Judge nixes Coyotes' move. Update.

Judge Redfield T. Baum made his highly anticipated decision public earlier in the evening, saying in a 21-page ruling that there wasn't enough time to deal with all the unresolved issues raised by the unprecedented case.

That prompted (Jim) Balsillie to offer the NHL an olive branch and propose to work with it in attempt to find "an appropriate" relocation fee to bring the club north through mediation.

But buoyed by the judgment, the league says it plans to help a future owner make the Coyotes viable in Glendale, and its claims that four parties have expressed an interest in operating the team there will now be put to the test.

"We are confident that we will be able to find such a buyer for the Coyotes," deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement, "and that the claims of legitimate creditors will be addressed."

The ruling brings to a close more than a month of intense of often dramatic legal maneuvering, set off when Balsillie sought to buy the Coyotes out of Chapter 11 protection with a $212.5 million offer that was conditional on being able to move the team to Hamilton. He had set a June 29 closing date for the sale in an attempt to speed through the process and have the club in place for the 2009-10 season.

But Baum rejected that timeline and several aspects of the arguments made by his lawyers, writing their claims that the league's refusal to allow the team to move does not violate antitrust law and permit "the sale free and clear of the relocation rights of the NHL."