McCain comments on Coyotes' situation

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Sen. John McCain remains an ardent fan of the Coyotes, so much that he's happy daylight saving time has passed so he only has to stay up until midnight in Washington D.C. to watch Phoenix home games.
 
But even McCain, who championed the team in its legal battles during Matthew Hulsizer's bid to buy the team last spring, admits time is running out for the Coyotes to find the kind of stable ownership that can keep the team in Arizona.
 
"I don't know (how long the sale process can continue), but the National Hockey League is not going to keep this franchise going forever," McCain said prior to the Coyotes' game against Montreal on Thursday night. "That's not their job. Their job is to oversee the NHL, not spend money on it. So I do have a certain sense of urgency."
 
McCain said he had no information on the progress of talks between the city of Glendale and two potential suitors -- one led by Chicago Bulls and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, the other by former San Jose Sharks president Greg Jamison, but said Arizona deserves to keep its hockey team.
 
"I'm not telling anyone what deal to make," he said. "But if there's anything any of us can do that love hockey and love the fact that our state is a major sports city with all four teams, we want to encourage it as much as possible."
 
On the night before Veterans Day, the Vietnam War veteran was honored with his own bobblehead that was distributed to fans and dropped the ceremonial first puck before the game. It's not the first bobblehead created for the longtime senator from Arizona, but he gave it a thumbs-up.
 
"It's by far the best in terms of likeness," McCain said. "Tragically it shows the aging process has excelled."