In the Crease
Coyotes' future
Commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy Bill Daly will meet today with officials in Glendale, Ariz., to discuss Phoenix's arena lease and other issues related to the sale of the team.The NHL has been looking for a local owner since a bankruptcy judge approved the league's bid of $140 million for the financially ailing club on Nov. 2.
It was not clear whether the league would try to negotiate a new arena deal with Glendale or leave that to a new owner.
Daly indicated that the NHL planned to work with Glendale throughout the sale process.
The league and city banded together when former owner Jerry Moyes took the team into Chapter 11 bankruptcy May 5 with a plan to sell it to Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie, contingent on the franchise being relocated to Hamilton, Ontario.
Daly said the NHL had "a number of calls and meetings" with interested buyers, but he didn't provide details.
Slapshots
Carolina's Tuomo Ruutu recorded his 100th NHL assist in yesterday's 5-4 shoot-out win over Minnesota, feeding Jussi Jokinen for a first-period goal. . . . Three Hurricanes left the game with injuries and did not return: former Flyers defenseman Joni Pitkanen (lower body), forward Scott Walker (upper body), and forward Stephane Yelle (lower body).- Associated Press
