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Ice Edge, Hulsizer ‘exploring options’ to purchase Coyotes

Los Angeles Kings v Phoenix Coyotes - Game Five

GLENDALE, AZ - MAY 22: Shane Doan #19 of the Phoenix Coyotes looks on before taking on the Los Angeles Kings in Game Five of the Western Conference Final during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Jobing.com Arena on May 22, 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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A couple of old characters have returned to the Phoenix Coyotes ownership soap opera.

Per the Arizona Republic, Anthony LeBlanc (Ice Edge Holdings) and Chicago businessman Matthew Hulsizer have teamed up and are “exploring options” with regards to purchasing the team from the NHL.

LeBlanc would serve as the front man for the investment group, which eventually could include five or six investors, he said.

Hulsizer confirmed his involvement in the venture but deferred further comment to LeBlanc.

Their intent would be to keep the team in Glendale, which would be a blow to possible suitors in Seattle, Quebec and elsewhere who hope to lure a National Hockey League team.

You may recall Hulsizer came close to buying the team a couple of years ago, only to have his efforts thwarted by the Goldwater Institute.

LeBlanc has been in touch with the City of Glendale and thinks there’s a new deal to be made that would keep the Coyotes playing at Jobing.com Arena, even if it’s not as sweet as the deal that Greg Jamison recently saw expire.

“We understand that there are some cash constraints, but at the same time, we can’t do a deal that wouldn’t be economically feasible for us,” LeBlanc told the paper. “It’s a verbose way of saying, ‘Look, we understand that it won’t be the same deal, but we’re trying to find a middle ground that would make sense for both sides.’”