Judgment Day arrives for Coyotes franchise

It's a big day in Phoenix.

It's an even bigger one for Hamilton.

And a pretty big one for the National Hockey League, as well.

What takes place before Judge Redfield T. Baum in an Arizona bankruptcy court today determines whether Jim Balsillie's dream to bring a National Hockey League team to Copps Coliseum takes its greatest stride forward to date.

Baum must determine whether the bankrupt Coyotes can be relocated. If the Coyotes franchise, which has lost more than $316 million since being relocated from Winnipeg in 1996, can be moved, it puts in play Balsillie's $212.5-million conditional offer to buy and relocate the club.

If Baum rules otherwise, Balsillie's dreams, and Hamilton's, suffer another crippling blow.

The Coyotes' current owner, Jerry Moyes, and the creditors support Balsillie's bid, believing it will be the richest of five prospective offers.

The Coyotes' creditors' position is outlined in a court salvo filed over the weekend.

"Should the court approve the sale motion resulting in the team being sold and moved to Hamilton, Ontario, it would not be the end of the world as we know it," the submission states.

But the league takes a different view, suggesting a Hamilton relocation would be catastrophic.

"No level of relocation fees or indemnity payments could compensate for the chaos and harm that would ensue to the game of NHL hockey if bankruptcy courts could force the sale of clubs to any person and permit clubs to be relocated to any location," the NHL's brief states.