Plenty of whispers from Glendale and Jobing.com Arena about Matthew Hulsizer and the potential collapse of his purchase of the Phoenix Coyotes — and the biggest clue may be his not showing up to a single playoff game.
Mark Falter documents what’s being said in Glendale: that the purchase is not happening, that the team is as good as gone to Winnipeg — despite denials from team officials and Hulsizer’s reps that nothing is amiss. Still, the fact that it’s April and we still don’t have a deal says something; the fact that Hulsizer is too “busy” to show up to the team’s playoff series — the best time of the season, really — says volumes as well.
What’s going on has nothing to do with hockey, but rather politics. The Goldwater Institute, an infliuential think-tank in Arizona, has threatened a lawsuit over the sale to Hulsizer, saying it violates state provisions about a deal enriching a single person. The threatened lawsuit has slowed things down. And while all sides involved are scheduled to meet, don’t look for the Goldwater Institute to back down — which is good news if you’re a Winnipeg hockey fan.
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