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Glendale Mayor: Don’t blame us, blame the NHL

Boston Bruins v Phoenix Coyotes

GLENDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 28: General view of action between the Boston Bruins and the Phoenix Coyotes during the NHL game at Jobing.com Arena on December 28, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona. The Bruins defeated the Coyotes 2-1 in overtime. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs is sick and tired of being blamed for the Coyotes’ sluggish sale process. And that, for the record, is the exact same lead sentence we used in early December, which should tell you how the sale process has gone since then.

The NHL owns the Phoenix franchise and so far has been unable to find an owner to keep the team in Glendale, where the team plays in the city-owned Jobing.com Arena.

Scruggs reiterated her “it’s not up to us, it’s up to the league” stance today in The Arizona Republic, telling the newspaper, “We are not in control and quite honestly, I’m kind of tired of everybody pointing to us and making comments that the city of Glendale can’t get the job done. We have no control over it and I think probably the NHL is very happy that writers and reporters continue to point to the city of Glendale for not getting the job done because it takes the attention directly off them.”

City council will meet behind closed doors today for an update, though there might not be much of one.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman commented on the Coyotes situation last week.

“Nothing imminent,” Bettman said. “But it’s still being worked on. It’s still a work in progress and there’s no significant development that I’m in position to report.”

Meanwhile, the hockey team sits 12th in the Western Conference, four points back of eighth-place Colorado.

The last regular-season game at Jobing.com Arena is Apr. 3 versus Columbus.

Just to throw it out there.