The Sports Network of Canada reported Tuesday that a tentative deal regarding the purchase of the Buffalo Sabres is "imminent." The organization, which cited undisclosed sources, said that the deal could occur within 24 hours.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was in Buffalo last week and announced that the process was closer to its conclusion than to its beginning. Bettman said he had met with Rochester billionaire B. Thomas Golisano, who just completed an unsuccessful gubernatorial run. The commissioner has also met with Mark Hamister, who owns the Arena Football League's Buffalo Destroyers; Hamister is the only candidate who has submitted a formal bid.
The NHL has been responsible for running the Sabres since previous owner John Rigas and two of his sons were indicted on charges of fraud after the collapse of their Adelphia cable company.
