NEW YORK (AP) -Jim Balsillie wants to buy and move the Phoenix Coyotes but he’s still open to the idea of an auction for the club.
“From the day we announced the bid, we had motions before the bankruptcy court requesting in early June Judge (Redfield T.) Baum conduct an auction for the team and let all bidders come forward, whether they intended to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix or whether they intended to relocate them,” Balsillie’s spokesman Bill Walker said Tuesday in a conference call with reporters.
“Mr. Balsillie’s committed to a fair, transparent process … should Judge Baum allow the auction to proceed,” Walker said. “We’re happy to see other bidders come forward.”
Basillie has filed an application to relocate the NHL team to Hamilton, Ontario.
Former CFL commissioner Tom Wright devised the bid for the Coyotes and said Tuesday the NHL would be better served by allowing the team to be moved.
financial contributor to the league is in the best interests of everyone involved,” he said.
Walker stressed that the bid to buy the Coyotes was not intended to realign the NHL, but rather to improve the viability of the franchise.
“There are great hockey markets in the United States, and whether it’s 24 out of 30 teams that are U.S.-based or 23 out of 30 teams, our only issue here is what’s the best outcome for the Coyotes franchise,” he said.
Walker also said that although Balsillie still believes the franchise can begin play in southern Ontario this fall, he was willing to leave the team in Arizona for one more season if his purchase is approved.
“The NHL has raised some issues with scheduling that could be problematic, and we wanted to remove that impediment to Mr. Balsillie’s offer to purchase being successful,” he said.
Balsillie’s relocation application is one of several documents that will be submitted this week.
Lawyers for the NHL and Coyotes majority owner Jerry Moyes have been given a Friday deadline by bankruptcy judge Baum to present written arguments whether the team can be moved as part of a sale in his court.
Baum will preside over a hearing next week where the parties will state their respective cases and has said he intends to make a prompt ruling on the relocation issue. His decision will dictate whether Balsillie can become an NHL owner after years of trying.
Coyotes general manager Don Maloney said after a meeting Tuesday in Pittsburgh that he’s not worried about the team’s uncertain future.
“That’s not a concern of mine at all,” Maloney said. “We certainly expect to be in business next year.”
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