Rocket Owner Launches Another Bid for Oilers

Houston Rocket owner Les Alexander on Tuesday made an $82.5-million bid for the Edmonton Oilers and said he wants to move the team to Houston.

“I want to be an NHL owner,” Alexander said.

The new bid, which comes only months after his first attempt to buy the team failed, means the Oilers would leave the Canadian city after this season, Alexander said.

To keep the NHL franchise in Edmonton, local buyers would have to come up with at least $70 million.

Alexander backed his bid with a $5-million deposit to the Alberta Treasury Branches, the bank handling the Oilers’ sale. The deposit is refundable if Canadian buyers act in 30 days.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said he was pleased with Alexander’s interest and offer.

“Les Alexander has, without hesitation, shown a consistent interest in NHL hockey and he’s shown a great tenacity in his desire to bring an NHL team to Houston,” said Bettman, who was en route to Nagano.

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Pittsburgh Penguin President Donn Patton resigned to pursue other business opportunities. Patton joined the team in November 1991 and served as president since November 1996.

In November, Patton publicly apologized for excluding public officials from negotiations to sell the naming rights to the Civic Arena.

The team had hoped to sell the rights to Allegheny Energy Inc. for $5 million. Members of the Public Auditorium Authority were miffed because they were excluded from initial negotiations, even though the authority owns the arena.

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Utah center Kip Miller had three goals, including two during a record-setting 18-second span in the first period, as the Western Conference beat the Eastern Conference, 12-8, in the 24th International Hockey League All-Star game before 10,176 at Orlando (Fla.) Arena.

Miller keyed the first of two five-goal outbursts by the West with opening-period goals at 3:52 and 4:10.

Las Vegas’ Patrice Lefebvre, who had four assists, helped set up all of Miller’s goals. Patrik Augusta of the Long Beach Ice Dogs contributed a goal and three assists.

Cleveland’s Martin St. Louis had three goals and an assist, and Orlando’s Mark Beaufait had a goal and three assists in a losing effort.

Orlando’s Grigori Panteleyev put the East ahead, 1-0, on the game’s first shot at 47 seconds. However, the West then scored five consecutive goals in a 2:59 span.