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Coyotes ownership update: Glendale council members to force July 2 vote

Coyotes

Yesterday, Glendale spokeswoman Julie Frisoni suggested the city may be unable to vote on an arena-management agreement with the prospective owners of the Coyotes, Renaissance Sports & Entertainment, by the all-important date of July 2. (Important, because it could serve as the deadline for the NHL before it relocates the team.)

That was yesterday. Now, here’s today’s news: according to Craig Morgan of Fox Sports Arizona, a July 2 vote on the deal -- the details of which should be released shortly -- will be forced by council member Gary Sherwood and Vice Mayor Yvonne Knaack.

Of course, even if that’s the case, how the council votes remains to be seen.

Writes Morgan:

Given the rampant and rapid twists and turns this story has taken over the past four years, no one can say. Opponents of this deal still want more guarantees on revenue that RSE will not give, reasoning that both sides should assume some risk in a business deal, and that Glendale bears some burden because it chose to build the arena.

This much, however, can be safely predicted: There will be more behind-the-scenes shenanigans, more political plays, more alliances being leveraged, more cronyism on display.

Morgan has much more on the story. (For all the work he’s done chronicling recent events, it’s only fair you click on the link and read it there.)

Of note, the NHL Board of Governors is set to convene tomorrow in New York.

How the league views the current situation isn’t clear, but prior to the Stanley Cup Final, deputy commissioner Bill Daly implied that further delays by Glendale on the arena-management issue could force the league’s hand.

“No decision could be a decision” is how Daly put it.