The Vancouver Canucks shutout the Phoenix Coyotes 2-0 Monday night for their third straight win and 50th point of the season. The Canucks were led by Ryan Kesler, who scored the game-winning goal just over seven minutes into the first period.

Kevin Bieksa took a slap shot from the point, which Kesler knocked in after Mason Raymond originally put the rebound off the post. It was all the Canucks would need, as both goaltenders put on a brilliant display in net, making for a defensive game.

Kesler’s goal was hard fought and well deserved as the Canucks pressured the Coyotes early in the first period. Kesler recognized the importance of his early goal after the game.

“Obviously when you get one early it helps,” Kesler said in the locker room. “The first period was tough getting back into it, but after that I felt good.”

The Coyotes finished with 19 shots on goal, and Canucks netminder Cory Schnieder stopped every one of them. Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith was much more active, and made 40 saves on 41 shots in the loss.

Late in the third period, Coyotes center Antoine Vermette made a pass in the Canucks zone that flew past the blue line and ended up in the Coyotes empty net to give the Canucks a 2-0 lead with a minute left. Dan Hamhuis was credited with the goal for the Canucks after being the closest to the puck.

The loss ended the Coyotes three game winning streak to start the month of April, as Phoenix now falls three points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference behind the Detroit Red Wings. The Coyotes beat the Red Wings 4-2 last Thursday at home and will go to Detroit on April 22.

The Canucks now lead the Minnesota Wild by four points in the Northeast Division and are third in the Western Conference. Vancouver has all but guaranteed themselves a playoff berth in 2013, and have just over two weeks to prepare for a run at the Stanley Cup.

The Canucks have the least amount of goals this season out of all division leaders in the NHL, and will have to find a way to score to compliment their great goaltending tandem of Roberto Luongo and Schneider. Do the Canucks have enough fire power to make a run in the Stanley Cup playoffs?

[Image via Creative Commons]

Vancouver Canucks Shutout Phoenix Coyotes 2-0 is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Anaheim Ducks win 2-0 in their third game against the Phoenix Coyotes in five days. The Ducks lost the first two games 5-4 respectively, both ending in shootouts.

The shut out win Wednesday was much needed for the Ducks, who had lost two-in-a-row for the first time all season leading up to the third game with the Coyotes. The Ducks have had a great start to the year, leading the Pacific Division by nine points over last year’s Stanley Cup Champions, the Los Angeles Kings.

The Ducks would be the talk of the NHL if it wasn’t for the ridiculous start by the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks have gained atleast one point in every game this season, and have yet to lose in regulation.

Vikot Fasth has been the story of the Ducks success to start the year, as the 30-year-old rookie is 9-1-1 in 12 appearances with a 2.08 goals against average. Jonas Hiller missed a few games in January, but has been great since returning to the team.

Hiller was in net last night and grabbed his first shutout of the season on 18 saves. Corey Perry opened up the scoring for the Ducks just seven minutes into the first period. Perry’s goal was enough to hold back the Coyotes, and Ryan Getzlaf made sure of it with an empty net goal late in the third.

The Phoenix Coyotes have played very well this year in comparison to their struggles in the early 2000′s that made them practically invisible within the hockey community. With 25 points on the season, the Coyotes currently hold onto the seventh spot in the Western Conference.

If the Coyotes success holds up as we near the end of a lockout-shortened season, they will make the playoffs for the fourth straight season after missing out every year from 2002 to 2009. The Coyotes lost in the conference finals last season to the Kings before they went on to win the Cup.

The Anaheim Ducks finished fifth in the Pacific in 2012 and failed to make the playoffs. The Ducks have only lost three games in regulation this season to turn the page from last year. The Ducks win 2-0 and have to be excited to get away from the surging Coyotes. The two teams will not cross paths again until the last day of the regular season in a battle before the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Ducks Win 2-0 In Third Straight With Coyotes is a post from: The Inquisitr

Brett MacLean, 23,  of the NHL Phoenix Coyotes suffered reportedly suffered a “cardiac emergency” during a pick-up hockey game in Ontario last night.

EMTs  evidently administered CPR at the rink, and MacLean was taken to a local hospital and then later transported by air ambulance to Knight University Hospital  in London, Ontario,  where he was admitted to the intensive care unit.

As reported by USA Today and other media outlets, Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney issued a statement that said, in part…

Brett was playing hockey last night in Owen Sound, Ontario, when he suffered a medical emergency…Our thoughts and prayers are with Brett and his family. We request that everyone please respect their privacy at this time. We will provide an update on Brett’s status when information is available.

