from Scott Bordow of ArizonaCentral,

If I’m tired of this story, I can’t imagine how the Coyotes’ players, staff and fans are feeling. They’ve been teased and tormented for four years now. They’ve endured court hearings and potential lawsuits and premature Gary Bettman news conferences.

They’ve put up with a cast of characters unlike anything we’ve seen in Arizona sports history: Jim Balsillie and Jerry Moyes, Jerry Reinsdorf, Elaine Scruggs and Ed Beasley, Matthew Hulsizer and the Goldwater Institute, Greg Jamison and Ice Edge Holdings, Darin Pastor and, of course, Bettman and his sidekick, Bill Daly.

All that’s missing is Gilligan and the Skipper. (The Goldwater Institute would play the part of Thurston Howell III, naturally).

But the shenanigans, stops and starts were finally going to end. Renaissance received its blessing from the NHL. It began negotiations with the Glendale City Council and compromise was the word of the day. Just one week ago, reports surfaced that the two sides had the framework of an agreement in place. All that was left to do, it seemed, was cross the t’s and dot the i’s.

Then, for whatever reason, the deal fell apart. Someone tweeted Wednesday morning that the Coyotes would move to Seattle but play a final season in Glendale while Key Arena was being readied for hockey. Less than an hour later, though, news broke that the deal had been resurrected and a vote will take place Tuesday.

I don’t know. Shouldn’t we just shoot the horse already?

more