Back to Square One; Coyotes future remains an enigma part 2

Phoenix Coyotes President and COO Mike Nealy has issued the following statement regarding the Coyotes ownership situation.

“Today, we were informed by the National Hockey League that Mr. Jamison was unable to close on his purchase of the Coyotes. Mr. Jamison will continue to work with the NHL and the City of Glendale to close a deal that will keep the Coyotes in the Valley. Although there is no set timetable, hopefully it will be soon. The Coyotes will continue to be owned by the NHL and nothing changes for our organization. We will work hard on and off the ice to provide our fans with a winning team that they can be proud of. We would like to thank all of our great fans and corporate partners for their incredible patience and loyalty throughout this process. We know it’s been difficult and we appreciate their support.”

Mike Nealy is as solid as it gets when it comes to executives. He is seen every game talking to fans on the concourse. When I first met him he was on the upper level and saw my frustrated face waiting in line when a concession ran out of a beverage. Not only did he stop but he pulled out his personal cell phone and made a call. It was fixed in less than 5 minutes. Ever since then my respect level has continued to soar.

Many are upset with Greg Jamison. I will say this much to address that. He failed to get all the ducks in a row for a deal lasting 30 years and involving up to $500 million total between the purchase price and the lease agreement. Many moving parts which included his investors. Of course we rank last in attendance as it sits. So maybe if a few thousand more fans would make it out to the games investors would be lined up in droves. I respect Mr. Jamison and the fact he has not closed the door on the Coyotes.

Until this team gets ripped from Arizona I will continue to support them with all my heart and passion. I will continue to report all things Coyotes with the most passion possible.