A group interested in buying the financially struggling Phoenix Coyotes wants the team to play five of its regular-season home dates in Saskatoon, the Globe and Mail reported Monday.
Ice Edge Holdings, which includes Canadian businessman Daryl Jones, want to keep the Coyotes in Glendale, Ariz. But Jones said he and his partners have run the numbers and is convinced the games in Saskatoon can generate millions of dollars in extra revenue for the Coyotes.
“We’ve accounted for additional travel costs and we think the way it fits into the schedule would still make this very economical,” Jones told the Globe and Mail. “We think the reality is you do generate incremental cash flow in Saskatoon.”
The plans are to incorporate the Saskatoon games into road trips to Western Canadian cities to minimize expenses.
The group has several hurdles to clear before it can proceed further with its plans to bring NHL hockey to Saskatoon, however. Ice Edge Holdings has given an letter of intent to buy the Coyotes, but has not formally submitted a bid to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court as they are still trying to raise money.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the league is aware of the plan, but he told the Globe it would “have to be considered and approved by the NHL board of governors.”