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Court throws out NHL’s claims against former Coyotes owner

Wayne Gretzky

What, you thought the Phoenix Coyotes bankruptcy story was dead and buried? Come on now, of course it’s not.

From the Arizona Republic:

A federal bankruptcy court in Arizona threw out most of the National Hockey League’s claims against former Phoenix Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes for expenses associated with the team’s tenure in bankruptcy and NHL ownership.

Moyes filed the team for bankruptcy in 2009.

After months of courtroom wrangling, the NHL purchased and ran the franchise for nearly four years before selling it in August to a new group of owners.

The NHL filed suit against Moyes in 2010, claiming multiple instances of breach of agreements and fiduciary duty.

The NHL initially sought to recover $145.9 million from Moyes, including $112.7 million in operational losses while the league ran the team and $6.5 million in unpaid salary for former coach Wayne Gretzky.

To be clear, this is a dispute between the NHL and Moyes; it doesn’t involve the Coyotes or their new owners.

The Gretzky angle is an interesting one though. Will The Great One ever get the money that’s owed to him?

Matheson is a sportswriter for the Edmonton Journal who’s covered the Oilers since the 1970s. For his expanded thoughts on the issue, click here.

Whether the NHL passes the hat for No. 99 down the road, we’ll have to wait and see. It’s been discussed by the Board of Governors before, so it’s not out of the question.