NHL: Sell, Sell, Sell [J. Mark English]

NEW YORK (AP) -- The NHL board of governors approved the sale of the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday to a group headed by Dave Checketts, the former president of Madison Square Garden.

The deal, reached March 24, transfers ownership of the Blues -- the league's worst team this season -- and the Savvis Center from Bill and Nancy Laurie to Checketts and his Sports Capital Partners and Towerbrook Capital Partners.

The board also approved the sale of the Phoenix Coyotes by Steve Ellman to Jerry Moyes at its annual end of season meeting.

"All the sales were approved and things are in a position to continue moving forward toward a closing," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said.

The financial part of the reported $150 million sale of the Blues isn't finished yet. Checketts said he expects the deal to be done soon, and Bettman added that he didn't foresee any hangups.

"We're extremely pleased to have been unanimously approved ... pending closure of the sale," Checketts said in a statement. "The next and final steps of this process are in front of us, and we anticipate a successful completion to the sale in the days ahead."