Judge rejects both bids for Coyotes

Jim Balsillie’s quest to buy the Phoenix Coyotes and relocate the team to Hamilton is over.

An Arizona judge ruled today against the Waterloo billionaire’s bid to acquire the team in the face of opposition from the NHL.

Judge Redfield T. Baum released a 31-page judgment which shut the door on Balsillie’s five-month attempt to get the team because he found Balsillie could not satisfy the league’s claims and rights under its governing rules.

One of the rights was that the NHL only admits new team owners that meet its written requirements. At the end of July, league owners voted 26-2 against allowing Balsillie to become a team owner, claiming he had a disreputable character.