jeff Marks, met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly.

So, there you go... now we know... and we also know they're very serious in Seattle...

Bettman Visited Seattle For Arena Update Last Week

((HT: KING-TV))

Chris Daniels reported that the NHL Commish, Gary Bettman, and #2 Bill Daly were visiting with Seattle political-types last week to check on how things stand with the idea of a new arena in town...

Are you listening Phoenix...???

They met with King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Ed Murray. The only caveat that Bettman has ever said was that the town needs to address it's arena issues- even as he admitted the NHL would like to put a franchise in the market at some point.

Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer have agreed to partially fund a new arena, which is undergoing an environmental review.

The Hansen-Ballmer Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) says construction can begin on a new arena after the review and when an NBA team is approved for the market. It doesn't say anything about an NHL team, even though Hansen-Ballmer aren't interested in the league and others are.

The key thought from Hansen:

A new NHL team would likely have to play at least one year in Key Arena, depending on the status of a new complex. It's unclear if the NHL would be willing to commit a team to Seattle without some sort of guarantee a state-of-the-art, hockey-friendly facility was definitively on the way.

Bryan Stevens, spokesperson for the Seattle Department of Planning and Development, said on Tuesday that the environmental review on the project is now not scheduled to be completed until "sometime this fall". He added, that he believed, that there had been "no measurable movement" in the last few weeks.

Here's a piece that was done back in June 2013 by Daniels suggesting that Key Arena was ready if needed

More Ex-NHL'ers File Concussion Lawsuits

Another federal class action lawsuit has been filed against the National Hockey League alleging their attitude towards treating ex-players who suffer from health-related problems directly resulting from their efforts on the ice has been non-existent.

The lawsuit was filed in Minneapolis with ex-NHL'ers Dave Christian, Reed Larson and William Bennett named as plaintiffs. The suit puts forth the notion that, from the AP, the NHL put its players "at a substantially higher risk" for developing memory loss, depression, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Larson is a member of the US Hockey Hall of Fame. Here's an example of what he did in the NHL with Kevin Maguire in 1987- in addition to all the scoring and All-Star appearances
((HT: hockeyfights.com))


Christian was a part of the "Miracle on Ice" squad and is also a member of the Hall of Fame.
((HT: Team USA))


Bennett played for the Whalers and Bruins. Larson and Christian are Minnesotans. Bennett is from Rhode Island.

How these three became connected for the lawsuit is unclear, but it is now the third such suit involving the NHL and former players wondering about treatment for their post-career injuries. The first suit was filed back in November and the second was filed last week.

DEVELOPING: Here The NHL Goes Again With Seattle...

((HT: Sportsnet))

Chris Hansen was ready to bring an NHL franchise to a new barn in Seattle that he would fund on his own...

In an interview during the Stadium Series in Vancouver, NHL Commish made a point to mention the Pacific Northwest and its viability as an "intuitive" place for a franchise...

It's around the half-way point...
Chris Daniels... pursue...
Notice he didn't mention anything about a relocation...???
Just expansion...

Rogers Gets The Next 12 Years Of The NHL Up North...

((HT: Sportsnet))

And this is huge in a few ways...

1) The dollar figure- C$5.2-billion over 12 years... the largest deal in league history...

2) Sportsnet gets the "Hockey Night in Canada" brand, but can sub-lease it back to the CBC for four years...

3) It completely boxes out TSN nationally- the top-ranked cable network in the country and puts CBC under the thumb of Sportsnet- as it barely hangs on to any kind of sports branding...

Any kind...

Which means that the future of Don Cherry is in flux right now... and he can't even tell you what his future is...

4) CBC, run through public funding, can't flip the profits they make from hockey and turn them into other shows...

So, Sportsnet outspent everyone and CBC continues to fall behind in sports programming, but one of the first things the commissioner had to do was survive "Prime Time Sports" with Bob McCown....

Here's The Bettman with Bobcat...

IceArizona Takes Over Coyotes

And the Commissioner couldn't be any happier over the idea that he can hand over the keys to the Phoenix ArizonaPhoenix Coyotes from his own pockets once and for all...

For three years or so, anyway...

The guys from RenaissanceIceArizona took over the team and held their initial press conference detailing just how much they love Glendale and want to commit to keeping hockey in jobing.com arena- until they lose enough money so they can move somewhere like Seattle...

"Today is about starting over," Ice part-owner Anthony LeBlanc said.

