GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Phoenix Coyotes' bid to find stability dragged on for four years and stretched for four more tense hours as the Glendale City Council debated on a lease agreement with a group trying to buy the team.
Finally, as the clock ticked toward midnight, the council voted 4-3 in favor of the deal, all but ensuring the Coyotes will stay in Arizona.
Renaissance Sports and Entertainment still must complete the lease deal and its purchase of the team from the NHL by Aug, 5, but it appears their fight to find an owner has ended.
Now, after four years of being run by the league, the Coyotes will be able to compete for players who had been financially out of their reach and retain more of the players already on the team.
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