MacLean (not to be confused with NHL veteran Brett McLean) is a forward who was drafted by the Coyotes in the second round of the 2007 NHL draft as the 32nd pick overall.  So far he has spent most of his career in the minors.

To date, he has appeared in 18 NHL games (with Phoenix and the Winnipeg Jets who picked him up after he was waived by the Coyotes) and has two goals and three assists. MacLean made his NHL debut on December 29, 2010,  scoring a goal on his first shot against Jonathan Quick of the now Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings.

MacLean appeared most of last season with the Portland Pirates, the Coyotes American Hockey League affiliate after Winnipeg placed him on waivers and he was reclaimed by the Coyotes.

NHL Player Brett MacLean Suffers Apparent Heart Attack is a post from: The Inquisitr

Phoenix Coyote’s Raffi Torres has been suspended for 25 games by the NHL for his hit on Chicago Blackhaw’s Marian Hossa. Torres will miss the rest of the playoffs and will most likely miss several games at the start of the 2012 season.

The NHL made the announcement this morning. The Blackhawks and Coyotes will square off for Game 5 of their first-round series later tonight. The Coyotes lead the series 3-1.

USA Today reports that the suspension could be completed during the playoffs (the Coyotes would have to make it to the Stanley Cup with several 7-game series) but will most likely carry-over into next season.

League disciplinarian, Brendan Shanahan, said that Torres’ hit was “violent and dangerous” and “caused a severe injury.” Shanahan also said that the NHL considered Torres’ violent history when handing out his suspension.

Shanahan said:

“Despite knowing that Hossa no longer has the puck, Torres decides to finish his check past the amount of time when Hossa is eligible to be body-checked… While we acknowledge the circumstances of certain hits may cause a player’s skates to come off the ice… on this hit, Torres launches himself into the air before making contact… The position of Hossa’s head does not change just prior to or simultaneous with this hit. The onus, therefore, is on Torres not to make it the principal point of contact. By leaping, Torres makes Hossa’s head the principal point of contact.”

Torres was forced to sit out of game four and will obviously not be playing tonight. Hossa also missed game four due to the hit and the Chicago Suntimes reports that he did not travel to Phoenix with the team for the game tonight.

Raffi Torres Suspended For 25 Games For Marian Hossa Hit is a post from: The Inquisitr

Jonathan Toews is back. The Chicago Blackhawks star has missed the final 22 games of the regular season but will return to the lineup tonight as the Hawks face off against the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round of the NHL playoffs.

The Blackhawks made the announcement with a simple statement on Twitter: Yes. He’s Back.”

USA Today reports that Toews has been skating with the team since Monday and is expected to rejoin Marian Hossa and Patrick Kane on the top line tonight. The Chicago Suntimes reports that Toews has been cleared to play tonight but it will ultimately be his decision.

Toews said:

“I’ve been sitting here a lot longer than I thought I would be… It’s been tough to battle through. (But) I’m right there…. It’s just been another day where I just feel like I’m getting better and better and getting back to where I want to be as far as when I’m going to play a game.”

Blackhawks Coach Joel Quenneville added:

“He’s made real consistent progress recently. Each and every day he feels even better.”

Toews has been participating in full contact practices since the beginning of April and has been skating with Kane and Hossa the last few days. Kane said:

 “He hadn’t been practicing on the line with us before so it’s a good sign. He’s a force and to have him back would be a huge boost.”

The Blackhaws play the Phoenix Coyotes tonight during the first round of the NHL playoffs. Do you think Toews will help bring the Blackhawks back to the Stanley Cup?

Jonathan Toews Returns to Blackhawks Lineup For NHL Playoffs is a post from: The Inquisitr

Currently the NHL has three franchises for sale. The Phoenix Coyotes, St. Louis Blues, and Dallas Stars. Of course given the state of the economy these sales are tough, but several local problems have also hampered the progress of the sales of these three clubs. The Coyotes have been for sale for years, and the city council of Glendale, AZ is the major sticking point there. In Dallas, the sale is being held up due to the large number of creditors that must be pacified, and in St. Louis the sale of the Blues is being held up as ownership groups are considering making bids on the Stars.