AZCentral's Sarah McLellan caught up with the commish...
The City of Glendale, put over a barrel again, released this statement: "The city of Glendale is very pleased with the announcement from the National Hockey League (NHL) that IceArizona Acquisition Co., LLC has finalized its purchase of the team. The city is looking forward to working with IceArizona to continue the long-term presence and success of the Coyotes in Glendale. "As we move forward, the city and team will focus on building momentum for this season by welcoming new and returning fans to Glendale's Sports and Entertainment District and supporting the many shops and restaurants that make up this important economic engine for the city. "We want to thank the dedicated fans for their ongoing support of the team and the city of Glendale. As the anchor tenant for Jobing.com Arena, the Coyotes play more than 40 home games in our city that annually attract more than 500,000 fans and we are looking forward to many successful years ahead."
The HQ gives it 3 years- tops before the $50-million loss elevator clause kicks in...

NHL To Seattle Sometime Soon...???

((HT: Mitch Levy/950KJR Radio))

Mitch's Twitter has been busy Tuesday evening...

He has people (and we all know how influential and accurate "people" are) that are telling him that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is telling the Board of Governors that, when the Arizona Coyotes sale goes through and is approved, an expansion team is recommended to go to Seattle.

Here's the series...

The current MOU would undoubtedly need to be tweeked to keep the arena on track

The ownership group that was interested in buying the Phoenix franchise remains in play here, amongst others.

All of this contingent upon 1) a solid ownership coming forward and buying the team and 2) the new arena staying on track to be built

If approved, the new expansion Seattle NHL club would cost approximately $275M. It would begin playing here in the 2014-2015 season.

The end game here is that, if the arena stays on track, the city would be attractive for an NBA franchise when the NBA expands- as is anticipated when the new television contract comes up for discussion...

Ownership groups would, obviously, include the Hansen-Ballmer group that has (currently) lost out on an NHL franchise.

And this also brings up the question for franchise 32- Quebec City or Markham...
The HQ thinks Quebec with the Sun Media connections and the framework that's in place...

Here was the conversation from June when Seattle mayor Mike McGinn admitted talking to Commissioner Bettman about the league in Seattle when the Coyotes were in the discussion...
((HT: KING-TV))

So, Did Glendale Violate Open Meeting Laws...???

((HT: AZCentral.com/Giblin))

It was a question the HQ had in all of its coverage leading up to the city of Glendale prostituting itself to the National Hockey League to the tune of keeping the (now) Arizona Coyotes at jobing.com arena a few weeks ago...

As the league set its ideas in motion, Commissioner Gary Bettman and Number Two Bill Daly met with city council members in groups of two or three (or individually) as a way to get around the Open Meetings Law, having any minutes available for future reference, or having (frankly) any kind of record on paper to see just what back door dealings were cut to keep Glendale with a hockey team, keep the league from having to move a hockey team at the last minute, and keep Renaissance Sports and Entertainment from getting a hockey team.

Meetings held in secret and out of the public eye are always on the up-and-up, aren't they...???

A complaint has been filed by a Glendale resident with the state Attorney General's Office on just that very idea.

A July 2 letter by Assistant Attorney General Christopher Munns was sent to interim City Manager Dick Bowers.

It said, according to Giblin:

“The complaints allege that the council violated the Open Meetings Law by conducting sequential meetings of council members in a number less than a quorum in order to discuss official town business without needing to comply with the requirements of the law,” Munns states in the letter.

Munns asked Bowers to provide additional information about the serial meetings by July 26.

If Glendale violated the Open Meetings Law, penalties range from fines of as much as $500 per person, repaying the state for their attorney fees during their investigation, and removal from public office...

How that would affect the deal with RSE is anyone's guess...

While the interim city attorney for the city of Glendale only describes the meetings as meet-and-greet, resident Ken Sturgis, who said he filed a complaint, thinks otherwise...

“It’s hard to believe that this kind of contract that was put together and presented later wasn’t talked about. I find that very hard to believe,” he told Giblin.

As does the HQ... but what will happen probably won't have much impact on what has already gone down...

Here were the questions Glendale mayor Jerry Weiers had a few months ago- and, probably, still does...
((HT: AZPBS))

And The Future Of The Coyotes Is...???

There was an evening of discussion for the Glendale City Council to determine whether or not Renaissance Sports and Entertainment would come to some kind of agreement with the city on a lease agreement on jobing.com arena in Westgate City Center.

The City Council put in a last-minute provision on having their own back out if the deal soured in five years time- the same provision RSE made in front of the City Council. Knowing that RSE would turn the two-sided out clause deal down, RSE came back with a "make whole" idea where, if team leaves after 5 yrs, RSE would reimburse the city up to US$6-million a season for the five years the team would have been active.

