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One by one stories emerged on Friday afternoon.
But instead of the typical point/counterpoint, they were all positive news for the City of Glendale and the Phoenix Coyotes.
First, it was reported around 1 p.m. that Glendale did not illegally circumvent the state's open meeting laws. They were originally flagged for investigation because of meetings held regarding the Coyotes with the NHL and potential ownership group, Renaissance Sports and Entertainment. The "meet and greets" were deemed legal by Assistant Attorney General Christopher Munns.
A little after 2 p.m. Fox Sports Arizona's Craig Morgan tweeted this:
#NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said approval of the #Coyotes sale will be pushed to Monday. Votes are coming via fax. Not complete yet.
— Craig Morgan (@cmorganfoxaz) August 2, 2013
The Board of Governors vote is the final formality to be completed before closing. The NHL had hoped to receive all the votes on Friday, but that was not the case. Morgan cites sources in his follow up article that say RSE is expected to close on the sale of the team on Monday. Monday is the deadline to close the deal per the lease agreement with the City of Glendale.
As 5 p.m. came and went, the final piece of the day fell into place. Ding, dong, the referendum is dead.
Any interested out-of-town folks: 5 PM has come and gone, which means latest #Coyotes referendum attempt is officially dead.
— Brendan Porter (@BrendanPorter) August 2, 2013
No signatures were turned in.
Only the weekend stands between now and an actual, tangible, no-you're-not-dreaming owner of the soon to be Arizona Coyotes.
Ownership the hard way.