Moss Expected to Step Down

Doug Moss, the Mighty Duck vice president of business operations, will resign to become president of the Phoenix Coyotes, a hockey source said Sunday.

Moss declined to comment on the situation. But a source said that Coyote officials contacted Moss immediately after Jim Lites resigned as team president last month to become the Dallas Stars’ president.

An announcement is expected within a few days. Moss will officially join the Coyotes in three weeks.

The move comes eight months after Moss was hired to run the business side of the Ducks. Moss has tried to generate renewed fan interest in a franchise that finished last in attendance last season. He cut ticket prices on 9,053 seats and instituted a more fan-friendly environment at the Arrowhead Pond.

Moss, 49, was the Buffalo Sabres’ president and chief executive from 1994-96. Before that he spent one season as the International Hockey League commissioner. He was president of the Madison Square Garden Network from 1992-94.

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The NHL board of governors will begin meetings today in Phoenix. Among the topics will be the medical coverage for players on Canadian teams. As of Jan. 1, the Canadian Medical Protective Assn. will make malpractice insurance available to doctors at major league sporting events.... Duck defenseman Ruslan Salei sat out for the fifth time in six games because of back and abdomen injuries.

-- Chris Foster