Las Vegas Coyotes of the NHL? Possible, says Bickley

Arizona Republic

Sunday, May 24, 2009 | 6:32 p.m.

Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic believes Las Vegas might be in the running for the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League. Here is Bickley's recent blog on the topic:

Whispers on the wind, Part II:

Jerry Reinsdorf is not the savior of the Coyotes. He's the figurehead of an investment group that could move the team to Las Vegas if serious concessions aren't forthcoming from the city of Glendale. So even if Tuesday's bankruptcy hearing shuts down Canadian poacher Jim Balsillie and his attempt to move the team to Hamilton, Ontario, the Coyotes are still on thin ice.

Think about it. Commissioner Gary Bettman has already moved this year's NHL's award ceremony to the Palms Hotel as part of a new three-year deal with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. I'm guessing he'd love to be the first major professional sports team entering the new frontier of Sin City, and Las Vegas would love to have him.

Besides, if Reinsdorf was really doing this out of some sense of community and local pride, wouldn't he have spoken out by now?

Publicly, Bettman seems confident that concessions have been negotiated with the city of Glendale. On May 6, he described Phoenix as a market worth saving, stating "we believe, with new ownership and with accomodations the city of Glendale is prepared to make, we think we can succeed."

According to one source, those concessions amount to an annual subsidy of nearly $15 million. In an open letter published by The Arizona Republic, outgoing owner Jerry Moyes seemed to reference the city's desire to help out a new ownership group, and wondered why he couldn't catch that kind of break.

"We understand (Glendale) started talking directly to the NHL and potential investors," Moyes wrote. "It may be fair for the city to have discussions, but it would not be fair for the city to strike a deal with outsiders that has not been offered to me."

Recently, Glendale city manager Ed Beasley wouldn't confirm or deny that a deal has been offered to the Reinsdorf group.

"The term concessions has been placed out there," Beasley said. "There are no concessions. There are concepts and ideas."

Here's what I think: Eventually, the NHL will let Balsillie and his Blackberry money into their fraternity. But they are not letting him purchase an existing franchise, and they are not letting him in the back door. Instead, they will hammer him for the price of an expansion franchise, thereby pocketing millions of additional dollars.

Meanwhile, if our hockey team gets a lifeline in Tuesday's court proceedings, don't get your hopes up. The scant gathering of fans who showed up for a rally on Saturday was more of an indictment than anything else. Once the lid comes off these alleged private negotiations between the city Glendale and the NHL, the citizens who don't consume hockey are going to be livid.

And then it could be time to do what many Phoenicians do when desperate for cash:

Las Vegas, here we come.