A deal is "basically done to move the Coyotes to Winnipeg and will be announced sometime between the end of the Stanley Cup final and the June 24 draft," according to a source cited by Ken Campbell of THE HOCKEY NEWS. The source said that the deal "calls for the Coyotes to be sold to True North Sports and Entertainment for $140 million." It is "believed the deal will be announced at something north of $200 million, but that includes more than $60 million in renovations to add 2,500 seats to the MTS Centre in Winnipeg." The source added that the deal "has not been signed, but there is a memorandum of agreement in place and that the deal will be signed when the NHL’s deal" with Chicago businessman Matthew Hulsizer "officially dies" (THEHOCKEYNEWS.com, 4/14). In Winnipeg, Gary Lawless reports True North, in order to "satisfy the board of governors, will likely ask Winnipeggers to commit to purchasing season tickets for a minimum of three seasons." A "poor response from the community would likely scuttle True North’s attempt to land an NHL franchise." NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said in an e-mail, "There is nothing in the constitution on this. Certainly, one of the things the board has to have satisfied is that the market is capable of supporting an NHL team at NHL prices. But that can be done in a variety of ways, depending on the market. There is no one 'cookie cutter' approach here" (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, 4/15).
