General

Could the Jets fly home?

Heir to Thomson empire reportedly backs purchase offer for the Phoenix Coyotes

Hope that Winnipeg could win back its NHL franchise gained new life today, as a deal to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix appears to be unravelling. According to an ESPN.com report, if the proposed sale of the club to Chicago money man Jerry Reinsdorf falls through, the league has a purchase offer waiting to sell the team to a group back-stopped by Canadian billionaire David Thomson. Thomson—the scion behind the Thomson Reuters business information empire—would then move the team back to Winnipeg, from whence it arrived in Phoenix back in 1995, says the U.S. sports site. In the meantime, a group of investors known as Ice Edge Holdings is negotiating with the city of Glendale, Ariz., in hopes of completing a lease agreement that would allow Ice Edge to buy the team. Ice Edge’s investors, which include Canadian businessmen based in the U.S., have previously said they would seek to play several home games a season at a Canadian location such as Saskatoon.

ESPN

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