We start in Phoenix where two groups are rumored to be interested in buying the team. One of those groups is likely headed by Jerry Reinsdorf (who owns the Chicago Bulls and White Sox). The hold up there is any new ownership group is going to want an opt out clause from the team’s current 30 year lease. Meaning they want out if the local populace cannot or will not support the team. So far the city of Glendale has been unwilling to grant a clause like that (and since they own the building and have shelled out millions to keep the team in town) we can understand why. However, they will likely have to do so. In the end it is not so bad, as any hint of success should bring in fans and local sponsors.

In Dallas, Tom Gaglardi is serious about buying the Stars, and he reported to be in New York working out deals with all of the creditors. His bid will likely get through and be overseen by a bankruptcy judge. There are a few other groups interested in the Stars and the Blues and it seems likely right now the Stars sale will happen first with whoever gets locked out of that moving on to the Blues. Gaglardi seems to have little interest in buying the Blues.

Phoenix Coyotes, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars sale update is a post from: The Inquisitr

I am not a big fan of the Phoenix Coyotes, or their less than suitable location. However, it now seems like the team and its fans are kind of getting a raw deal. The NHL has allowed this situation fester for far too long. At times it seems they are using the sale and possible relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers as leverage against the Coyotes. If True North were to buy the Thrashers, and move them to Winnipeg it would take all the pressure off the situation in the desert, and the groups involved would have plenty of time to work out a new deal.

Let’s be real honest here the citizens of Glendale have now ponied up 50 million bucks of taxpayer money to keep the Coyotes in town. If they wind up leaving I think the folks in Arizona will be mightily pissed off and may turn away from hockey all together. I know I would if I were in that situation. So the NHL should do whatever is necessary to work out an agreement to keep the Coyotes in Arizona. That would be up to and including giving ownership of the team to the city of Glendale.
 
Asking taxpayers to hand out that kind of cash, after building an arena with other public funds, and then ripping the team out of the area would be unconscionable. It would be a PR nightmare, and hopefully Gary Bettman understands that. The NHL should move to allow True North to buy the Thrashers, get heavily involved in getting a Phoenix deal done, and then work towards fixing the problems with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Has the NHL been unfair to the Phoenix Coyotes? is a post from: The Inquisitr

The situation for the Phoenix Coyotes seems like a never ending cycle of really bad news. This team struggles to turn a profit, several different groups have been interested in buying it, and yet the taxpayers of Arizona are continaully asked to shell out more and more money to keep their hockey team. The city of Glendale has now had to pay 25 million bucks to the NHL for operating losess of this team that equalled some 36 million dollars. The city promised its tax base that they would not have to pay, as they thought new ownership would be in place. However, each and every day it seems that is less likely to happen.

The first question has got to be why does this team lose so much money? In the past bad ownerhsip seemed to be to blame, but even in a year when they made the playoffs the Coyotes ranked second to last in NHL attendance. They went 43-26-13 and averaged just north of 12,000 fans per home game in2010-11. That is a number that has to come up however, to trully make money in today’s NHL a team must make a deep run in the playoffs.

Arizona taxpayers should be quite upset about having to eat this money, even thoug the NHL posted record breaking revenue with a nestiamted 2.9 billion dollars in revenue for the just concluded season. The city of Glendale has showed tremoudous good faith to make a deal with new ownership work, but for many reasons I have to wonder if the Coyotes in Phoenix will ever be econmically viable.

Glendale, Az coughs up 25 million bucks for Phoenix Coyotes is a post from: The Inquisitr

This has been going on for years now, and the more I look into it the more Phoenix feels like a square hole with which the NHL is trying to pound the round peg of the Coyotes into. This team has not done well on the ice recently nor in the books. They have lost a lot of money, and some of that may be due to weak ownership in the past, but it does not look like hockey in the desert was a great idea now or then.

The NHL does have a buyer who has agreed in principal to buy the Coyotes and keep them in Phoenix, but a bond issue to raise 197 million dollars to finance the deal has met much local opposition and a probable lawsuit from the Goldwater Institute. Apparently this institute is may sue over a document used to justify the 197 million in bonds being prepared by someone who may have committed fraud in another hockey related matter.

On top of that the Goldwater Institute is a conservative group that likely has a problem using public funds to sell the team to a private investor. However the main point of contention is if the parking fees for jobbing.com arena will equal enough to finance the 100 million dollar debt.  This is a complicated deal and I am hardly a real estate attorney.  There might also be a breach of the state constitution, which the institute is very concerned about.

At some point the NHL will give up on this deal, and that time is likely coming soon as this mess has dragged on for a long time. At some point the man who plans to but the Coyotes will find a sweeter deal in another NHL city, at least two other NHL teams are currently for sale, and at some point a Canadian city will give someone a good enough deal to move the Coyotes back to where they came from.

The future of the Phoenix Coyotes remains in doubt is a post from: The Inquisitr

I guess the good news in all of this is that hockey fans in Phoenix, Arizona will get to keep the Coyotes in Glendale, Arizona. The bad news is it is going to cost the residents of the city a heck of a lot of money. It looks like the latest deal is to give potential buyer Matt Hulsizer 100 million dollars next week when he completes the purchase of the team from the NHL. Then the city may give him up to 97 million dollars over the next five years for his organization to stage non hockey events at the stadium. The city plans to make the money back by charging for parking and selling off naming rights for each of the parking lots around jobbing.com arena.

For that price the City of Glendale could have bought the team from the NHL directly. In the sports world it is not unheard of for a municipality to own a sports teams as Lucas County in Ohio owns a minor league baseball and hockey team. However the plan seems to be shell out more money to keep the Coyotes in town, after building Jobbing.com arena for a price tag of 225 million dollars.

Instead of getting a tenant who would ya know pay rent and give the city some return on its investment, the city of Glendale is now doing whatever it can to keep the Coyotes in town and give their investment in the arena a chance. To be fair Hulsizer seems committed to building a winner, and has kicked in 25 million of his own money to help get a deal done.

With that being said, if the Coyotes cannot operate in Arizona without this kind of government subsidization they should not stay in Arizona. In is really that simple. The citizens should not have to keep handing out corporate welfare for a team that doesn’t seem to be able to make any profit.

This is why cities should not build facilities for pro sports teams is a post from: The Inquisitr

Finally one of the uglier chapters in recent sports business history is at an end. The city of Glendale, Arizona has agreed to a new lease on jobing.com arena for the Phoenix Coyotes. Now the NHL, who brought the team out of bankruptcy, can find a new owner for the team and the word is they would like to find a buyer willing to keep the Coyotes in the desert. The new lease gores a long way towards making that happen.

Now it looks like Chicago Businessman Matthew Hulsizer will purchase the team from the league and we can all put this sad chapter behind us. The Ice Edge group is solidly behind this plan and will serve Hulsizer as partial owners. Hulsizer’s background is in banking and investments, and he was brought into the Ice Edge group to be their money man. Originally the league and city were concerned that Ice Edge’s financing was mostly through bank loans.

The City of Glendale has deposited 25 million dollars in the bank to cover the losses for the current financial year, and Hulsizer’s group has added an additional 25 million of good faith money to get this deal done. If the NHL had not found a local buyer by January it seems very likely that the team would have been sold and relocated.

Despite all of this going on behind the scenes and a very low payroll the Coyotes were a very big surprise last season, so far this year they are off to a 1-2 start but it is still very early.

Related Links:

•Joshua Lobdell.com

Glendale, AZ finally gives the Phoenix Coyotes a new lease is a post from: The Inquisitr

Without a doubt the Phoenix Coyotes were the most surprising team in the NHL last season. They ended up as teh #4 seed in the Western Conference and with home ice advantage in the first round of the NHLK playoffs. It seems this once hapless organization has turned a new corner and that their new ownership is committed to building a winner in the desert. The key to their fast turn around is Head Coach Dave Tippett. He brought in a great defensive system and the Coyotes gave up the third least amount of goals a season ago.

Tippet, last year’s NHL Coach of the Year, return for his second season behind the Coyotes bench. Last year he led teh team to a 50-25-7 record. Now he faces the challenge of adding rookies to his low key system. He will have to learn to push the right buttons. It should be very interesting to see how this team deals with the sophomore jinx.

The Coyotes are looking to Center Andrew Ebbett to be their breakout candidate. With the Anaheim Ducks in 2008-09 he racked up 32 points in just 48 games. Lat year he had less than half that total as he bounced around several teams in the Western Conference. The Coyotes would like to see his scoring return.

