Reinsdorf Tosses His Name in the Rink
Owner of the Sox and Bulls is preparing a bid to buy the Phoenix Coyotes.
By MAGGIE HENDRICKS
Updated 3:30 PM CST, Fri, Jun 26, 2009
Apparently, what the NHL wants, the NHL gets. When the Phoenix Coyotes declared bankruptcy, the NHL said that they would prefer that the chairman of the White Sox and Bulls put in a bid for the struggling hockey franchise in Arizona. Their wish came true today as Reinsdorf put in a bid to compete with the bid of Jim Balsillie, a Canadian business man who has been trying to buy the Coyotes to bring them to southern Ontario.
Balsillie has had a tough time convincing the NHL that the team should be moved, despite a rabid hockey fanbase in Canada, and a nearly non-existent one in Arizona. If Reinsdorf buys the team, he won't have to pay as much to as long as he keeps the team in the Phoenix-area.
What does the NHL expect that Reinsdorf will be able to do with the team? True, he has seven championship rings between the Bulls and the White Sox, but there is no guarantee that he would be able to repeat the feat in hockey. He knows the Chicago market, but he still hasn't been able to fill seats consistently at U.S. Cellular Field. That's with a recent World Series championship, and a beloved team that has been in town for more than 100 years.
Reinsdorf isn't a magician, nor is he a hypnotist. He won't be able to convince the people of Phoenix that they want to be hockey fans if they're not.
Copyright NBC Local Media
First Published: Jun 26, 2009 3:27 PM CST
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