Sale of Ducks Could Be Done by Next Week

The NHL began voting on the proposed sale of the Mighty Ducks to Broadcom co-founder Henry Samueli and his wife, Susan, on Friday, an NHL team source said.

A three-quarters vote of the league’s 30 teams is needed to approve the sale, but there is expected to be little or no objection to the Samuelis.

The results will be completed by midweek.

The Samuelis, who also operated the Arrowhead Pond where the Ducks play, have agreed to purchase the team from the Walt Disney Co. for $75 million. The deal also includes Disney Ice in Anaheim, the Ducks’ training facility.

The vote on the sale had been delayed for two months, in part because of the NHL’s ongoing labor dispute.

Once the Samuelis are approved as owners, they will install Tim Ryan to oversee the team and Bob Wagner as executive vice president of business affairs, a source familiar with the team said. Both are currently upper management for the Pond.

Neil Smith, who won a Stanley Cup as New York Ranger general manager, and Brian Burke, former Vancouver general manager, are the finalists for the Ducks’ general manager job.

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-- Chris Foster