Key Additions- LW Ray Whitney, LW Andrew Ebbett, G Matt Climie, and C Patrick O’Sullivan

Key Subtractions- D Jim Vandermeer, C Daniel Winnik, D Zbynek Michalek, C Matthew Lombardi, D Sean Sullivan, C Joel Perrault, LW Stefan Meyer, and RW Francis Lessard

Related Links:

•Joshua Lobdell.com

2010 Phoenix Coyotes Preview is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Winnipeg Jets moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1996 due to their inability to keep star players in Winnipeg and because Winnipeg featured a hockey arena that was the smallest in the league. The problem with the move is it was essentially doomed from day one. The Coyotes have never turned a profit in Arizona due to a terrible stadium lease with the city, playing their first seven years in a facility completely inadequate for hockey, and for a lack of success on the ice. The simple facts here are this is a team that has not won a playoff series since 1987, and the folks in Arizona apparently have better things to do with their time and money.

When the team began play in Phoenix, it played its home games at American West Arena the home of the NBA Phoenix Suns. Now, while that arena was considered a state of the art facility for basketball, it was a terrible place for hockey. The NHL rink barely fit into the arena, and while it was reengineered to fit it left a significant portion of the seat in the arena with an obstructed view. In fact around 4,200 seats at that arena could not see almost a third of the ice surface.

Since the stadium only sat 16,000 for hockey nearly a quarter of those seats had to be sold at a discount. So no matter what success this team had early on, and it made the playoffs in five of its first six years in Phoenix, this team could not make profit because of the terrible stadium. In 2003 the team and City of Glendale, Arizona opened the Jobbing.com arena but the lease signed with city that siphoned off revenue from the team insured that this team would remain financially unviable.

Given those facts, the Coyotes were never in a position to recover from the mismanagement of the recent owners and front office. The economics of hockey demand long playoff runs to drive up revenue and merchandise sales, and in 13 years in Phoenix the Coyotes have never been able to do just that. In recent years they have been unable to field a competitive team due to errors in judgment by the coaching staff. In the end the decision to move this team to an inadequate arena in Arizona doomed this venture.

Did Phoenix ever deserve to have a NHL franchise? is a post from: The Inquisitr

After an underhanded attempt to sell the Phoenix Coyotes after the NHL had stepped in to help with payroll dollars, a bankruptcy fight that went on and on over the summer, and after losing millions upon millions of dollars, Jerry Moyes has finally agreed to sell his team back to the NHL. Of course the sale of this club will have to be approved by a Federal Bankruptcy Judge, but the safe bet here is he will allow the NHL to buy this team, and then do with it what they can.

It is really too bad that this is what we are discussing when the Coyotes are off to a 6-4 start, and look to be far better than anyone was willing to give them credit for. However even with their fast start, they are averaging just above 10,000 fans per home game and that simply will not do. There still seems to be a large question about how viable a hockey team can be in the desert.

While Moyes has agreed to this plan, in large part because the 140 million the NHL bid for this team is actually going towards operating the team, is former minority partner Wayne Gretzy has of yet not agreed. Gretzky has a 22.5 million dollar claim before the court and it seems likely that the NHL is going to have to pay him at least part of the amount.

Once the sale is completed the NHL plans to seek new ownership for the team immediately. They would prefer to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix, but the low attendance numbers may make that impossible. There have been some reports that the Canadian city of Quebec would like once again to have a NHL franchise of its own, and the Coyotes would certainly fit the bill of a team needing a fresh start.

Jerry Moyes agrees to sell the Phoenix Coyotes is a post from: The Inquisitr

They called it the whiteout. The Phoenix Coyotes slashed prices for their home opener, and gave away white T-shirts in an effort to not only attract fans to the team, but to give their hockey team an emotional boost. Really though this was an attempt by management to prove that the Coyotes are a viable franchise in Phoenix, Arizona. It does not appear that those efforts were successful, as the Coyotes lost the game, and the fans were merely taking advantage of huge discount.

Tickets in the lower bowl of jobbing.com arena, the home of the Coyotes, were discounted more than 150 dollars. These prime seats were sold for as little as 25 dollars. Given those prices, even the most casual of NHL fans would have difficulty passing up a chance to sit in prime seating no matter who was playing. If the hockey fans in Phoenix will only go to see this team play when the tickets are over 60% reduced that seems to suggest that this team is not financially viable where it is currently located.

Let us also not forget that this team lost the game, not only did they lose but they were shut out. That gives the team little chance to retain any of these casual hockey fans taking advantage of the discount. When a business enterprise offers this kind of a deal the hope is they will lure enough people back at full price to make the discount worthwhile. For the Coyotes that does not seem to be the case.

