Phoenix Coyotes: Why the Team Could Be Staying in Glendale

Things may be looking up for fans of the Phoenix Coyotes. According to azcentral.com, the referendum to put Glendale’s 20-year arena lease agreement to a public vote has come up 300 signatures short. 

Glendale residents Ken Jones and Joe Cobb have spent weeks seeking the signatures of their fellow citizens in an attempt to stop, or at least delay, the sale of the Coyotes to Greg Jamison. They managed to collect 1,568 signatures; however, a minimum of 1,862 is required.

The city of Glendale also claims the petition was due on July 9, 30 days after the deal was approved for Jamison to lease Jobing.com Arena. Jones and Cobb argue they had until at least July 12th, if not the 16th, although it may not matter considering their lack of signatures.

On top of that, the Arizona Republic also reports that Glendale’s proposed 0.7 percent sales-tax increase will be established. The city rejected a petition from a local group trying to overturn the proposal. Without the tax hike the city of Glendale probably wouldn’t have been able to afford the Jobing.com Arena management fee. This year’s fee is $17 million and it would be paid to Jamison, should the sale of the Coyotes go as planned.

It’s becoming clear that the three parties involved in the sale of the Phoenix Coyotes are committed to moving forward with the deal.

The NHL has controlled the team since 2009 and would love nothing more than to see the Coyotes stay in Arizona. Clearly the Glendale City Council is on board and with only 1,568 signatures on the petition, it would appear as though the majority of Glendale's citizens are not against the proposed lease agreement.

That leaves one party, potential owner, Greg Jamison.

Jamison has significant NHL front office experience, having served as the San Jose Sharks President and CEO. He also has enough money to buy the team, according to the Phoenix Business Journal.

While this is certainly anything but a done deal, all three parties appear to be on the same page and the situation is looking better than it did a few weeks ago.

With that in mind, there are still many questions that will linger in the coming days, weeks and months. Will Shane Doan re-sign with the team? And, if the Coyotes do stay in Glendale, will attendance numbers increase?