BY WEB STAFF
sportsnet.ca

The secret shopper who has emerged in the sale of the Phoenix Coyotes is Chicago businessman Matt Hulsizer, Sportsnet can confirm, with Ice Edge Holdings LLC playing a small part in his big plan for the NHL club.

Hulsizer, who has been described by sources as a man with deep pockets, has been working on a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Glendale. While the hope is to have the MOU in place this week, the city keeps sending the documents back all changed.

Earlier this week, the Phoenix Business Journal reported that the NHL and the new potential ownership group -- who is pledging to keep the team in Arizona -- could announce details of the proposed transaction soon. The ownership group had apparently asked for Glendale and league to keep negotiations private.

The NHL has owned the team since October when it bought the Coyotes out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. The league has set a Dec. 31 deadline for the Coyotes to be sold to new owners who would keep the team in the Phoenix market.

If that deadline passes, the possibility exists the NHL could likely sell the team to owners who would move the Coyotes to Canada.