Wait... weren't we in this situation before...? The point surrendered in the meeting has been a big selling point for some of the council members about having an NHL franchise around.

Glendale city staffers, the City Manager, and City Attorney are all warning against the Coyotes deal. But all it was going to take was a simple 4-3 vote by the looks of things to lock in the Phoenix Coyotes current location for the near future.

From the appearance of things, the yes votes would be Sherwood, Knaack, Martinez and Chavira. The no votes will be Alvarez, Weiers and Hugh...

Hugh is concerned about budget cuts if the deal is approved and a staff member says it's possible.

Global Spectrum as a partner for RSE late in the game might be a bit of a game-changer... and any kind of transaction around the team and arena has to go through NHL vetting. But Global Spectrum could assist in bringing in more dates to be filled more than the 41 regular season dates the Coyotes are bringing to the table.

All this with the looming spectre of city workers not getting paid (or laid off) or any other first responder getting treated for his home visit before transporting people to local hospitals. There are talks about combining or eliminating resources should his perennial-loser of a deal goes through.

Services could be cut as a result...and the HQ knows how well that will go for a city hemorrhaging trying to pay for public services instead of allocating US$25-million to the league every year.

But voting happened in the 1:00 AM hour eastern time. It appears that the provision the city wanted in the deal having their own out clause equal to RSE's was pulled off the table- the deal breaker coming into tonight...

What this appears to be is another five-year holding pattern for the franchise... and when the Coyotes discussion occurs again in five years (or less if losses accumulate faster than US$10-million which the team traditionally has), the two cities who will be ready for the NHL (Seattle and Quebec City) will be ready for pro hockey - in whatever form available.

Unless expansion has taken those two places, Kansas City would be in play.

Hugh is evolving as a "no," Sherwood a "yes," Alvarez a "no," Martinez a "yes," Chavira (a fireman, by the way, as the swing vote) an evolving "yes," Knaack is an evolving "yes," and Weiers is a "no..."

Even as Weiers says: "I know how this vote's gonna go. I'm still very uncomfortable we're going to take all of the risk."

Chavira to LeBlanc: "If you fail, we fail, correct? I know you wouldn't get involved in this if you plan to fail."

The vote was 4-3 "yes" on resolution on roll call vote...
"Ayes" carry the resolution without roll call...

And there you go...

Mayor Weiers sat down a few months ago to discuss the on-again, off-again stuff in Glendale...
((HT: AZPBS))


More when we know more after sunrise...

Coyotes Plan B: Seattle...???

((HT: Yahoo!Sports/Leahy))

In the Puck Daddy section, Sean Leahy now seemingly has more details on the Phoenix Coyotes situation...
Let's back track a few days here to Mike Sunnucks work in the Phoenix Business Journal...

Thursday's article had Glendale's concerns over the deal with Renaissance:

• The lack of equity and personal investments from Renaissance principals in their bid.

• The bid’s reliance on financing and loans from the National Hockey League and private equity investment firm Fortress Investment Group LLC (NYSE: FIG).

• Renaissance using funds from an arena deal with Glendale to pay debt service on their financing.

• A possible relocation of the team to Seattle or another market after a few more years in the West Valley.

We may not even get to point four...

On the "Satellite Hotstove" segment last night on CBC's "Hockey Night in Canada," FOSG Elliotte Friedman and Glenn Healy explained how we're getting to the idea of Phoenix to Seattle...

The Vancouver Canucks were looking for a home for their AHL franchise after they bought the Peoria Rivermen, and understandably, they wanted to put the team in Seattle. Strangely, it ended up in Utica, New York because the Key Arena folks said that the arena wasn't available for hockey.

Introducing your Utica Comets... complete with $5-million in state aid to renovate the arena in town that only seats 4,000 people...
((HT: WKTV-TV))


Even as KING-TV's Chris Daniels reported last week that the Key Arena has its ice-making equipment still in place and was functional:

Deborah Daoust spokesperson for Seattle Center, says ice making equipment and chilling system at #KeyArena is still operational

Reason being, according to Friedge and Glenn Healy, through Leahy:

Plan B for the NHL and Coyotes, if the latest candidate doesn't go through with the purchase, is to sell the team to investors Ray Bartoszek and Anthony Lanza, who previously engaged in discussions to purchase a 49-percent stake in the New York Mets in 2011, for $220 million. According to Glenn Healy, if those two do not get what they want by July 2 from the city of Glendale, then they would move the team to The Emerald City. Part of the new ownership group would be former NHLer and current NBC analyst Jeremy Roenick, who would help run the hockey operations department.

