Oh, the humanity! Greg Jamison’s attempt to buy the Phoenix Coyotes has crashed like the Hindenburg. In a Friday afternoon statement Jamison confirmed that he missed the January 31, 11:59 p.m. deadline to buy the team but remained steadfast that he wasn’t throwing in the towel just yet.
"We will not be able to complete our purchase of the Phoenix Coyotes today in time to meet our deadline with the city of Glendale," Jamison said in a statement. "However, our journey to purchase the Coyotes will continue. We realize this will require additional conversations with the city of Glendale and the NHL. We still believe we can reach an agreement that satisfies everyone. We hope negotiations with the city proceed as smoothly as possible, as everyone involved wants the Coyotes to remain in Arizona."
There will be other suitors for the Coyotes. According to Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers a pair of groups have recently contacted him about buying the Coyotes and keeping the team in Glendale.
Of course there are parties that want to move the franchise again. In 1996 the Winnipeg Jets flew south by southwest and were rechristened the Coyotes. The latest rumors have the Coyotes heading back to Canada to fill the void of the departed Quebec Nordiques. The Nordiques, like the Winnipeg Jets, headed to greener pasture and in 1995 they were reborn as the Colorado Avalanche. An NHL franchise skipping town, or country, is as common as the Minnesota Wild overspending for talent.
On a daily basis it seems that there is a new locale that the Coyotes are heading to. Within the last two-day a pair of rumors popped up that have the Coyotes heading to the Pacific Northwest. According to a pair of reports, from Forbes and Fox Sports Arizona respectively, the Coyotes could be heading to Seattle or they could be going to Portland.
Despite all of the drama it remains business as usual for the Phoenix Coyotes. On Friday night they will be in Dallas to take on the Stars and then they'll be back home on Saturday to face the Stars again. The Coyotes lack a normal owner, the NHL has owned the franchise since 2009, but the team is optimistic that Jamison will finish his task and create stability for the NHL's least stable franchise.
“Mr. Jamison will continue to work with the NHL and the City of Glendale to close a deal that will keep the Coyotes in the Valley,” Phoenix Coyotes President and COO Mike Nealy said in a February 1 release. “Although there is no set timetable, hopefully it will be soon. The Coyotes will continue to be owned by the NHL and nothing changes for our organization. We will work hard on and off the ice to provide our fans with a winning team that they can be proud of.”
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