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Sound familiar? Report: Two unknown parties interested in purchasing Coyotes

Detroit Red Wings v Phoenix Coyotes - Game Four

GLENDALE, AZ - APRIL 20: Taylor Pyatt #14 of the Phoenix Coyotes celebrates with teammates on the bench after scoring against the Detroit Red Wings in Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Jobing.com Arena on April 20, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona. The Red Wings defeated the Coyotes 6-3 to win the series 4-0. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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We promise you we’re not recycling stories from the past and you’re just going to have to trust us on this.

A report out of Phoenix today says that there are two unknown parties interested in purchasing the Phoenix Coyotes from the NHL and keeping them at home in Glendale. Ever since Matthew Hulsizer pulled out as the lead potential buyer for the team, the NHL and the City of Glendale have been back at square one in trying to find interested parties to purchase the ownerless team.

As the report from Lisa Halverstadt from azcentral.com says, Coyotes COO Mike Nealy says the two parties want to stay anonymous so as to not distract from the process.

Two parties have been communicating with the National Hockey League and Glendale since Chicago businessman Matthew Hulsizer abandoned his bid to purchase the team and the Jobing.com arena in June, Nealy said.

He said the latest hopefuls aren’t new to the sporting world, but they don’t want their names out there as they work out details.


All the more interesting to learn from the story is that Glendale city manager Ed Beasley hoped to have the situation resolved by the fall. Perhaps Beasley hasn’t been paying attention to how things have been going in Glendale since this whole disaster started up a few years ago. Throwing down prospective dates to have things completed by is just setting yourself up for disappointment.

Still, if there’s truth to these parties interest that’s good for the team and good for the area. Of course, whoever the prospective buyers are will have to get things figured out with the Jobing.com Arena lease that helps the Coyotes and their owners tons of money as well as now figuring out what to do with a Westgate City Center that surrounds the arena that’s facing foreclosure. If the Coyotes can guarantee that they’re staying in Glendale perhaps that helps things work out better with the surrounding restaurants, shops, and bars that help generate business thanks to the team being there.

Time will tell, and if these prospective buyers are people with a background in sports, you have to wonder if that means Chicago White Sox and Chicago Bulls executive Jerry Reinsdorf is indeed back in the picture as has been rumored. Reinsdorf’s interest the first time around was very much built on him getting everything his way and leaving Glendale holding the bag for a lot of money. You have to suspect that won’t work out too well this time around especially after the city has pledged $50 million in all the last two years just to keep the team in town.

As with anything having to do with the Coyotes, we’ll see how things play out in the long run but they need someone to be their savior soon. Time’s running out in the desert for the Coyotes.