Whither Chris Hansen in all of this...???
Daniels sat down with him after the SacKings quest stopped...
((HT: KING-TV))

Let's see how Tuesday winds itself up...
Quoting Ol' JR: "Business is about to pick up..."

Glendale Claims Another Buyer Exists For Coyotes (UPDATE: There May Be A Deal)

((HT: Arizona Republic/Bickley))

All this stems from Bickley's column from yesterday...

And stop the HQ if you've heard this a billion times over the last four off-seasons...

There's a meeting of the Glendale City Council on Tuesday- and the HQ had no idea who the four groups are that have bid on the idea of running jobing.com arena without an anchor tenant until today. And that, we're fairly sure is a violation of the state's Sunshine Laws...

The Arizona Republic got the list: One of the four bidders is Phoenix Arena Development Limited Partnership, a subsidiary of the NBA's Phoenix Suns that manages US Airways Center.

The other three are Philadelphia-based SMG and two local firms -- the Phoenix Monarch Group and R Entertainment.

Anyway, the HQ digresses:

From Bickley and his conversation with Councilman Gary Sherwood...

a mystery candidate that Sherwood would not reveal, one with a lot of cash and better terms for his city.

The mystery buyer told Sherwood he’d have his bid together by Friday. It sounded too good to be true.

I’ll pause while you roll your eyes.

“But that’s part of the problem,” Sherwood said. “There are other groups lurking that the NHL hasn’t brought to us. They have their one candidate. And the way I look at it is, maybe Renaissance (Sports and Entertainment) is the best for the NHL, but maybe only second- or third-best for Glendale.”

Another source said the mystery buyer is real and would bring real money to the table. Renaissance’s deal is heavy on loans, short on equity, and no person has more than a $10 million stake in the game. They want an out clause after four to five years, creating fears that they conceivably could run the team into the ground and bail.

Which, the HQ thinks, is the re-emergence of Matthew Hulsizer and his folks...

So, the larger thought is: Will Glendale do an end run on the NHL to get their Coyotes to stay, or are they screwed as a lame duck franchise that will be heading to Quebec City or Seattle...???

Remember, realignment hasn't officially taken hold, and all it really takes is for the west to stay west and for a midwest team to slide (or a Dallas)... it won't be hard...

PM UPDATE: Sportsnet's John Shannon is saying that Renaissance and the city of Glendale have agreed in principle to a deal of some sort that includes the closing of the gap between the $6-million the city has budgeted for managing jobing.com arena and the $15-million RSE was reportedly looking for...

Somehow...

But the vote is still supposed to be made Tuesday at the city council meeting... it may not be a done deal for a city operating at a deficit already...

Shannon says the deal is for 15 years- pending approval...

NHL Kinda Admits Glendale May Have Problems (UPDATED With Seattle POV And Bettman On Seattle)

((HT: TSN))

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly and Commissioner Gary Bettman had their press conference of the "State of the State" in Chicago before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. And they're now admitting that there might be a problem in Phoenix with the Coyotes and their lack of an owner.

Maybe...

Maybe big enough to do something about it...

Like move them... or something... if a new ownership group (aka- Renaissance) can't reach a deal to keep the team in Glendale at jobing.com Arena.

Commissioner Bettman said at the press conference that "time is getting short" finding a solution to keep the team in Arizona. And Daly admits that the new schedule release will be pushed back because of the Coyotes' situation- and there might not even be a team to call Phoenix's next season...

"It certainly means that it's possible that the team won't play there next year," Daly said.

But the place where the Coyotes could land- if at all- is an unknown...

Asked if there must be some kind of an answer by the June 27 NHL Board of Governors meeting, Bettman told the assembled media "maybe."

You'll recall that Daly and Bettman held meetings with the Glendale City Council late last month- separately, not as a group of seven. Some say that the reason was to avoid the Open Meetings Law in the state of Arizona. Others say it was because the scheduling just... didn't... work... out...

Choose your version...

The city of Glendale is budgeting only $6-million where the Anthony LeBlanc-led group Renaissance Group is looking for a figure closer to $15-million. The city is looking to award the contract for managing jobing.com by June 25th. Four companies have bid, but none of the names have been made public.

Which is another problem in Glendale...

All this could go down...
Two days before the BOG Meeting...

