The hockey season might be a goner, but speculation about the sale of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim is heating up.
Walt Disney Co. reportedly has narrowed potential buyers to two, the Los Angeles Times said Friday.
A source told the Business Journal that the announcement of a new owner could come as early as today.
The Times reported that one bidder is H & S; Ventures of Newport Beach. H & S; is controlled by Henry Samueli, cofounder of Irvine-based chipmaker Broadcom Corp., and his wife, Susan.
Samueli’s interest isn’t a surprise. He’s expressed interest in buying the Ducks for some time. An arm of H & S;, Anaheim Arena Management LLC, manages the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim where the Ducks play.
The Times said its source did not identify the other buyer, only to say it wasn’t Howard Baldwin, former owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who also has expressed interest in the team.
Disney has been trying to sell the Ducks for a few years. The Burbank-based entertainment company paid $50 million for the rights to create the franchise in 1992.
But Disney’s had its ups and downs with the team. Despite going to the Stanley Cup finals in the 2002-2003 season, the Ducks still lost $11 million.
Its payroll last season was about $54 million. If this season had gotten under way as scheduled, the Ducks’ payroll was expected to be trimmed to $40 million to $45 million.
