PHOENIX, Arizona – The sale of the Phoenix Coyotes to the National Hockey League was approved on Monday by federal bankruptcy judge Redfield T. Baum, dumping the struggling back in the hands of league owners.

The move came after attorneys made modifications in the league's previous $140-million offer to purchase the club from owner Jerry Moyes, who took the team into Chapter 11 reorganizational bankruptcy on May 5.

Only NHL all-time scoring leader Wayne Gretzky, the club's former coach who owned a small stake in the club, failed to join in on the agreement but did not file an objection with the court to block the deal.

Gretzky resigned as coach after being unable to work with the club while a six-month ownership fight ensued. He claims to be owed about eight million dollars.

Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie attempted to purchase the team for as much as $292 million from bankruptcy court and move it to Hamilton, Canada.

NHL owners accused the Blackberry owner of trying to evade NHL rules on who decides who owns teams and where they play. Balsillie had made earlier attempts to buy and relocate the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Baum rejected Balsillie's bid on September 30, saying he could not go against a 26-0 NHL board of governors vote rejecting Balsillie as an owner and saying he could allow the NHL to buy the club with minor changes to its offer.

Moyes reached a deal with the NHL that gives him about $11.6 million to divide with Gretzky and the city of Glendale, where the team's home rink is located. All other unsecured creditors would get full payment owed.

The NHL hopes to sell the club, struggling to find sufficient fan support in the US desert southwest, to a buyer that would keep it in Arizona.