Here's Dan Bickley talking about the shenanigans from a while back...
((HT: azcentral.com))
“The puck is in the City of Glendale’s end,” NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said. Indeed... PM UPDATE: Chris Daniels from KING-TV in Seattle, who monitored the whole SacKings to Seattle idea, has checked with the folks that run Key Arena... through his Twitter... Deborah Daoust spokesperson for Seattle Center, says ice making equipment and chilling system at #KeyArena is still operational Key Arena hosted a 'Stars on Ice' show back in 2012. Obviously, not hockey. Daoust also says the Key Arena dates, that were being held for an NBA team, have been freed up. Not being held for any other reason So, the short version is that Seattle looks like they're clearing the runway just in case... And, so is Quebec City... Here's an interview that Bettman did with KING-TV when discussing Seattle...

Maloofs Chasing Hockey And Baseball...And Are OK With Kings In SacTown

((HT: Sacramento Bee/Voisin))

It's no secret that the Maloofs want to get rid of the Sacramento Kings...

But Ailene Voisin's column has a few interesting elements in it:

1) They're cool with the Kings staying if the local bid matches... BUT... from her article...

"We're giving Sacramento every opportunity to keep the team," one source said Thursday, "but they keep blowing every deadline. We haven't seen anything in writing."

2) The ins and outs of the ownership group, specifically Ron Burkle's exit, caused the Maloofs to lay out the 5PM Friday deadline for a matching bid from the city. Burkle had been in a bid before with Larry Ellison, but got turned down. Ellison wanted to move the team to San Jose. Ellison moved on to the Warriors...

3) The Maloofs want to pursue a team in either Major League Baseball or the NHL. Voisin says that the Maloofs have had conversations with NHL commish Gary Bettman about having a team in Las Vegas.

PM UPDATE: On the "Satellite Hotstove" segment this evening on CBC's "Hockey Night in Canada," FOSG Elliotte Friedman refutes that thought to a degree. Friedge says the talks haven't been for five years... the ECHL Wranglers currently play in the Orleans Arena, which seats maybe 8,000 on a good day. An arena would have to be built to meet NHL specs- perhaps the Maloofs have a place in mind...

And former Facebook CFO Chris Kelly is in the group to keep the Kings in town as well...
((HT: News 10))

And Start The Coyotes Relocation Talk Again In 3,2,1... (UPDATED W/New, Old Pursuers- Thursday and Friday)

Darren Dreger over at #TSN was releasing this info tonight on his Twitter:

NHL continues to fight to keep Yotes in Glendale, however, relocation decision could take place before the playoffs.

Quebec City, Seattle and Kansas City among relocation sites. Aside from conference issues, Que City appears best fit. Far from done deal...

Aaron Ward followed up:

NHLPA source,expect decision to come before start of playoffs.Gone is Glendale $25M subsidy

It looks like the city is tired of dealing (finally)... the Coyotes are 13th in the west, last in the Pacific, and came into Wednesday losers of four in a row...

They're next to last in attendance figures for home games- only 780 people or so over the Islanders- at just under 80-percent capacity.

Here was the Greg Jamison speech in front of the Glendale City Council back in November...


And the initial introduction of Jamison by Commissioner Gary Bettman as the savior du jour during the playoffs last season...


But, then, surprising no one really... everything hit a snag... and Jamison would never announce who his partners are/were as of a month ago...everything crapped out... Jamison was supposedly working on a new deal, but there's nothing imminent...
((HT: ABC15))


So, remember where we were last month... two months ago... last year...???
Well, we're back to where we started... only thing is JoJo is in Tucson...

Hey, they were close...


Thursday Update: Per OSG Sources in Arizona, AltaCorp Capital chairman & CEO George Gosbee is working with Anthony LeBlanc on @NHL_Coyotes purchase... so, we're back there...

Yep. Ice Edge is back with Gosbee- for those of you unfamiliar: Gosbee founded AltaCorp Capital, a new Canadian investment bank in 2010. As well, he is co-chair of AIMCo (Alberta Investment Management corp), a $70 billion investment fund. Sportsnet's John Shannon thinks a proposal could be done by the beginning of next week after the Easter holiday.

Friday Update: Darin Pastor, via press release, decided to throw his hat in the ring...

If the name rings a bell, it's because his grandfather and uncles owned the Buffalo Bisons in the 50's, 60's, and '70's.

"If we have an opportunity to acquire the franchise, we will do everything we can to make sure it stays in the great city of Glendale and continues to enhance the Phoenix metropolitan area."

Pastor is currently founder and CEO of Capstone Affluent Strategies- whatever that is...