Last year I wrote up a post about the Phoenix Coyotes where I contemplated the future of the team. At the time
the NHL was working on a deal with Matthew Hulsizer which appeared to be in
jeopardy due to the interference of a local watchdog group (the Goldwater
Institute) who felt that his offer was relying too heavily on a payment to Hulsizer
from the City of Glendale. That deal eventually fell thru when the City of
Glendale failed to sell enough bonds to cover the required $100 million payout
to Hulsizer. This led to Hulsizer withdrawing his offer by the summer and the
NHL was left holding the team looking for either a new deal with a potential
buyer or the possibility of a move to Winnipeg, which has since picked up the
ex-Atlanta Thrashers and renamed the Winnipeg Jets.
Fast forward to this spring and
the NHL has announced that a tentative deal has been worked out between the NHL
and former San Jose Sharks CEO Greg Jamison. Now it is a waiting game while the
City of Glendale works out a deal regarding the lease of Jobbing.com Arena
(where the Coyotes play). The Goldwater Institute is still watching the
situation to ensure that Glendale will not be required to put up any money as
part of the purchase.
The Glendale City Council is set
to have a private meeting next week but as of this morning they have not added
anything regarding the Coyotes to their public agenda. The City is also dealing
with a potential lawsuit from the Cardinals regarding parking spots but that is
another story.
If things fall thru once again
expect to see the NHL step up the talk of relocation. While Winnipeg has been
satisfied another city has suddenly become a possibility, Quebec City. Quebec
lost the Nordiques to Colorado back in 1995 and has been hoping to replace the
team. A couple of months ago the City of Quebec announced that they will begin
construction of an 18,000-seat arena in hope of eventually landing an NHL team.
Construction will begin in September 2012 and is expected to be completed in
2015 and will cost $400 million. Hamilton is still considered for a possible
relocation too but because of the close proximity to Buffalo and Toronto the
NHL will have to take that in to consideration. Additional relocations include
a second team in Toronto (they even have a name already- Toronto Legacy),
Seattle and Las Vegas.
So as the Coyotes get ready to
play the LA Kings in the Western Conference Finals, the closest the team (NHL Jets/Coyotes)
has ever gotten to the Stanley Cup Finals, the soap opera seems to finally be
coming to a close.
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