After pulling out of the lengthy process to purchase the beleaguered (and league owned) Phoenix Coyotes because he couldn't get the deal from the City of Glendale that he wanted, Matthew Hulsizer has apparently set his sights on the St. Louis Blues, according to the Globe and Mail.
Hulsizer, you may remember, was expert at trying to get Glendale to front part of his cost of the purchase of the Coyotes by using $100 million municipal bonds. Of course, the Goldwater Institute wasn't having any of that, and by blocking the use of those bonds made it difficult for Hulsizer to get the 'Yotes at the discounted price that he wanted to. He pulled out of negotiations with the urging for Phoenix fans to "keep the faith," but he left more uncertainty than before.
It has been assumed that Hulsizer has wanted to get into the mix for another team that was for sale. The Dallas Stars have just announced that Chuck Greenberg has been approved as a potential buyer for them. It seems that the sale of that team's moving along nicely. The only other visible, on the market team is the St. Louis Blues, so it seems natural that Hulsizer would be interested.
Hulsizer recently went on a tour of Scottrade Arena with owner Dave Checketts, and is asking for a selling price of $160-$170 million, according to an unnamed source. Hulsizer would be interested in keeping Checketts on as a partner, presumably because of his knowledge and history with the franchise.
The mention of Hulsizer concerns me for one reason - the length and the complexity of the negotiations for Phoenix. The situation out there's been muddled for a while, not least of all because of Hulsizer's seeking of city support.
With the Blues, he would also be purchasing the Peoria Rivermen AHL franchise.
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