A wolf in sheep’s clothing or is that Coyotes’ clothing. That seems to be how you can describe Ice Edge Holdings, a group vying to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes.

On Friday, in a last-second filing, Ice Edge Holdings expressed in a letter its intent to offer $150 million to buy the Phoenix Coyotes. The bid, which was $2 million more than Jerry Reinsdorf’s offer, was filed as part of the auction intended for potential owners who want to keep the Coyotes in their Glendale home. But it seems Ice Edge and its investors may have veiled intentions.

According to two Canadian news reports, the investment group intends on having them play five regular season home games in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (which sounds like something Sylvester the Cat would say rather than an NHL town). The team would play at the 11,300 seat Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon for games with the Canadians, Flames, Oilers, Devils and Canucks (undoubtedly the Canadian crowd would be backing a team from Phoenix rather than four teams from their native land).

That’s right, Ice Edge Holdings wants the Phoenix Coyotes to play games in an arena that holds less than their average attendance in Phoenix and that was built the year Peter Mueller was born (1988 for those of you not up on player birthdates). Maybe regular season games away from Phoenix would be somewhat tolerable, but the ownership group wouldn’t stop there. They would give the 217,000 people of Saskatoon the opportunity to host Coyotes’ playoff games.

Talk about adding insult to injury. Coyotes’ fans have been waiting for playoff hockey in the desert for 7 years and may lose that opportunity because an investment group that includes Canadians had $150 million sitting around.

The plan doesn’t seem to make much sense. Fans in Saskatoon probably already have allegiance to Canadian franchises, and giving them 5 of the Coyotes’ regular season games and the possibility of hosting playoff games does more to hurt the team than it does to help it. Home ice advantage, especially in the playoffs, is key for a young team and Saskatoon won’t offer that to the PHOENIX Coyotes.

Hopefully Judge Baum sees this offer for what it really is, a relocation bid in disguise, and grants the team to Jerry Reinsdorf. Let’s just hope he doesn’t have any secret plans of his own (Las Vegas Coyotes anyone?).

GROUP INTERESTED IN COYOTES SEES BIG ROLE FOR GRETZKY [Yahoo Canada]
COYOTE BID INCLUDES CANADA GAMES [Toronto Globe and Mail]