Coyotes sell out home opener, disappoint fans is a post from: The Inquisitr

Wayne Gretzky resigned as coach of the Phoenix Coyotes today. This is yet another example of a great player not being able to become a great coach, and to be fair to the Great One, he wasn’t even a mediocre coach. Granted a lot of his failures as a coach stemmed from the team he was coaching, and the organization he was trying to lead. However a lot of the Coyotes problems fall squarely on the shoulders of Gretzky. He resigned saying he didn’t fit in with the bidders that are still vying for control of this franchise, but he has also been a no show at Coyotes training camp.

Gretzky has been the head coach of the Coyotes for the past four years. In that time they have compiled a record of 143-161-24, and failed to make the playoffs each of those years. Quite simply that is not good enough, and it is a major reason that the Coyotes have lost so much money, and are a bankrupt organization.

To be fair Gretzky has tried to develop a core of young players for the Coyotes, those efforts never lead to a significant talent upgrade for this team, and since Gretzky was also the Director of Hockey Operation he should be blamed for those failures. Since Gretzky has been the managing partner in this team since 2000 and part owner how much of the Coyotes failure is his fault may be debatable.

In his tenure as Coach, Gretzky has tried to develop such players as; Peter Mueller, Martin Hanzai, Keith Yandle, and Kyle Turris. Gretzky paired these youngsters with veterans such as Captain Shane Doan, Defenseman Ed Jovanowski and Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov. To date these roster moves have yet to give the Coyotes any sustained success.

Wayne Gretzky steps down as Coyotes coach is a post from: The Inquisitr

As a sports business reporter, and Journalist in general, following the saga of the Phoenix Coyotes has been a truly great story. I have been following this story for well over a year now, and I am a little embarrassed that I never considered the idea of Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes could remain in control of his team, and lead them out of bankruptcy. While this is probably a stretch at this point the Judge over seeing the bankruptcy proceedings raised that idea yesterday.

Before we get to all that we must remember that Moyes is probably the worst owner in the NHL. Since buying the Coyotes they have lost 200 million dollars, and not produced any on the ice success. He is in fact the reason why the Coyotes are bankrupt in the first place. On top of that after getting the NHL to help him make his payroll, Moyes tried to cut an underhanded deal and sell the team outright to Jim Balsillie. Having Moyes remain in control of this franchise is truly the worst case scenario.

There is a very real chance that this Judge could disallow both Balsillie and the NHL’s bid for control of the Coyotes. That would leave Moyes in control of a franchise that has so many issues, the least of which seems to be the approaching NHL season.

Could Moyes remain in control of the Coyotes? is a post from: The Inquisitr

It seems the Judge presiding over the Phoenix Coyotes bankruptcy hearings as a style more conductive to letting the parties involved, work out their issues amongst themselves. However, since there is so much animosity between the NHL and Canadian businessman Jim Balsillie that at some pint he is going to have to make a ruling about the legitimacy of Balsillie’s bid for control of the Coyotes.

The NHL has argued that since its Board of Governors voted 26-0 to not allow Balsillie to purchase any NHL team, that Balsillie’s bid is not legitimate. That would leave only the NHL’s bid of 140 million dollars as the only viable one for control of the franchise. The NHL would like to buy the team for itself and then move it trough a sale to a local ownership group in a more orderly fashion.

Now the Judge wants two more days before he makes a ruling. In that time he is going to have to decide if the NHL has the legal right to determine where its franchises rare located and by whom they are owned. This is a case similar to one of Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis, who sued the NFL, in order to move his team from Oakland to Los Angeles, and then back again.

Ultimately it seems that this Judge will rule that the NHL has the right to determine where its franchises are located, and even though Balsillie’s bid would be better off for the creditors of the bankrupt Coyotes, will be forced to sell the team to the NHL itself.

Judge wants two more days to ponder bids for the Coyotes is a post from: The Inquisitr

This story seems to prove two different things. First that the fight over the Coyotes is so ugly, so personal that the NHL is willing to go to any lengths to keep Jim Balsillie out of their league. Second the NHL is willing to charge Balsillie a relocation fee that is greater than the leagues own bid for the Phoenix hockey team. That seems to show that without a doubt Gary Bettman is the worst sports commissioner.

If Balsillie is able to convince a Federal Bankruptcy Judge to approve his purchase of the Phoenix Coyotes the league will charge him a relocation fee between 101-195 million dollars. What that means is Balsillie, whose bid for the team is 212 million dollars would essentially be paying for his team twice.

