ATB ACCEPTS LOCAL GROUP'S BID FOR NHL OILERS

          Alberta Treasury Branches has accepted the local
     investors' offer to buy the NHL Oilers for US$70M, according
     to MacDonald & Stock of the EDMONTON JOURNAL.  Investor Jim
     Hole said that the group has bid for all hockey assets: the
     Oilers, the Hamilton Bulldogs farm team and the ability to
     use Edmonton Coliseum.  Control of the building currently
     rests with Peter Pocklington's Coliseum Management Inc.
     (CMI), which acquired the operating rights to the arena
     through a license agreement with Northlands Park in '94. 
     Pocklington said the local group's offer does not include
     CMI and that he wants additional compensation if it is
     include in the sale.  But sources said that the local group
     "wants only to acquire the license agreement" (EDMONTON
     JOURNAL, 3/19).  Such a deal would give the local investors
     Northlands advertising and luxury suite revenues, plus arena
     naming rights.  Northlands "would get overall control" of
     the arena "and take over concerts and other events currently
     booked through CMI" (Bernard Pilon, EDMONTON SUN, 3/19).