Several bids to stay in Phoenix: Bettman

After being tight-lipped about prospective interest in the Phoenix Coyotes, the NHL in court filings said there are four potential buyers willing to keep the team in its current location.

The league is trying to block a $212 million US sale through bankruptcy proceedings to Canadian businessman Jim Balsillie, who is seeking to relocate the team to Hamilton, Ont.

Perhaps the most intriguing names in a declaration from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman are Howard Sokolowski and David Cynamon, the owners of the CFL Toronto Argonauts.

Two other applicants had been widely tipped in previous reports: Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of the Chicago White Sox, whose spring training facility is not far from the Glendale, Ariz., arena where the Coyotes play. Coyotes minority owner John Breslow was also named.

A fourth Phoenix businessman was not named in the filing. Bettman said all are committed to keeping the team in Phoenix.

"At present, it is questionable at best whether there is any need for the Coyotes to relocate from Phoenix," said Bettman.

"I believe that the Coyotes could succeed under new ownership in its current home market," he added.

The commissioner again brought up the past financial difficulties of Ottawa, Buffalo and Pittsburgh, who have rebounded. He also argued in his statement that allowing the Coyotes to relocate without league approval could have a chilling effect on cities wanting an NHL club or existing ones which have to consider whether to build new facilities.

Current Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes has said he has lost approximately $300 million US since getting involved with the club, a figure disputed by the league.

The presence of Sokolowski and Cynamon among the prospective buyers will undoubtedly lead observers cynical of the NHL's motives to believe the league is trying to set up a preferred ownership group in the eventuality a team must be moved to Ontario rather than opt for Balsillie, who has also been at loggerheads with the league in two previous bids to buy a club.

In one of those bids, Nashville owner Craig Leipold accepted less money than Balsillie's offer for the Predators. Leipold eventually re-emerged as owner of the Wild in his native Minnesota.

The commissioner also reiterated the position in his filing that a professional sports league must control the process of relocating its franchises in order to maintain stability.

A hearing is scheduled in the Arizona bankruptcy court of Judge Redfield T. Baum on Tuesday. Baum has indicated he wants to settle whether the NHL club can be relocated ahead of who ultimately has control of the team, another point of contention.

The Friday deadline for motions led to a spate of documents being filed.

The league pointed out the fines Balsillie's Research In Motion company paid in a settlement over stock-option backdating allegations.

Balsillie, fending off allegations he improperly sought an arena deal with Hamilton while negotiating to buy the Nashville Predators, pointed out that eventual Predators investor William Del Biaggio, who was courted by the NHL, entered into a deal with arena management in Kansas City. Del Biaggio recently pleaded guilty to defrauding investors and was sentenced to prison.

The Balsillie camp also dealt with the relocation issue, arguing that the league has a history of limited or non-existent market research into interest in the sport or study of population projections in its acceptance of locations for NHL clubs.

Bettman countered by accusing Balsillie of "grossly underpaying" for what a team in Hamilton would be worth due to the value in the market created in part by the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres.