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NHL's Daly visits Phoenix
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Bill Daly on June 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Aaron J. Latham)
National Hockey League Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly dropped into the Valley on Tuesday to demonstrate the strides hockey has made in the state of Arizona.
Daly held a press conference at a busy ALLTEL Ice Den in Scottsdale, with a backdrop of hockey being played on a day when temperatures outside the facility were well above 100 degrees.
Azcentral.com says that according to the team, Arizona has nine rinks and 14 sheets of ice. Team estimates also say there’s currently close to 6,000 amateur hockey players in the state, compared to 2,780 when the Coyotes first arrived in the Valley in 1996.
Daly was also in Phoenix to again show Coyotes fans that the NHL supports them.
He said in an interview with phoenixcoyotes.com that the league is very optimistic about the Coyotes’ future. “We believe very strongly in this market, and the ability of this market to support a National Hockey League franchise. We think the Coyotes have made a big impact in the Valley and can have great success going forward.”
Daly also gave an update to phoenixcoyotes.com of the progress being made on the business front of the franchise, specifically Chicago sports magnate Jerry Reinsdorf’s bid to purchase the team.
“He’s [Reinsdorf] had great success with both the Bulls and White Sox. He’s won world championships; six of them with the Bulls and one with the White Sox, so he’s got a very long and successful record in professional sports and that’s something that’s certainly beneficial and will help him here with the Coyotes.”
Reinsdorf’s $148 million offer hinges upon a new Jobing.com Arena lease with the City of Glendale, and new agreements with all creditors, one of the most prominent creditors being the NHL.
There have been questions though in recent weeks regarding whether the NHL’s concern for Phoenix is just a temporary concern. Daly said that shouldn’t be a worry amongst hockey fans in the Valley.
“Our commitment is a long-term commitment to the Phoenix area and the City of Glendale. Obviously Glendale went out of their way to build a brand new state-of-the-art facility for the Coyotes and our vision is a long-term vision for the Coyotes to succeed in this marketplace.”
Daly has been a frequent visitor in Phoenix, more in particular U.S. Bankruptcy Court downtown, since Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes put the team into bankruptcy on May 5 so he could sell the team to Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie. That attempt failed when Judge Redfield T. Baum ruled that there would be an auction for the team on August 5 open to local bidders only.
If Baum doesn’t feel that Reinsdorf’s bid is in the best interest of the creditors, there will be another auction in September; this one will include parties who wish to relocate the franchise. Balsillie has said that he will revive his $212.5 million bid for that auction if it takes place.
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