NHL insider predicts Coyotes will stay in Arizona
Jun 28, 2013, 2:45 PM | Updated: 2:53 pm
Tuesday looms large for the City of Glendale as that day marks the deadline NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman set for a decision on the home of the Phoenix Coyotes.
Seattle has been talked about as a possible new home for the team if a deal can’t be reached between the city of Glendale, Ariz. and a group seeking to buy the financially-troubled franchise from the NHL.
But Arizona Republic reporter Paul Giblin tells KIRO Radio’s Luke Burbank Show while he thinks the July 2 vote will be close, city council members will rule 4-3 in favor of keeping the team where it is.
“I think there’s been a real chance the team could leave Glendale for the past four years,” Giblin said. “It does seem to be coming to a head Tuesday.”
If the Glendale council does not reach a deal with Renaissance Sports and Entertainment, the investment group trying to buy the Coyotes, league officials said this week they don’t see how the team can stay in Arizona. And NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said Thursday the NHL could play in KeyArena this fall.
At issue is how much the city is willing to pay Renaissance Sports to manage Jobing.com Arena, the Coyotes home.
“The Renaissance group came in and told the city they wanted $15 million,” Giblin said. “Then they proposed a bunch of kickbacks to the city based largely on income derived from fans, and they say that will be in the neighborhood of $6 million, perhaps $11 million.”
Glendale only budgeted about $6.5 million to manage the arena, so those payments will play a key role in whether the two sides can reach a deal.
One thing that could keep the Coyotes in Arizona and away from Seattle is television, Giblin said. “The NHL derives a sizable portion of its revenue from TV,” Giblin said. “It’s a pretty good TV market so the NHL would prefer to stay in Phoenix.”
While the NHL has developed the market for a hockey team in Arizona, it would be difficult to promote a team to a city like Seattle that doesn’t have one already, KIRO Radio’s Tom Tangney speculated.
Glendale City council members are scheduled to vote on Tuesday.
KIRO Radio’s Chris Shaw contributed to this report
