Balsillie Pledges to Keep Coyotes in PHX

Phoenix (AP) - Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie has pledged to keep the Phoenix Coyotes in Glendale this season if he wins an auction for the financially troubled club.

His attorneys say the club would play in Glendale this season, which opens Oct. 3, but Balsillie still intends to move the team to Hamilton, Ontario, as part of his $242.5 million bid.

The revised offer came during an emergency hearing Wednesday before bankruptcy Judge Redfield T. Baum, who called Balsillie's proposal "a fairly significant change."

The judge called the hearing on owner Jerry Moyes' request to force the NHL into mediation over contentious issues surrounding the club's sale. Baum was expected to rule on the mediation issue later in the day.