Gretzky made the announcement today on his website, adding that he had hoped there would have been a solution to the team's ownership problems.

"This was a difficult decision that I've thought long and hard about," Gretzky writes on his website. "Since both remaining bidders have made it clear that I don't fit into their future plans, I approached general manager Don Maloney and suggested he begin looking for someone to replace me as coach. Don has worked hard and explored many options. I think he has made an excellent choice, and so now it's time for me to step aside."

Read the full statement from Wayne Gretzky.

Rumor has it that former Dallas Stars coach Dave Tippett may be stepping in as the new coach of the Phoenix Coyotes. The Coyotes have scheduled a press conference for 6 p.m. EDT.

The 2009-10 NHL regular season starts on Oct. 1with the Coyotes playing their first game on Oct. 3 against the Los Angeles Kings. Get all your NHL futures odds and NHL betting lines at Bodog Sportsbook.

For the sake of the true hockey fans in Arizona, it would be ideal if the NHL can figure out a way to keep the franchise in town. But that seems unlikely long term.

There is a huge belief that the team should relocate to Canada with cities like Hamilton and Winnipeg just waiting to get their hands on a club.

Hamilton seems to be the best place for the Coyotes, as they have the fans and the building and the support of a possible new owner in Jim Balsillie (the BlackBerry guy).

But Gary Bettman seems to have a grudge against Balsillie and Canada for that matter, so expect the team to end up somewhere in the United States.

If the team does not stay put in Phoenix, even Vegas is an option the NHL would really love.

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The Coyotes’ push for the playoffs continued on Saturday night as they dumped Calgary 5-4 to record their fourth win in their last five games. Peter Mueller picked up a goal and an assist in the win, while Martin Hanzal collected a pair of assists.

The Red Wings have owned the Coyotes recently, with nine straight wins against Phoenix. Detroit and Phoenix met up once this season back in December when Detroit escaped with a 5-4 shootout win. Johan Franzen scored two goals for the Wings, while Jiri Hudler netted the shootout winner.

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The odds are pretty good for that to happen since the Blackhawks are off to a slow start (0-2-1) and have scored just two goals in each game so far. Chicago was 10th in the league in scoring last season with 234 goals, so expectations are high for more production on offense.

Blackhawks goalie Cristobal Huet is 3-0-0 with a tie and a 2.68 goals-against average in four career starts against Phoenix, while Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov is 4-2-2 with a 1.92 GAA lifetime versus Chicago. A low scoring game seems likely since the under is 11-2-1 in the last 14 meetings in Chicago.

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Jose Theodore stops a shot from Shane Doan during Colorado's win. (AP Images)

Two teams struggling to get themselves into the playoffs faced off on Friday night. The desperate fight delivered some outstanding hockey and a great finish.

Phoenix defenseman Derek Morris scored with just three seconds to play in regulation to force overtime then after a scoreless extra session the Coyotes engaged in a marathon shootout with the Avalanche.

Cody McLeod scored in the 12th round of the shootout to lift the Avalanche to a 3-2 victory in Glendale, Ariz.

Paul Stastny and Marek Svatos had regulation-time goals for the Avalanche, who broke a tie for ninth place with the Coyotes and moved within a win of eighth position in the Western Conference.

Phoenix gained one point to move to 67 on the season.

The underdog Avalanche paid +115 on the puckline (meaning a winning hockey bet of $100 would net $115). The betting total was under 5.5 goals. Goalie Jose Theodore made 27 saves and earned a win in the shootout.

In other NHL action on Friday:

Dallas 5, Edmonton 2: Marty Turco made 20 saves and Jere Lehtninen had two goals to lead the Stars, who improved to 10-2 in their last 12 games against the Oilers. Dallas was a -200 favorite at home and the betting total flew over five goals.

Calgary 1, Detroit 0: Miika Kiprusoff made 37 saves and Alex Tanguay scored the game’s only goal as the Flames took care of the short-handed Red Wings. Calgary, a home underdog, paid +105. The Red Wings’ Chris Osgood made 26 saves but it wasn’t enough for the win.

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