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...

Quebecor Media Denies NHL Pursuit... This Time...

Of course, the same can be said about True North Sports and Entertainment when they pursued the Atlanta Thrashers two-plus seasons ago...

And, eventually, played nice with the National Hockey League, bought the team and moved them to a good home...

Through their Twitter account, which might mean there's a reason to deny, the big wigs in Quebec City at Quebecor Media decided to say something...

The rumour that Quebecor is currently in negotiations with the #NHL to buy a franchise is completely false.

The statement doesn't say they haven't- just that they aren't at this very minute... even as Rejean Tremblay of QMI told 98.5 Sports in Montreal:

"A team is in place to clear the ground, lawyers, accountants to audit the affairs of the Coyotes," said columnist Réjean Tremblay on 98.5 fm with Paul Arcand on Wednesday.

One would lend itself to think that the National Hockey League is trying to figure out if the folks who are currently "negotiating" with the NHL for the Coyotes- the Anthony LeBlanc group- are serious... or just more serious than the Darin Pastor group that got stiff-armed by Bill Daly and everyone else associated with the NHL.

According to FOSG Dan Bickley, from a few weeks ago:

LeBlanc’s group – Renaissance Sports and Entertainment – has raised $240 million, or $70 million more than the NHL’s asking price. It is committed to absorbing $40 million in losses over the first four years, with an out clause if the economics don’t improve.

The group would immediately re-sign Don Maloney and Dave Tippett, arguably the best general manager/coach tandem in the NHL.

But the lease for Jobing.com Arena may be the killer for anyone who wants in on the Coyotes. The Arizona Republic claims that operating costs are around $6-million where LeBlanc is looking to get something in the neighborhood of $15-million. If LeBlanc is out, then would it be the return of Matthew Hulsizer or would Quebecor finally get their chance to make an easy move to Quebec City...???

CEO Pierre Karl Peladeau would love to match Bell and Rogers to get a chance to play with a big boy toy like an NHL franchise. There's only so much work that can be done in and around the Montreal Impact...

Reg Sherren did a piece for CBC's "The National" exploring how the return of the Jets could help the return of Les Nordiques...


Tremblay, who had a one on one with the Bettman last year with QMI, had this quote:

"If ... if ... if ... if ... a franchise was available, there would be three factors to consider. One, the owner. Two, the arena. And three, the market. That is how we must analyze the demands and make a decision."

Check, double check, triple check...

Hulsizer not likely to buy St. Louis Blues

Matthew Hulsizer (in middle)

((ht: st.louis post-dispatch))

At this point, we think it is safe to say Matthew Hulsizer isn't able to afford the purchase of an NHL Hockey team.

His latest failure comes in St. Louis where the NHL has terminated his purchase agreement to buy the St. Louis Blues. That agreement required Hulsizer to bring at least $40 million to close the purchase and according to the St.Louis Post-Dispatch, he's not been able to scrape together the money to do it. His minority partner, Dave Checketts, was able to cover his share and more, but ultimately, Hulsizer's failure is likely to end the deal.

If Hulsizer's name sounds familiar to you, the Hockey fan, it's because he was the man trying to buy the Phoenix Coyotes in late 2010 and early 2011. That heavily leveraged deal essentially had the city of Glendale, Arizona fronting a large chunk of the purchase price to the NHL. That deal also collapsed and the Coyotes are on their 3rd season of being owned by the league.

As for the Blues, there are rumblings that current minority owner Tom Stillman has put together a group of local investors who are ready, willing and able to buy the team. The league has told them they must match the $130 million price Hulsizer offered and the Dispatch says they can do just that.

Read more from Stltoday.com RIGHT HERE

This seems like a no-brainer. We argued during Hulsizer's flirtation with the Coyotes that he didn't have the money to pull off a deal to buy a team.

And we were right.

We don't want to disparage Mr. Hulsizer, his intentions may have truly been honorable and genuine, but owning a pro-sports team is not for the timid or those lacking in cash. It's a big-boy game and one that only a select few can afford to play.

The thing that makes us happy is that it appears the Blues will be locally owned. Hopefully the league will allow the Stillman deal to proceed and it will keep the team in a town that is nothing short of Hockey-Obsessed.

Has Scruggs Had Enough...??? Are The Coyotes Really Done...???

((HT: KPNX-TV Phoenix))

Since Matthew Hulsizer pulled out of the latest deal to buy the Phoenix Coyotes, the team that calls Glendale home is now on the clock...

And, yes, we know people in Atlanta are now kicking themselves over this one...

But now with the NHL and Glendale pointing fingers over who caused the Hulsizer exit, Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs either sees the writing or is trying to court Jerry Reinsdorf one last time before she has to figure out whether out another US$25-million can come from city coffers...

Kevin Kennedy got a sitdown with the mayor...


So, the larger question is: Where do they go since Winnipeg is out of play...? Quebec City...??? Kansas City...??? The options are slim and he's heading out of town...