National Hockey League
© NHLNEW YORK, United States (AFP) - The deal involving the Blues was originally agreed upon on March 24, when Bill and Nancy Laurie announced the team and the Savvis Center arena would be purchased by Sports Capital Partners, which is headed by Dave Checketts.
Checketts is the former president of Madison Square Garden who currently owns Major League Soccer's expansion Real Salt Lake team.
The Lauries put up the Blues and the Savvis Center for sale last June 17 and signed a letter of intent to negotiate a deal with Sports Capital Partners on September 29.
But talks suddenly broke off on November 14.
However, four months after withdrawing from negotiations, Checketts struck a deal with the Lauries.
Last June, the Lauries claimed the combined cash deficits of the team and the Savvis Center since the arena opened in 1994 have exceeded 225 million dollars.
The Blues traded two of their high-priced stars - Chris Pronger and Doug Weight, who faced each other in the just-concluded Stanley Cup Finals, with Weight's Carolina Hurricanes emerging victorious.
The Blues meanwhile failed to qualify for the playoffs this past season, ending a streak of 25 consecutive postseason appearances.
The board, at its annual season-ending meeting, also green-lighted a Coyotes deal in which Jerry Moyes, who owned 75 percent of Westgate City Center - a development next to the Coyote's Glendale Arena in Phoenix, agreed to purchase the 25 percent of the Coyotes owned by Steve Ellman. In return, Ellman will receive Moyes' share of the Westgate center.
In 2001, the two joined forces with Hall of Famer and current Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky to purchase the team for a reported 127 million dollars.
©AFP