Since the league only bid some 140 million dollars for the Coyotes, the relocation fee is more that the league is willing to pony up to keep the team is the desert. This doesn’t seem to make any sense beyond the league attempting to kill of the Balsillie bid once and for all.

Don’t worry this gets much more distasteful, there is a report floating around out there done by an American economist, an expert in this field, who has stated that a fair relocation fee for the Coyotes would be between 11.2 and 12.9 million dollars.  That means the NHL is simply being vindictive and unreasonable with the Balsillie bid. Let’s be really honest hockey in Phoenix simply hasn’t worked, and the leagues low ball bid for the team seems to prove that.

NHL plans to extort Balsillie is a post from: The Inquisitr

With all the court room drama surrounding this team it is sometime very hard to remember that they will be taking to the ice, at least somewhere in just a few weeks. While it is certain to be a huge distraction the front office and coaching staff will attempt to put all that aside and try to win on the ice. The main problem there is that is the core of the Coyotes problem, the lack of on the ice success.

While the Coyotes were able to stay in the playoff hunt until at least until February of the past NHL season this team is built around far too many young players. Last season first and second year players like Peter Mueller, Martin Hanzal, and Kyle Turris. While these players are the core of the future team, they must be paired with veterans to show them how to win at the NHL level.

The Coyotes already have a solid building block in Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, and the team has added free agent net minder Jason Labarbera. The plan is to have Jason back up the young goalie starting 30 or so regular season games.

The Coyotes also have a solid group of defenseman anchored by Ed Jovanowski, Zbynek Michalek, and Kurt Sauer. With that being said this team will have to find ways to get the puck into the back of their opponents net.

Key Additions- D Adrian Aucoin, F Vernon Fiddler, D Shaun Heshka, G Labarbera, D Sami Lepisto, LW Stefan Meyer, D Jim Vandermeer, and RW Radim Vrbata

Subtractions- RW Todd Fedoruk, RW Steven Goertzen, D David Hale, D Ryan Lannon, F Enver Lisin, RW Brian McGrattan, F Garth Murray, Brandon Prust, and C Steve Reinprecht

2009-10 NHL Preview: Phoenix Coyotes is a post from: The Inquisitr

On Thursday a United States Federal Bankruptcy Judge began hearing arguments from Jim Balsillie and his attorney that the Judge should disregard the NHL’s objections to Balsillie as an owner and his plan to buy the Phoenix Coyotes and relocate them to Hamilton, Ontario in time for the coming NHL season. While no firm decision was made the Judge did acknowledge that he may not be able to resolve the many outstanding issues of the sale before the September 14th deadline for bids.

Blasillie argue that this could seriously effective his bid for the team and has changed his plan to include the possibility of playing games in Phoenix even if he does buy the team. Of course the NHL vehemently disagrees with Balsillie and his plan and NHL owners recently voted 26-0 to not allow his purchase of a NHL franchise.

Now Gary Bettman and the NHL are saying that Balsillie’s plan to move the team mid season is disrespectful of the game. They argue that Balsillie doesn’t understand the trouble moving a team mid season would cause not only for employees of the Coyotes but for all other 29 NHL teams.

The NHL wants the Judge torule that the Coyotes must play the upcoming season in Phoenix with its ultimate fate to be decided later. Balsillie’s attorneys say this would effectively kill off their bid. The only thing that is for certain is each day of uncertainty hurts the Coyotes more and more.

No end in sight in Coyotes fight is a post from: The Inquisitr

The NHL mess in the dessert gets worse and worse each and every day. Yesterday Jerry Reinsdorf, owner of the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Bulls, officially withdrew his groups bid for the bankrupt hockey team. That leaves Jim Balsille, Ice Edge Holdings, and the NHL itself the only remaining bidders for the team that will be auctioned off September 14th.

Renisdorf withdrew his bid over complaints of an unwilling seller, a targeted media campaign against his group’s bid, and the realization the Hockey in Phoenix has a limited future. Current Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes has gone out of his way to make it difficult for Renisdorf to get a plan together. Moyes, who without doubt is the worst owner in the NHL, had an inside agreement with Balsillie to sell the team, before the NHL could step in and try and keep the team in Phoenix.

The NHL does not want Balsillie to join the league in anyway. At a recent owner’s meeting the NHL teams voted 26-0 to not allow Balsillie the opportunity to try and buy the Coyotes. Balsillie is arguing to the bankruptcy Judge that he should be allowed to buy the team and move them to Hamilton , Ontario immediately. Even though the NHL itself does not want either of these things to occur.

