Phoenix Coyotes to Relocate Prior to Conference Finals
Immediately after defeating the Nashville Predators in Game 5 of their playoff series, the Phoenix Coyotes have apparently been sold. The franchise has been in financial trouble ever since moving from Winnipeg to Arizona in 1996. While hopes were high, the newly-relocated team played its first seven seasons in arena ill-suited for hockey.
The team moved to Glendale in 2003, where they faced a new challenge of playing more than twelve miles outside the city of Phoenix. Near the bottom of the league in attendance, the team filed for bankruptcy in 2009; ownership and control of the team were handed over to the league until a buyer could be identified.
The buyer, former San Jose Sharks COO Greg Jamison, is expected to move the team to an as-yet-undisclosed location.
The Conference Finals will be played later this week in Quebec City, Seattle, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Portland, Hamilton, ON, or Saskatoon, SK. The new team name and location are expected to be announced shortly.
