Tuesday, August 31, 2010

New Player Emerges For Coyotes, Ice Edge Out...?

((HT: Phoenix Business Journal/Sunnucks via Howard Bloom))

A "mystery buyer" has stepped up to pick up the Phoenix Coyotes...

Details of the new ownership group are very limited ((thus, the "mystery" in "mystery buyer," right...?)), but some kind of announcement could be forthcoming fairly soon.

((Insert positive-sounding cliche here...))

The ownership group has asked for the city and league to keep negotiations private. The new buyer would keep the Coyotes in Glendale... for now, anyway...

Ice Edge Holdings LLC, the original front runner, is no longer that and seem to be more interested in bringing an ECHL franchise to Thunder Bay, Ontario. The ECHL franchise has been part of their plan all along- Coyotes inclusion or not.

Ice Edge CEO Keith McCullough said Monday that Ice Edge could still have "some" involvement with the Coyotes- whatever that means...

From Sunnucks:

“We understand another party that we have become acquainted with is in advanced negotiations with Glendale and an announcement could happen soon. If this occurs, we expect to continue to be involved with the Coyotes as an adviser for the foreseeable future,” McCullough said.

The mystery buyer is not Jerry Reinsdorf, and the City of Glendale is ((as always)) not commenting...

The NHL has set an end of the year deadline for the Coyotes to be sold to new owners who would keep the team in Glendale. If that deadline passes, the NHL would look for the True North group to step up and spirit the franchise to, probably, Winnipeg once and for all...

More when we know more...

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