The NHL is so set to keep Balsillie out, that they are now set to spend a lot of money to buy the Coyotes themselves. While this would keep the team in Phoenix it likely would cost the league at least 150 million dollars.

Reinsdorf group withdrawls bid for Coyotes is a post from: The Inquisitr

In the end a Us Federal Bankruptcy Judge is going to decide the fate of the Phoenix Coyotes. It is probably better that way since the principles in this fight cannot seem to get along or do what is in the best interest of the team, city or league. To be sure this situation has spiraled out of control.

First we had owner Jerry Moyes trying to dupe the NHL by selling the team to Canadian businessman Jim Balsillie when he had already turned control of his team over to the league. Then we have Balsillie himself trying to buy his third NHL franchise, add to that the owners who have voted unanimously that they do not want Balsillie awarded a team, and stuck in the middle the fans and city of Glendale, Arizona awaiting the fate of their team.

The real problem here is Balsillie bid more that 50 million dollars more than Jerry Reinsdorf bid for ownership of the team. It does not appear that a bankruptcy Judge can simply take 50 million less, money that would go to the Coyotes creditors, simply to keep the team in Arizona.

However in recent legal fights the court of the United States have essentially declared that Sports Leagues may set rules for ownership and may deny whom they feel fit too. Balsillie filed court papers on Monday stating that the Judge can award him the team regardless of what the other owners and league think of him.

In the end this is probably a fight the NHL should have tried to avoid, by taking control of the team and running it from the front office, they could have kept the franchise secure in the short term, while the league looked for potential buyers all n its own. This is how the MLB found a buyer for the then Montreal Expos.

Coyotes fight gets ugly is a post from: The Inquisitr

New details have emerged in Daryl Jones reported bid for the Phoenix Coyotes.Jones is representing a group of investors known as Ice Edge Holdings. They plan to submit a 150 million dollar offer to buy the Phoenix Coyotes but, the group may have a unique plan to help the bankrupt team make generate additional revenue. Their plan will be brought before the NHL’s Executive Board to determine its feasibility.

The plan, reportedly called the grassroots Canadian hockey strategy, would have the Coyotes stage five of their regular season games at Canadian venues. These games to be contended with Canadian based NHL franchises; Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and American based team the New Jersey Devils, would be played either in Saskatoon, and/or Halifax.

Staging these games in Canadian cities seems to be a strategy to not only keep the Coyotes in Phoenix, but help the club generate some much needed revenue. Another part of this plan calls for the relocation of the Coyotes’ minor league hockey club from San Antonio, Texas to Thunder Bay, Ontario.

This actually seems to be a pretty solid plan, as the NHL and the City of Glendale both have a vested interest in keeping the Coyotes where they are, balanced against the need for the team to make additional income. Of course before this plan can go forward it would have to be approved by both the NHL’s Board of Governors and the Federal bankruptcy judge in charge of the proceedings.

The Grassroots Canadian Hockey Strategy is a post from: The Inquisitr

Jerry Reinsdorf, owner of the Chicago White Sox (MLB) and the Chicago Bulls (NBA) has submitted an official bid on behalf of his group of his investors to buy the bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes (NHL).  The bis is reported to be for 148 million dollars and may not include any cash. This may be a all debt deal where Reinsdorf assumes the massive debt of the club racked up over years of mismanagement from former owner Jerry Moyes.

This bid is to keep the team in Phoenix and playing at the jobbing.com arena. Reinsdorf has been negotiating with the city of Glendale, AZ about more favorable lease terms. The jobbing.com arena is one of the anchors of the Westgate City Center a massive site mixed with retail, residential, and high end office space. It is also the home of University of Phoenix stadium the home of the Arizona Cardinals (NFL).

With that in mind one can start to understand why the city is so desperate to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix. Even if it means a larger bid must be ignored. Canadian businessman Jim Basille has bid 212.5 million dollars for the Coyotes but his bid is contingent on moving the club to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Another bid is expected from another Canadian Businessman Daryl Jones by August 5th. It is believed that bid is to keep the Coyotes where they are.

Since Moyes bought the team in 2001 it has lost money each and every year. It doesn’t help that the team has finished in the bottom of their division almost every year since then, and has only qualified for the playoffs one time. Not even having Wayne Gretzky, a NHL legend, as Coach and minority owner has seemed ot make much of a difference.

Reinsdorf makes official bid for the Coyotes is a post from: The Inquisitr